The more I observe our function as a society, the more I feel that the attention of the public is detached from the government. The media is pushing boundaries throughout the world, news and information has never been as easy to access as it is today, yet the citizen is not engaged unless there is public outcry or outrage created by the few aware citizens or watch groups. The private citizen cannot quite manage to stay awake to the ongoing spectacle of the political drama that unfolds every day in the country when life itself is hard and circumstances ever changing.
With continual change in rules and regulations, uncertain economic environment and a speculative government in office, public life has become unstable. The common man is often unable to see, understand and forge direction for his role as a Nepali citizen.
It does not help that we live in times of unprecedented levels of corruption and lack of judicial order which makes the citizen vulnerable and alienated from rights. This is pronounced further when the top most levels of authority in the country are either mired in controversy or charged with corruption…when rule of law in the country is NOT the same for everyone… when well meaning reforms are not well thought out… when politics gets destructive… and there is repeated failure in processes.
‘Your seat of authority does not give you the right to rule. The national budget is the public’s hard earned money. Every little thing you do when in the seat of power has a repercussion on the life of the citizen in the most remote corner of the country’ – If the leadership in government understood even these basic components of public office, they could contribute to development and prosperity of the nation instead of the increasing cynicism and frustration among the general public.
Most people will never hold a party membership, not because of lack of interest in contributing to public debate and politics, but due to the barrier and distance between the politician and the common man.
