Dr. Harka Gurung passed away in a helicopter crash on September 23rd, 2006. Our prayers to the family on his 16th remembrance day.
The Panchayati era was different. We had an absolute monarch and his style of one-party democracy. Today, we have a multi-party democracy where 100+ parties are registered with the Election Commission.
We all have good and evil in us. Let's leave the bad and ugly parts of our system for another day.
The only good thing that came out from the Shree Tin regime were the palaces around the valley. But if our Shumshers had instead spent that money on building roads and railway tracks across the country instead of 1,000 room palaces then we could have been a little better off than we are today.
The Shree Paanch didn't go around building new palaces except the Narayanhiti but wanted to run the show alone. We can't blame them. After hundred plus years of being treated like slaves trapped inside their palaces, they were eager to rule hola.
The Panchayati systen was harsh on freedom of speech, religion, assembly and what not but not to be soft on them but they knew how to get talented young folks to be a part of the system.
Our politicians should learn a thing or two from them as well. At least carry out routine maintenance on Singha Durbar or tear it down and make a new one and pocket billions of Rupees. Which option would they choose?
We need more technocrats in our political parties today. Our politicians are the new Shree Tins. They have become the new Maharajas. Instead of inviting young skilled folks back to the country, they are busy inviting shady NRN byaparis to help them launder the black money to St. Kitts.
Enough of the rant. Let's go back to late Dr. Harka Gurung. I heard that he was a good footballer and tennis player. Hope someday, we will have a Harka Cup where not only A division clubs but B C D and even amateur teams can participate.
Our politicians today are not into physical exercise. Well, they do exercise their mouth to spew venom. The only exception is Kamal Thapa. He is a veteran tennis champ but he is pretty much on the sidelines from our political ring for now.
The great scholar needs to be given credit for a lot of things. He did so much for tourism and mountaineering in this country. Hope someday we will have a mountain named after him.
Dr. Gurung was for the Constituent Assembly even during the Panchayat days. Baburam went to JNU and came up with a 40-point demand. If he had only read Dr. Gurung's articles, he would have toned down to less than 5-point demand hola.
None of the 40-point demand by the Maoists have been fulfilled, not even when they were in power or have been sharing power with the same chors who put a bounty on their heads. That's politics. You not only make a deal with the devil, you become the devil.
If our lawbreakers had followed Dr. Gurung's advice, then we would have reduced the number of districts and provinces to make it more manageable. But what do our politicians do? They create a new map that makes it look like we have a horn like an unicorn. Forget Lipulekh, first develop Liwang instead.
Our federal government is still not willing to decentralize power and empower the disenfranchised. Our provinical governments have no power and get peanuts to do any substantial development works in their backyard.
If only had our politicians followed some of his advice, we would have a better regulated border with India, our migrants would be better off and there would have been improvements in health, education and even fighting the climate crisis.
I thinks we need to regulate our border with India. We can also keep track of our migrants who work in India and also keep track of Indian migrants who work here. The remittance from both sides will move through legal channels instead of hundi or hawala.
And both sides can help their migrants when they are in need as databases will help to manage the millions of migrants who cross the border on the other side for better opportunities.
India would not have to worry about fake Indian notes arriving from Pakistan to Kathmandu then to India. And can you please stop sending hitmen to bump off fake currency racketeers every year or two? There must be some other way to deal with them instead of scaring the whole country with such shootings. Our Nepal Police look defeated when RAW folks carry out these missions in our land.
But who do our politicians listen to? It's the same bunch of conniving cadres, corrupt civil servants and colluding contractors. At the end of the day, cash is King.
Our clowns should change their political slogans. We don't want to be another Singapore or Switzerland. We are sick of hearing the same guff for the past thirty years. It's time to speak the truth.
Just admit that you are in it for the money so that your children and their great great grand children will have enough dough to splurge around.
The way things are going, don't be surprised if we become another Swaziland or Somalia.
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