“Hamro pala ma ta yasto loadshedding ta kehi thiyena, desh bikash bhanya yehi raichha.” When I heard my friends grandfather say this in my presence, I was drawn into a long pause and a deep contemplation trying to analyze the situation, but my 3 year less mature brain did not send millions of cognitively organized thought waves as it is doing after a sudden epiphany triggered by current avalanche of youth led initiatives and events to disapprove of the current woes of 14 hours of ever eminent load shedding we have to bear with every year during the regular dry season. It seems customary to associate winter and spring with dark days in Nepal, at most times insecure urban streets at night time prone to kidnapping, extortion, theft, and robbery, and at times higher pregnancy rates during the autumn- funny but undeniably silly fact associated with boredom during load-shedding.
My relatively disjoint thoughts could fail to stimulate the comprehensive part of the brain of many readers, yet some of you may have even formulated some well devised plan of action in regards to where you will try to carve out a few weaknesses in my argument and slam a strong word of criticism. Great, if you’re a few steps ahead of me! But for the majority, I merely ask for some patience as they say patience is the virtue; it opens the door to wisdom even to the fullest and the brightest of people. I may have drawn a little attention here with this statement but it is not an issue of seeking attention and being happy with recruiting an audience for this write up, it is more about getting drawn into the idea and understanding the gravity of the issue, requiring in depth analysis, than merely provoking the audience into some audacious acts of ingenuity.
Okay before losing the reader’s attention, I would like to bring into lime light this current issue of energy crisis and how there has been abrasive criticism by the recently effervescent and fired vocal youths, who are aware of the dire situation of the country that could lead each one of us to fall into pits of economic predicament from where there is no retrenchment from woes and humiliation of failed state and people.
Youths, like myself and millions occupying the streets protesting the current events unfolding in the nation; unlike thousands who sway away with a cult of emigration for better opportunities like education and higher paid jobs towards the west; who are strong in the mind and heart, with determination of a hyena and the will of a jackal to fight and take a firm stance for their rights and a cause for the nation- willing to fight the devil for this if need be- have recently started a zero tolerance policy here in Nepal. They have developed an attitude that discards something our ancestors and our predecessors did so gleefully and easily- compromise pompously; the youths don’t compromise even on a nine in any test on a scale of ten; they demand absolute clarity in policy and implementation, nothing short suffices to them on counts of luxuries, economics, politics, constitution, basic necessity and issues of the likes.
Thus, they have totally revolutionized the way youths intervened in the authoritative directives and planning through a contemporary initiative on the social platforms, like facebook and twitter, to summon the youth and urge everyone here in Nepal to stand up against State monopoly or incompetency of authority figures to resolve issues such as policy irregularities at political or bureaucratic level, or formulate a plan of action for progressive changes in favor of people, democracy and peace.
Today was one such day when the youth had organized a musical event, a concert to be precise at Lainchaur, to protest the prevalent power outage woes that has blind folded the nation and with it, its leaders to imperialize power deals with other nations, and keep spreading the wings of NEA (Nepal Electricity Authority)’s monopoly by distributing feeder lines of power supply in the name of glistening Nepal; totally disregarding the consequences evidently in the form of longer power outage in the urban areas which didn’t have the current stretch of load-shed hours for a long time before and the public have be bewildered to think otherwise. No wonder we’re left to spend more time of a day in darkness than my friend’s grandfather did in his time in the then Kathmandu.
Yet, there seems to be something missing and these events have taken back seat to be back-headlined in some small time news media and not even, as much as, cause a little tremor in the stance of such sturdy, reckless, and visionless, yet reluctant to let go of power, leaders of the nation. So what is it that we need now, if this doesn’t work in our favor, or are we on the right track to make way for some positive changes in the energy policy of Nepal? Most don’t have an opinion on this and rest will not dare to differ on a different proposition that the youths have brought up to fight off this energy stalemate; after all an initiative is an initiative and no one can counter that unless otherwise proven and given enough time to prove anything and to comment on.
Yet I dare to differ on this on grounds that our approach is still dependent on the authority figures. We still believe, it is only the government’s and the bureaucrats’ responsibility to initiate development activities and we only demand solutions and grade their performance which could be a wrong attitude to bear within us. We have to believe that the government can merely form policies to ease and promote involvement of private sector in the energy sector to come up with projects to resolve this energy crisis, which they have been trying to do. But what are we doing on our part in the name of initiatives; what have we done with our savings and investments? Should we only demand for results and be unforgiving on this or should we also take initiatives, get more involved in problem solving and contemplate new ways of producing energy?
These questions may be a little too vague, but then, they open a new dimension to a new set of solutions that emerge with critical enormity in substance and effectiveness. Don’t you see that these social groups and events to express outrage and dissatisfaction could be used to form platform for all youths to converge on a big project idea or even more. The idea here is to form single unanimous group or multiple groups who could start energy companies by collecting funds from everyone and then invest in a big idea for alternate energy solution.
There are so many alternate energy projects that could make way or, if we choose, we could even opt for the orthodox hydro power projects to start up; the banks could get involved, too, in these public projects- the public equity could be in the form of stocks or bonds, with bonds being a more secure and favorable option of the two.
Yet there is something new in the proposition. People, I know, have been contemplating starting a solar powered thermal power plant after some feasibility assessment for technical feasibility, financial feasibility and location feasibility to choose the optimum scale to start the project in the best location. It is high time we get involved ourselves to do research into optimum ways of resolving this energy crisis.
Enough of this blame-game; it is not always appropriate to question without bothering to find the solution if the answer reveals an underlying problem in a situation. We have to stop blaming the authorities for all things we don’t have. We have to ask ourselves- do we want to keep shoving the unrelenting firemen to put off the fire in our house when we can take a million buckets of water with joint effort and put off the fire ourselves given that the firemen have taught us firefighting skills. Well, this is a simple analogy which even the elementary will understand.
Are we even noticing the new changes in policy taking place that the government has put into effect after full-fledged lobbing by two giants: TeliaSonera and Surya Group's Sipradi, Nepal. I guess we are so focused on blaming the authorities that our eyes are blinded by this lust for blame. Has anyone even heard of the solar valley concept where solar power plants are being conceived in the capital for start up and to spread across the nation. If not then to make you all aware about this, let me stress that it is a concept of flexing the muscles of the solar energy with each house getting solar lit system and probably getting to even distribute the phase lines to neighbors given that they have installed powerful system and are capable of distributing to locals in nearby areas. Well, to put this prospect into perspective let me again stress that NEA which is the soles distributor of electricity isn't all that selfish to not let big players make changes to their monopoly policy and suppress the emergence of bigger players with bigger ideas.
Yet the question is did we do anything about this? Do we even know about these changes taking place in a place we call home and earn our livelihoods? If we are unaware about these and are sitting in the comfort of our couches reading this and at times hit the hit with all zeal to protest the government's flaws, do we think we are in position to question the authorities? Are we the proponents of change that we so long to thrive for. Mere wanting and shouting doesn't earn the rights; we have to even act and think big to make the difference and have the rightful ways of questioning the authorities, if we see that even after all our die hard effort, no changes are visible and that the implementation is a total failure. But still we have to question ourselves did we try to implement it ourselves; as aware as we are about the dire energy crisis in the nation, do we contribute to energy efficiency and energy saving as excess energy consumption also contributes to global warming causing green house effects. Just because we can and we have, doesn't mean we should and we do. Think, Analyze, Cognize and then Act after which assess the effectiveness of the consequences. It is high time we rethink our strategy and ask ourselves are we treading upon the right grass or are we right on the wrong grass.
Yet there is no denying to fact that this is the attitude that will win over many wars for the youth, given they choose the right weapons and new fighting techniques to scare off the ubiquitous monster called oblivion of the older generation to progressive ideas and contemporary development issues. Not many of the older generation have the exuberance and the enthusiasm that baby boomer brings with him or her with outrageous ideas of political upheaval or mass protest through technology, at his or her disposal, like social networking sites. The issue here is getting the right idea and finding the right pressure points to relieve the anxiety. And it could be in not only analyzing the issues to bare the problem and dissect the anatomy of the problem but also to come up with good solutions to those problems.
We need such energy and enthusiasm to lead us into the right way but it is totally upon us to pave a better path to righteousness. So are we on the right track or have we tread on the wrong grass where a wrong step could contribute to a slip that could put an end to the total investment of time, effort and energy into one mass global upheaval, not starting and not ending in Nepal.
Monday, February 20, 2012
The first step towards Socialism: Will the Road Widening Lead to Path of Righteousness or State Failure?
“The government’s stance on removing the tramps from the Bagmati banks to be reversed says Prachanda.” A news paper headline on a local newspaper had caught my eyes on a casual afternoon bask in the sun. I just breezed through it without drawing much inference from it to what was going on around in the city and for that matter, had very little time to delve into the issue that had drawn the government’s vocal critic to pelt an avalanche of stones with dire abuse of authoritarian accusations.
I was aloof to the current situation in the nation much alike the majority of the Nepalese crowd who need to wake up to the alarming sounds of changes in the state’s plan of action- a move that very few could coin with the first prominent step towards socialism. This analysis of mine could come to many as a surprise but what will follow about my analysis from what I had witnessed, transpire here in the nation over the last few months could raise a few critical eyebrows and some concerning looks in speculative capitalists’ faces.
Don’t be surprised, you’re in for a treat a lullaby for many of you to go back to sleep after reading this as you or should I say, we, Nepalese, have been over the last few decades being only moved by a political storm of outcry to take a stance against coup or autonomy and letting our visionary politicians lead us through so many cuts and bruises that saw us almost lead from the bottom in GDP, HDI and many more ranking of countries in the world.
Avoiding further bewilderment let me converge on the issue at hand and take you to a scene from a few days back that had me bemused and rethink my future here in Nepal. Okay, the scene was from Thursday when I was walking past the Lainchaur- Lazimpat section of the city’s road reaching the Ambassador Hotel area, where a mob had been summoned, thanks largely to the agitating irate protestors against the demolition, the employees and the management of Ambassador Hotel, victims to the recent government move to widen the road citing traffic congestion, to witness the scene that had dramatized the theatrical stage surrounding the road blockage and an ever eminent road strife, strike.
I then thought about the hundreds of people/families who would see their houses bulldozed to mere trash, that the municipality would clean up in a few days but the picture we fail to see there, that the victims fail to portray, is that of their dreams and years of yearning come crumbling down in a matter of few hours at the name of development. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t oppose this noble act of development. After all, we do live in a day and age of fast changing progressive economy where our works and plans, even great ideas can’t be stalled by a mere traffic. I definitely second this cause and the initiative of the state, to ease our daily woes. Yet I cannot shy away from any indiscretion in the authorities’ decision which I saw in this act.
Okay, then my journey to the Office of Internal Affairs and Revenues to register for the PAN for a NGO, that I founded as the Secretary at Board, started becoming less of a journey for my foot and more so for my mind to seek answers to a wave of questions that have oozed out from a mere scene and a flashback to the random news in a local newspaper from a few days ago during my sun bask.
Then my analytical cognitive mind started weaving a wave of analytic reasoning, of which one was: Why would the government even think about the people who reside in the sides of the road; they are nothing short of affluent and have other alternative places/houses to seek asylum into? The compensation that the government are giving which is Rs 2000 per square feet is way less than their market rate and not even a hair’s strand to satiate those people’s appetite for capitalistic thoughts of multiplying the hundreds of millions in rupees in monetary value that could be brood from the sale of those land and buildings. But who cares? The state doesn’t; the state has big plans to cash in on the multibillion rupees road construction project and proliferate from the eased off traffic that could earn a trillion in returns for every minute of a road passerby’s invaluable time saved that was always wasted in the prolonged road mileage that had for ages deferred, and in most cases, hindered the state’s plan to pave way for economic acceleration.
Yes, we are talking about big bucks involved here. The nation could be in for a treat and the road widening projects could see a new wave of construction vacancies being announced in local newspapers, and we could hope for the less fortunate labor society of the nation to be bred in Nepal, and not resort to seeking restitution in some Arab or South East Asian country for some hard earned penny that is the backbone of the nation’s GDP and a filling factor of the nation’s trade deficit, without the imminent nepotism. These are projects that could yield high labor absorption in the newly created job market, and not employment programs of longevity, but who cares? Do we live for centuries or even 70 or 80 years more from today in to witness what happens in Nepal? No! So why bother about longevity? We live in the present and so should our main focus and goals be.
Apart from the hundreds and thousands of jobs that will be created here, we’re in for absolute treat at the sight of smooth highways and cars screeching across the wide highways making way for more luxurious cars, some that will belong to the very affluent class and rest to expats, diplomats, bureaucrats, and politicians. So, see even here, the affluent class proliferates from the sacrifice they make right now. They could see the vehicle taxes, currently being paid, to be lowered and make way for some new hot deals in classy sedans and sleek SUVs.
After all their loss is their victory in the long run, only if the state treats them to better offers of socialistic policies. Well, that’s what the socialistic political proponents: the government, envisages to offer according to what our Numero Uno once said in a statement, where he said, there will be special arrangements for some special treats and facilities to be offered to the affluent people of Nepal if they willingly depose off their wealth in the government’s trust in the name of individual social responsibility. This indeed would be the highest level of achievement for the riches of the nation: an act of altruism for attainment of absolute nirvana when they are still in their flesh and blood. Yes, they would then be at the top most level of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory, something of an achievement for the state that not even the riches of the first world countries could brag about.
We are different and we’re proving it right here. We caress our less fortunate and write off our affluent class, as we have to move to a state of the working class, where the laborers matter and not the labor creators because the government will create more jobs than what the capitalistic affluence has been able to do so far. Who would stand up and protest against a socialist government run business? No one! Hence there will be smoother functioning daily chores for the people to focus on and not indulge in the ever-present imminent issues of strikes and agitations. Even the people are pro socialism or so it seems or better put: that’s what they are asking for- someone to thrush them through economic progression and development with a whiplash.
That will then see a rise of the tramps to stardom- an absolute stature of pioneers, who could have foretold the future with a pinch of reality about what is happening and the path of socialistic culture we’re treading on had we been awake to witness and analyze the happenings around us, but instead ended up being pioneers who, in the nurture and shade of socialist leaders, promote a culture of vagrancy. They could well be starlets who are proponents of minimalism far away from the charisma of capitalists.
So are we awake and seeing the events unfolding around us and even analyzing what could, would and will be the after math of the present journey towards socialism, our so called visionary leaders have quested as the nation’s destiny? Or are we just so discordantly disapproving of the wrong doings that affect our personal and to some extent professional lives and are aloof about the situation; then may be in a wide awake trauma of the nation’s political party led stir and agitation, seek restitution for all the rights that are so wrong, the ones that we saw and could resist, yet we choose to just quietly concede to these unwelcome changes and later bemoan our imperceptibility.
The issue, here, is evidently not of critiquing the development plan or pelting stones of sharp words at the eyes that envisage a new Nepal, but of seeking impartiality in judgment. What we need now is an eye that envisions a path towards economic prosperity that doesn’t discriminate between its citizens on political prowess or on bureaucratic nepotistic reach or on affluence and disgruntled physiological needs? We need a mind that cognizes a need for the affluent class to prosper and create more jobs, a working environment where all involved thrive and a nation that walks with all its citizens hand in hand. My mind just drew an analogy between this metaphor and the story of “perish for the haves and cherish for the haves-not” which is about equal treatment. If the vagrants can’t be removed without proper recuperation, then so be it even with the comparatively affluent ones; their silence can’t be taken for granted as a conceit out of wealth and power, and their far cries also need to be addressed by the state and the so-called visionaries.
Yet, we should still ask ourselves, “Are we treading into a path of righteousness of one of self destruction where the nation could be a failure?”
I was aloof to the current situation in the nation much alike the majority of the Nepalese crowd who need to wake up to the alarming sounds of changes in the state’s plan of action- a move that very few could coin with the first prominent step towards socialism. This analysis of mine could come to many as a surprise but what will follow about my analysis from what I had witnessed, transpire here in the nation over the last few months could raise a few critical eyebrows and some concerning looks in speculative capitalists’ faces.
Don’t be surprised, you’re in for a treat a lullaby for many of you to go back to sleep after reading this as you or should I say, we, Nepalese, have been over the last few decades being only moved by a political storm of outcry to take a stance against coup or autonomy and letting our visionary politicians lead us through so many cuts and bruises that saw us almost lead from the bottom in GDP, HDI and many more ranking of countries in the world.
Avoiding further bewilderment let me converge on the issue at hand and take you to a scene from a few days back that had me bemused and rethink my future here in Nepal. Okay, the scene was from Thursday when I was walking past the Lainchaur- Lazimpat section of the city’s road reaching the Ambassador Hotel area, where a mob had been summoned, thanks largely to the agitating irate protestors against the demolition, the employees and the management of Ambassador Hotel, victims to the recent government move to widen the road citing traffic congestion, to witness the scene that had dramatized the theatrical stage surrounding the road blockage and an ever eminent road strife, strike.
I then thought about the hundreds of people/families who would see their houses bulldozed to mere trash, that the municipality would clean up in a few days but the picture we fail to see there, that the victims fail to portray, is that of their dreams and years of yearning come crumbling down in a matter of few hours at the name of development. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t oppose this noble act of development. After all, we do live in a day and age of fast changing progressive economy where our works and plans, even great ideas can’t be stalled by a mere traffic. I definitely second this cause and the initiative of the state, to ease our daily woes. Yet I cannot shy away from any indiscretion in the authorities’ decision which I saw in this act.
Okay, then my journey to the Office of Internal Affairs and Revenues to register for the PAN for a NGO, that I founded as the Secretary at Board, started becoming less of a journey for my foot and more so for my mind to seek answers to a wave of questions that have oozed out from a mere scene and a flashback to the random news in a local newspaper from a few days ago during my sun bask.
Then my analytical cognitive mind started weaving a wave of analytic reasoning, of which one was: Why would the government even think about the people who reside in the sides of the road; they are nothing short of affluent and have other alternative places/houses to seek asylum into? The compensation that the government are giving which is Rs 2000 per square feet is way less than their market rate and not even a hair’s strand to satiate those people’s appetite for capitalistic thoughts of multiplying the hundreds of millions in rupees in monetary value that could be brood from the sale of those land and buildings. But who cares? The state doesn’t; the state has big plans to cash in on the multibillion rupees road construction project and proliferate from the eased off traffic that could earn a trillion in returns for every minute of a road passerby’s invaluable time saved that was always wasted in the prolonged road mileage that had for ages deferred, and in most cases, hindered the state’s plan to pave way for economic acceleration.
Yes, we are talking about big bucks involved here. The nation could be in for a treat and the road widening projects could see a new wave of construction vacancies being announced in local newspapers, and we could hope for the less fortunate labor society of the nation to be bred in Nepal, and not resort to seeking restitution in some Arab or South East Asian country for some hard earned penny that is the backbone of the nation’s GDP and a filling factor of the nation’s trade deficit, without the imminent nepotism. These are projects that could yield high labor absorption in the newly created job market, and not employment programs of longevity, but who cares? Do we live for centuries or even 70 or 80 years more from today in to witness what happens in Nepal? No! So why bother about longevity? We live in the present and so should our main focus and goals be.
Apart from the hundreds and thousands of jobs that will be created here, we’re in for absolute treat at the sight of smooth highways and cars screeching across the wide highways making way for more luxurious cars, some that will belong to the very affluent class and rest to expats, diplomats, bureaucrats, and politicians. So, see even here, the affluent class proliferates from the sacrifice they make right now. They could see the vehicle taxes, currently being paid, to be lowered and make way for some new hot deals in classy sedans and sleek SUVs.
After all their loss is their victory in the long run, only if the state treats them to better offers of socialistic policies. Well, that’s what the socialistic political proponents: the government, envisages to offer according to what our Numero Uno once said in a statement, where he said, there will be special arrangements for some special treats and facilities to be offered to the affluent people of Nepal if they willingly depose off their wealth in the government’s trust in the name of individual social responsibility. This indeed would be the highest level of achievement for the riches of the nation: an act of altruism for attainment of absolute nirvana when they are still in their flesh and blood. Yes, they would then be at the top most level of Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory, something of an achievement for the state that not even the riches of the first world countries could brag about.
We are different and we’re proving it right here. We caress our less fortunate and write off our affluent class, as we have to move to a state of the working class, where the laborers matter and not the labor creators because the government will create more jobs than what the capitalistic affluence has been able to do so far. Who would stand up and protest against a socialist government run business? No one! Hence there will be smoother functioning daily chores for the people to focus on and not indulge in the ever-present imminent issues of strikes and agitations. Even the people are pro socialism or so it seems or better put: that’s what they are asking for- someone to thrush them through economic progression and development with a whiplash.
That will then see a rise of the tramps to stardom- an absolute stature of pioneers, who could have foretold the future with a pinch of reality about what is happening and the path of socialistic culture we’re treading on had we been awake to witness and analyze the happenings around us, but instead ended up being pioneers who, in the nurture and shade of socialist leaders, promote a culture of vagrancy. They could well be starlets who are proponents of minimalism far away from the charisma of capitalists.
So are we awake and seeing the events unfolding around us and even analyzing what could, would and will be the after math of the present journey towards socialism, our so called visionary leaders have quested as the nation’s destiny? Or are we just so discordantly disapproving of the wrong doings that affect our personal and to some extent professional lives and are aloof about the situation; then may be in a wide awake trauma of the nation’s political party led stir and agitation, seek restitution for all the rights that are so wrong, the ones that we saw and could resist, yet we choose to just quietly concede to these unwelcome changes and later bemoan our imperceptibility.
The issue, here, is evidently not of critiquing the development plan or pelting stones of sharp words at the eyes that envisage a new Nepal, but of seeking impartiality in judgment. What we need now is an eye that envisions a path towards economic prosperity that doesn’t discriminate between its citizens on political prowess or on bureaucratic nepotistic reach or on affluence and disgruntled physiological needs? We need a mind that cognizes a need for the affluent class to prosper and create more jobs, a working environment where all involved thrive and a nation that walks with all its citizens hand in hand. My mind just drew an analogy between this metaphor and the story of “perish for the haves and cherish for the haves-not” which is about equal treatment. If the vagrants can’t be removed without proper recuperation, then so be it even with the comparatively affluent ones; their silence can’t be taken for granted as a conceit out of wealth and power, and their far cries also need to be addressed by the state and the so-called visionaries.
Yet, we should still ask ourselves, “Are we treading into a path of righteousness of one of self destruction where the nation could be a failure?”
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