November 15, 2024, Friday
Nepal 1:37:26 pm

Year-end: a flash-back

The Nepal Weekly
April 9, 2024

As the year 2080 B.S. closes this Friday – April 13 – people begin reviewing the past 12 months from various perspectives. While their impressions and findings may vary, one could conclude that the political sector could not contribute positively to the year. The fear of political instability, that people had in the opening days of the year, turned out to be real. As a result of the same, the political alliance got changed dramatically; the original alliance with NC switched over to the alliance with the CPN UML. There is no guarantee that the new alliance will last long. The scenario has made the prospects of good governance not promising. The entry of new political parties in government has also not been able to make people hopeful for better future. The way new ministers have pursued their policies have not yet made people convinced about their competence. The weakness of the political sector has also infected the economy more vulnerable: fixed income group suffering most, investors not finding any encouraging trend in productivity and investment, the unemployed not seeing any green light. Work force problems got more complicated as more youths are leaving home for employment or education abroad. A number of agricultural land-plots have been left unfarmed because of labour shortage. Series of social change schemes remain unimplemented while various institutions, professional organizations and civil society have not been able to make those in ruling chairs and implementing points conscious of their obligation to people and society; their failure to raise public confidence in future is more worrying. Public service delivery has been neglected; those who are responsible for the same appear to have adopted an attitude of indifference. Media particularly the traditional ones – newspapers, Radio, TV and online – find themselves abandoned by readers, listeners, viewers, users and advertisers; all appear to have migrated to social media. The scenario places the sector of people’s right to know in a vulnerable state. Despite all these rather dark sides in the backdrop, people expect the new year– 2081 B.S. – to be different: the new year will fulfill their wishes in a better way. May 2081 B.S. bring for all prosperity and health, resilience, hope and comfort!