Good Bye, Dear 70s!

Nepal was in turmoil when the 70s began. The first constituent assembly (CA) had died at the hands of our “visionary leaders” and the chances of getting a constitution that would “transform everything” were bleak. The election for the second CA took place on Mangsir 4, 2070, but it could not deliver on its promise.

The work on constitution only took place after the Gorkha earthquake of Baishakh 12, 2072. The 7.8 moment magnitude disaster killed 8,964 and injured 21,952 people. Thousands of people were displaced from their homes. The government had to take help from the international community to look for the lost, rehabilitate the homeless, and reconstruct the damaged structures. The need for financial aid was probably one of the factors that made our leaders work quicker on the constitution.

We finally got our seventh constitution on Ashoj 3, 2072. Although it wasn’t accepted in all the parts of the country, it gave hopes that it would change lives. It positively changed the lives of some marginalized people. But it did not bring the transformations the leaders said it would bring. Except on their lives, of course!

Federalism became a way to manage leaders, and it has failed to ignite any hope on youths. Decades of political instability has killed our hopes of economic change and political revolution, and more youths are fleeing the country. Despite having a large number of youth, we are turning into a country of the elderly. This issue will be even more serious in the 80s.

The 80s is arriving at a time of economic regression. The revenues have decreased, and we are spending more that we can earn. The NRB is seeking investment on bonds, economic activities are dying, and the government has decided to cut off social security. However, the government, economists and mainstream media are lying on our faces. Although we are losing trust on our institutions, we neither have courage not interest in fighting them. We are running from our problems, instead.

I think the 80s will be the last decade to “make or break” for Nepal. It’s high time we address the real issues and start solving them instead of denying or turning away.