By Vicky Nanjappa
New Delhi– The Gen Z protests in Nepal led to the fall of the K.P. Sharma Oli government, following which an interim government took over. Gen Z may have achieved its objecting of toppling a corrupt regime, but for the interim government under Sushila Karki, the task ahead is uphill and extremely challenging.
The citizens now want corruption eradicated and the interim government has a lot of work on that front. However the most daunting task for the interim government is to ensure that elections are conducted at the earliest. In case of the citizens, they would hope that new faces and clean politicians are in fray so that they could get a good government which delivers clean and effective governance.
If one looks at the choice of members who are part of the interim cabinet, then it is clear that these people will first focus on taking on corruption head on. Some of the members who are part of the cabinet are reformers and hence there is a lot of pressure on them to deliver.
Rameshwor Khanal is a respected economist and former bureaucrat and was sworn in a finance minister. Kulman Ghising is a big name in Nepal as he reformed the country’s power sector. He holds the rank of energy minister. The minister for home affairs is Om Prakash Aryal, a human rights lawyer.
With such big names the expectations too are high. They have not only been tasked with cleaning up the rot and conducting elections, but the people want their trust in the system restored.
While the interim government recognised those protestors who lost their lives as martyrs, it has also ensured that there would be an inquiry commission to probe the violence and arson during the protests. This is tricky for the interim government since there is a chance that the blame for the violence would be entirely put on the protestors. Not only will this cause unhappiness among the Gen Z, but there is also a chance that the former government officials who took decisions that triggered the protests may get away.
Further the interim government also has the daunting task of rebuilding judicial institutions and police stations which lie in ruins due to the protests. During the protests, Singha Durbar, the historic palace which served as the administrative centre since 1908 was also destroyed. This would too need rebuilding.
The toughest jobs in Nepal today are that of the Home and Finance Minister. Security has become a major concern and this has led to a major fall in tourism. This sector is one of the biggest money generators for Nepal and that has been severely affected.
During the protests, one got to see hotels that housed tourists being attacked. Some Indians too had complained that they were not allowed to return in peace due to the protests. All this has put a lot of stress on the tourism industry and restoring this would be a tough task.
As a result of the uprising, investor confidence in Nepal has plummeted. He would have to address this issue on a war footing, while also planning a budget to reconstruct and restore all that was damage during the protests.
Sushila Karki as interim prime minister is being watched both internally and internationally. She is a high reputed person and has served as the chief justice of Nepal. As she was the choice made by GenZ, the citizens of Nepal have pinned all their hopes on her.
While all these issues would gradually be worked upon, the big challenge is the election itself. It would not just be a run of the mill process where elections are conducted in a free and fair manner. The results are the real test and it is to be seen if fresh leaders who are not tainted by privilege and corruption can make the cut.
After the fall of the monarchy in 2008, Nepal has faced upheavals on many occasions. The nation has managed to get through all of that. However, this time, it is different. There is plenty of rebuilding to do, a lot of reconstruction and more importantly the people do not want to see the usual faces as parties during the elections, whenever they are conducted. (IANS)
