Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew died on Monday at the age of 91. Lee served as the Prime Minister for 31 years. The last time we had a Prime Minister who served for more than three decades was back in the 18th century when Bhimsen Thapa was having all the fun. Although it did not end well for him, he did leave us with Dharahara, also known as the Bhimsen Tower.
Many of our Prime Ministers have left us with something to remember them by. The Ranas have left us their palaces even though most of them are now crumbling and moldy. That happens when our civil servants use it.
I guess all the maintenance budget goes not for the upkeep of the buildings but for new windows and doors at Hakim Sahebs' homes. We should ask the Hakim Sahebs if anybody has washed their towels on their chairs since we became a Republic.
I think it would be better if we shifted our government offices to newer buildings and repair the old palaces and turn it into boutique hotels. I think our tourism entrepreneurs would love to outbid each other to turn Narayanhiti into a hotel and even a convention center. We could even make Thamel and surrounding areas vehicle-free zone if we allowed parking inside the Narayanhiti.
Our Prime Ministers since the 1990s have not left us with anything to remember them by. Well, they may not have built towers and palaces but they still contributed something for the betterment of the country.
If it weren't for them, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) would have now been flying all over the world and would have a few dozen aircraft. But today, thanks to our netas and their dear ones, NAC can't even manage a flight to Delhi. Let us not feel bad because we have gotten the opportunity to fly other airlines and make them a few Dollars richer instead.
Our Prime Ministers left us with the 'Pajero Culture'. Our former lawmakers still ride around town in those vehicles that they got back in the days. If the same man gets to be our Prime Minister someday then don't be surprised if he hands out choppers to our lawmakers to make them happy.
We became a Republic and we had expected our Emperor would be an honest man who would change this country. After all, thousands of lives had been lost. As usual, majority of those who suffered were not the thulo mancheys and their cronies but ordinary folks.
But still, we gave them a chance. And our Emperor acted more like a kid in a candy store instead of being a great leader. And when he couldn't get what he wanted, he just stormed out of Baluwatar. And now he and his crew wants to shut down the country just to show the ruling clowns that he still got his mojo working.
In the 1990s, our clowns promised us that Nepal would be like Singapore. But here we are, nearly two and half decades later and our great leaders have turned this beautiful land of ours into a cesspool whereas Lee helped turned the mosquito infested swamp land into one of the most developed economy in the world under his stewardship.
Singapore does not have any natural resources and yet they have managed to come this far. Its citizens are its only resource and Lee's clampdown on corruption and focus on education has helped to make his country one of the major global financial hub.
We have plenty of natural resources and yet, we seem to be going down the drain. We are fortunate that God has give us such beautiful land but our so-called leaders have done all they could to exploit it for only their self-interests instead of looking out for national interests.
We, Nepalese are law-abiding, hard-working and honest people. But our politicians are Nepalese too but all of them seem to have the same gene defect that makes them loot the country and are only interested to exploit and extort the common citizens.
Our politicians should learn a thing or two from Lee. The world may not agree with his autocratic style of governance but he got things done. Our country needs a man like Lee when it comes to being a leader. One has to be focused and determined to change the country for the better.
Well, we don't want Lee's style of censorship and crackdown on all forms of dissent but banning littering and spitting in public would be great for our land. Yes, please increase the fines. If you are violating traffic laws then the offender should pay at least Rs 100,000 instead of getting away with a few hundred Rupees.
Now that would make us all think and be a law-abiding citizen. What about our clowns and their speeding vehicles? Yes, they too should be held liable if they violate traffic laws.
Our clowns must be reminded that they are not riding in ambulances and they have to stay in line like the rest of us. But of course, our clowns are in a hurry because they have to meet foreign agents so that they can work out deals to outsource government work to make some commission.
We need leaders who have a vision to make this country prosperous and each citizen will have access to better healthcare, education, housing and other basic needs. We do not want the same clowns who think of only being in power even if it lasts a few months so that they can make enough dough to last a few generations.
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