Nepal In Dire Need of True Statesman

By Arun Ranjit

Statesman or stateswoman is that person who is an experienced politician of a certain country who had a long political career and is widely known, respected at the national or international level because of his/her deliverance of everything for the enhancement of the people’s lives.

Statesman is a good leader, prolific orator, able to motivate people with intelligent reason promising his/her words with clearly defined visions building consensus for the country’s development by standing above normal politics.

A statesman is a foresighted politician who has long-term goals for the advancement of the citizens, country and of course their political party.

But talking about the case of Nepal, the so-called (?) politicians will say or do anything to get elected or to gain power but work only for selfness and closeness. Most of the politicians talk one thing and do another. They are unpromised leaders whose motives are to grab power at any cost.

It has been almost a week since Nepal wrapped up federal and provincial elections.

As the final results are yet to be announced, the political environment is becoming a “dead heat stage” and people are concerned about “Who will form the next government.”

Looking at the election results it is sure that to form the next government it definitely needs more than two parties. Political analysts consider the situation is very premature as there will be hung-parliament and the situation of the country’s development and people’s lives and wellbeing are to be pushed back.

Every person of Nepal seeking the new coming government, in what might be, must address the citizens’ hardships facing insecurity, inflation, unemployment, hunger, diseases. They really want to live a quality of life.

Statesmen think about the next generation while politicians think about the next election.

Though Nepal has three digits numbers of political parties and millions of politicians and cadres but it is almost 35 years now after restoration of democracy in Nepal there is still lack of statesmanship among the high-profile politicians and still unable to manage the people’s necessities. But instead, they are duck-fighting to find themselves in positions of power and authority only.

If we take reference from other countries’ situation, politicians are offering solutions day to day living of the people considering their positions placing themselves at the bar of people’s issue and public opinion.

Also, politicians who leave office offer themselves to be assessed on the basis of what they were able to achieve while in office, the impact of their policies towards people’s issues, country’s development, nation’s image at the international forum and strengthened the democratic policies.

But talking about Nepal, we have been seeing the same faces since the first election held in 1992 and still most of them have won the last week federal elections. But looking back to the United States, in 1992 the president was Bill Clinton. After completion of his term, the world saw George Bush Jr.  Barack Obama, Donald Trump and now President Joe Biden are ruling.

Here in Nepal, the people who fought in the 1992 elections and became ministers at that time are still on the fray (most of them had won) and ruling their parties and have influences everywhere. They never think of retirement until their deaths.

Because of this, the country was lacking behind. Political leaders and cadres are better-off day-by-day whereas people are in misery.

This scribe being as a frequent traveler, he has seen how the Nepalese passport holders are treated in various international airports abroad. It is just because the level of standards of Nepal is plunging and the image of Nepal at the international forum is also being relegated.

The level of corruption in Nepal is widely known. Once this scribe was in a South American country at the international gathering and while introducing himself as being from Nepal, they immediately reacted saying “Woh…… Nepal…… very rich in culture and corruption.” Hearing these words this scribe was doomed.

A look around the country, if something socio-important issues happened like raped, smuggled, strike and so on… none of the government person will take issue as serious and try to resolve that are being hot cake. The government keeps silent thinking nothing has happened.

Thus, we can say that the politics of Nepal is heading with the hustling and bustling pushing the citizen’s daily needed issues placed in the back burner of national discourse.

The politicians might drive themselves in this way ignoring all the issues of the country and citizens because the rural area people are mostly illiterate and can buy their votes by offering small perks and feeding some goods during election time. But other times, the politicians don’t need any cooperation from voters as they have everything since their influence is everywhere. And also, might need to rethink seriously that aren’t those politicians being used by the countries abroad who have special interests and want influence everywhere. A very big and crucial point.

Yes, it can be said that because of powerful countries’ petty interest, internationally the problems of daily necessity goods, inflation, cultural and religious influence, political instability and other social-issues are growing.

But sadly, it might have hit all however the developing countries like Nepal are facing more critically. The human index graph of Nepal is miserable. The poor people are going down to the poor while a certain handful of people whose profession is “politics” are not being touched at any cost. For those so-called elite groups of people, whatever the nation’s economic, political, social condition it doesn’t matter as those people have money, muscle, power and get facilities from the government when they need to avoid rules and regulations.

The rules of the country have never been applied to those morally less people because they ever think we are above the rules. It is only for the general citizens who have no power. So, people are frustrated by this severity of anti-social tendencies.

While reviewing the results of last week’s general election of Nepal it has reflected that no outright winner has been produced. The federal polls are likely to result in a hung parliament since no party achieved a simple majority.

According to Nepal’s constitution, the leader backed by the most parliamentarians can present himself as candidate for the Prime Minister to the President with a view to forming a government. Taking the reference of the past, the hung parliament results always in political instability.

Through the electorate’s power this time people have chosen some new faces defying those old politicians. They are few, but they are certainly weighted and people have big hope of at least some changes from them. Now, the time has come for the populace to stand up for themselves, call the bluff of the no-good political class and search for statesmen who can raise the bar of governance and meet the people at the very point of their needs.