Dashain Gifts

Dashain is round the corner and as usual, our corrupt incompetent government wants to give us common citizens a lot of gift hampers. The gifts from the government are different from what you and I give each other during birthdays, weddings and other social functions.  

We give cash, clothes and cutleries. Our government is a different story. It only knows how to hike taxes, fails to spend most of the funds meant for development works and allows byaparis to increase their prices and empty our wallets. 

We are now paying more taxes because we have to feed thousands of our lawmakers in the province and the center. And our mayors and provincial ministers drive around in luxury vehicles worth Karods. It's about time, our federal ministers demand helicopters to go around town for ribbon-cutting ceremonies. I think our President should have a private plane. 

Oli has already done us proud by not flying with our national carrier but paying millions more to a private airlines when he goes to visit our chimekis. 

As usual, our government fails to spend most of the money meant for development works every year while contractors never finish their job on time. It seems that Thekdaars in this land are more powerful than those who are in charge of monitoring their works.

How on earth did we end up like this where rule of law doesn't matter and only rule of thieves apply in all walks of life? Ever since, we became a Republic, our politicians have developed a different attitude towards the people, country and the system itself. It seems that they now know that the monarchy is not going to come back any time soon unless our chimekis have other plans. 

Yes, we may brag about how we toppled the previous regime but at the end of the day, negotiations and deals are signed not here but there.  

This has been going on since the days of the Shree Tins and it will go on until the day, our leaders are brave enough to take a stand and settle their differences on their own instead of begging and crying for help from our chimekis to help them to gain power.

Our Oli government has turned out to be no better than the previous ones and our netas don't care about folks going back home to their villages for the festive season.  Instead, our politicians, civil servants and thulo mancheys are happy when millions of our young folks leave their villages for the Middle East. 

Manpower companies make billions, chor agents make millions and our sarkari hakim sahebs and elected lawbreakers take their cut as well. This is the land of commission where if you can provide chiya kharcha then the netas and hakim sahebs will go to bed with you and if you are an ordinary, poor but hardworking citizens with nothing to offer then the government will make sure that your work takes time and you spend money and time running around for days to meet the hakim sahebs to sign your files.

Our transport mafia has won the battle against our government. They did carry out their transport strike and now they are free to increase their fare. As usual, the consumers suffer while our con artists make the moolah and corrupt clowns get their share. 

No wonder, our mantris can't take any action against byparais because at the end of the day, they need the chiya kharcha from the same byaparis to fight elections, to buy apartments in the West for their kids and to invest in departmental stores, cooking gas, media and other thekka-patta businesses across the country.

And we now see byaparis getting nominated by our parties to be our MPs. Look at the guy from Pappu Construction. He gets to be our lawmaker because he has paid millions to a political party. He gets government contracts worth billions of Rupees and our government is okay with the guy not finishing his work on time. 

And now, there is an arrest warrant for the byapari turned lawmaker and let's see if the guy is arrested and charged with negligence at all. Let us all feel sorry for our Home Minister who seem to be powerless when it comes to going after gold smugglers, murderers and contractors. It doesn't help when most of the criminals are under the protection of top leaders of our political parties.

As usual, this Dashain, the common folks will have to pay more for everything. The price of maida is already up. The price of Khasi will be more than what you paid last year. Bus fares are up. It seems that the only thing that goes down is the country itself and its hardworking people while the taxes, food prices, and everything else goes up. 

Oli and his comrades tell us that they are more patriotic than the ordinary Nepalis. Maybe that's why nobody is interested to cut down our trade deficit with our chimekis. We now import almost everything. We do not have enough Khasis in this land. We import old buffaloes so that we can enjoy our vyar vyar momos. 

It the government at least implemented odd-even vehicle rule and banned all transport at least on the last Saturday of the month then we can save quite a lot on fuel imports from our chimeki. Our municipalities could help us by providing free gamalas so that we can grow vegetables, dalley khursani and even fruits on our roof tops in the valley.  At least give us something instead of only taking everything from us. How about a kg of khasi ko masu for all taxpayers? 

But no, our government and those in power want nothing to do with anything that helps the people. They only care for their cousins, cadres and contractors.  And they will make sure that their near and dear ones get the funds in the form of student loans, youth employment loans and other grants the government has to offer to citizens. 

For our politicians and hakim sahebs, Dashain comes every week. For common citizens, it comes once a year and instead of being happy and celebrating the victory of good over evil, we have to feel sorry for ourselves because in this land, evil has triumphed and good has already left the building.

Guffadi is a grumpy old man who blogs at guffadi.blogspot.com. You may contact him at maguffadi@gmail.com