This story first appeared in GorakhaPatra
A group of think tanks ranging from Prime Ministers, foreign dignitaries, representatives of recently-elected local authorities to young activists, rappers and musicians were brought together by the Kantipur Conclave in Kathmandu recently. It was indeed a two-day of packed events, intense and some very motivational series of presentations on discourses that ranged from national to global issues. Starting from the inaugural session with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s address and ending in the closing session with a conversation with former PM and opposition leader KP Sharma Oli was indeed somewhat strategic. It was able to assess the nerves of the largest players in the upcoming national elections in November 2022.
Prime Minister Deuba said that the upcoming election will increase the faith of the citizens in the republican system. He expressed that the elections would succeed in a transfer of power in a peaceful manner. He also stressed that such a process would strengthen the rule of the law in the country. Oli claimed that although his party was endeavouring to enter the battle field with no coalition he would return back to power. Wonder if that was the smooth and peaceful transfer of power that the current Premier had in mind. The inaugural and the culminating sessions of the Conclave endorsed the ongoing confusion and dissatisfaction the general public face because of inter-and intra-fighting within and among the political parties and the politicians.
Diverse topics
Leaders claiming victory for their philosophy is one thing but claiming victory for personal attachments to power is quite another. Unfortunately, the governing coalition and opposition do not seem to emerge out of nepotism, corruption and petty politics. The new leadership coming out of the old parties also does not seem to have yet materialised. In between the current and former prime ministers’ sessions there were a series of sessions that focussed on topics such as climate crisis, digital age, geopolitics, boundaries of music, export and import, women leadership among others.
Majority of the speakers were youth achievers in their sectors. Listening to the works they have been involved in and the aspirations they have for Nepal being based in the country and doing global level work with the help of the new technology and digital access, one could come out of the two-day conclave being convinced that Nepal will be in good hands if the youth are let to lead with proper laws and policies put in place to help them fulfil their dreams.
Both the septuagenarian leaders of Nepal tried to convince themselves and their audiences that they would still be in power after the upcoming elections. However, most of the Nepali leaders who were far younger than Deuba and Oli, and spoke during the sessions between the two sessions, seemed to be not at all that bothered on who their competitors were. They were thoroughly involved in the work they were doing, be it technology, science, education, music or politics and seemed to be full heartedly convinced to lead Nepal towards prosperity and happiness in their own way without the need to threaten each other.
Girish Khatiwada, a Nepali singer who is known to be the first rapper of the country, in a very matter of fact manner, expressed a profound wish that most from his generation and younger generation very much had in their hearts. He said he knows simple music, is a noise organiser, has faced a lot of challenges but keeps going because he enjoys what he does. The Deputy Mayor Sunita Dongol expressed similar wish during the all-women leaders’ session. She said that she had been given a non-discriminatory upbringing by her parents and when she wanted to get into the politics, she filed her nomination without consulting anyone as she did not want to give people a chance to try to stop her.
Stereotyped comments
She said that being a young woman leader, she often faced gender stereotyped comments directed more towards her physical looks rather than her professional capabilities. However, she never let such attitudes come her way and was determined to excel in her job. The discourses that the Kantipur Conclave clearly highlighted the fact that the youth are capable and ready to take up effective leadership roles in many fields if they were not stopped by the elder generations. It is therefore time now for the senior citizens within each political party to remove the hurdles they are creating for capable women and men cadres within their parties who have not had a chance to show their abilities yet.
Although Nepal’s septuagenarian and octogenarian leaders are still eying for coveted seats, the time has come for the younger and more capable cadres in each political party to take up the people’s agenda. Commitment to new leadership and new thinking should be made in order for the country to progress towards the path of development. There are ample examples of new approaches and new leaderships as demonstrated by people like Prakash Saput, Sobita Gautam, Phulbati Rajbanshi, Minkumari Lama, Swapna Suman, Dr Jiwan Baniya and several more in all walks of life. The trick now is to identify people in politics who can actually lead the country from all forefronts and help Nepalis to move towards wellbeing and prosperity.