More than half of the government's designated term has already elapsed. Learning lessons from the first half, the government should alter its modus operandi in accordance with the essence of the Gen-Z movement
During the peak of the Gen-Z movement, former Chief Justice (CJ) Sushila Karki, draped in the national flag, made a brief appearance amid the protesters and stridently denounced the wrongdoing of the political leaders. As the Gen-Z protest did not have a bankable face, the young protesters turned to the septuagenarian Karki as someone who could represent them and address their demands. Ultimately, on September 12, history was created as Karki became the first woman to serve as the executive head of Nepal. In the capacity of interim Prime Minister (PM), she is tasked with overseeing the transition to fresh elections scheduled for March 5, 2026 and responding to the demands raised during the Gen-Z protests – investigation of state-sponsored corruption and atrocities committed by the political parties and their leadership in the past.
Despite her extra-constitutional appointment as PM, the public extended her the benefit of the doubt due to her nearly spotless record as the CJ. Except for her alleged involvement in the impervious appointment of 80 judges, mostly hardcore cadres of various political parties, to various High Courts at the wee hours of midnight, Karki's track record as CJ was fairly impressive. Hence, she was accepted by the people as the ambassador of good governance.
Unfortunately, the expectations of the people were short-lived as PM Karki, on her first address to the nation, clearly conveyed that her sole responsibility was to hold the elections. She hinted that other issues, such as investigation of persistent state-sponsored corruption, atrocities done by the state on the Gen-Z protesters on September 8 and the destruction of private and state properties by the furious protesters on September 9, were not her priorities.
After her appointment, PM Karki took a long time to appoint ministers. Over that, enough background check on aspirant ministers was not done sufficiently. As a result, a few controversial faces were first considered as ministers, then rejected. In addition, the members of the so-called civil government have not yet publicly publicised their property details.
The biggest controversy associated with the Karki administration is the malevolence action of the Attorney General (AG) Sabita Bhandari. She withheld the judicial prosecution against the alleged illegal egg extraction and trade involving minors by a fertility clinic where she is a shareholder – a sheer act of conflict of interest. In addition, AG Bhandari has irresponsibly defended the decision through lame arguments that the girls faked their real ages. In fact, it was the responsibility of the fertility clinic to verify the real ages of the girls before extracting their eggs.
Besides, trading of human organs, including eggs, is prohibited by law. Hence, it is obvious that AG Bhandari, the legal advisor of the government, has deliberately twisted this case. The office of the AG had been in the public scanner in many such incidents previously. However, a government formed on the promise of good governance was not expected to allow such serious misconduct to occur under the PM's watch.
Stacking of PM Karki's close aide and his family members in the PM's secretariat was also criticised by the people, terming this as the continuation of persistent nepotism. Allegations were also raised against the finance minister and the energy minister, accusing them of financial misconduct that harmed the country. The home minister was reported to inherit the trait of his predecessor – unnecessary involvement in promotion and placement of security force personnel. To sum up, the first three months of the government are not encouraging.
Nepal has been plagued by bad governance, state-sponsored corruption, and entrenched oligarchy for many decades. The current government formed on the background of the violent Gen-Z movement was expected to break this shackle. Seventy-six young protesters were killed and state and private properties worth billions were razed within two days during the Gen-Z movement. Hence, it should have been the sole responsibility of the government to contemplate the essence of the Gen-Z movement. The mere continuance of the previous governments was not the mandate of the current government.
The performance of the government seems to be affected by lack of political experience and careerist approach of the ministers. Moreover, despite the Gen-Z movement, the state machinery is still intact. A major section of the bureaucracy and security forces still constitute the well-wishers and beneficiaries of established political parties. Over that, the so-called Gen-Z leaders and activists seem to disrupt the regular activities of the government by imposing their legitimate and/or illegitimate demands. PM Karki has publicly acknowledged that Gen-Z activists frequently barge into her office or residence unannounced to present their demands.
More than half of the government's designated term has already elapsed. Learning lessons from the first half, the government should alter its modus operandi in accordance with the essence of the Gen-Z movement. As charity starts from home, the alleged misconducts of the members of the PM's team, including the AG, should be impartially investigated and the culprits be prosecuted and penalised. With the constitution temporarily suspended, the government needs to develop a system to tackle and rectify past state-sponsored corruptions. Holding elections on March 5 would put the constitution back on track. Therefore, the government must focus on pre-election preparations without delay; otherwise, it risks becoming just 'one more government' in the nation's history.
Dr Joshi is a senior scientist and independent opinion maker based in Germany
pushpa.joshi@gmail.com