Misogyny has no place in a civilised society; the govt must act tough on the minister passing misogynistic remarks

Amid the stalemate between the government and Dr Govinda KC over the National Medical Education Ordinance and the controversial replacement bill registered by the government in Parliament have surfaced two statements – one from the operator of a hospital and another from a sitting minister –fuelling anger among the general public. The sexist remarks made by Durga Prasai, director of the B&C Hospital and Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Sher Bahadur Tamang are not only unacceptable but also call for immediate action. While Minister Tamang has extended apology for his remarks following massive criticism, no any apology has been offered by Prasai. It is of paramount importance to understand why the two made such misogynistic remarks and why such tendency must be shunned.

Prasai is the one who was seen in a viral photo on social media with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The National Medical Education Ordinance which was introduced following a series of hunger strikes by Dr KC has some provisions that would have barred Prasai’s college from affiliation to run MBBS course. The NCP government, however, has changed those provisions in the replacement bill in such a way that it would conveniently benefit Prasai. In this context, Prasai went out of the way to slur those girls who go to Bangladesh to study medicine. It is in no way excusable. But interestingly and surprisingly, Minister Tamang while addressing a group of schoolchildren made similar remarks. This is even more damaging, for such a crude statement came from a sitting minister.

The misogynistic statements are symptomatic of male chauvinism; and not only those who passed the remarks but also those protecting these two individuals are equally culpable. The political patronage Prasai enjoys is clear from the lunch photograph and other statements he has made. Minister Tamang, needless to say, is being protected by the Oli government. His apology is not enough to repair the damage he has done. If he had any information regarding the “goings-on” in Bangladesh in relation to Nepali girls studying there, as a minister, it would have been his duty to take up the issue through the formal diplomatic channel. No one has the right to slur women for whatever reason, if this is done by a sitting minister to serve the petty political interest, it is a disgrace. It is eerily uncomfortable that the government so far has maintained silence over his remarks. What will democracy and constitution mean in a society when a minister publicly shames women and the government pays no heed? Nepali politics has been a men’s world, with women rarely making it to decision making positions. Male chauvinism has been so rife that those women who want to speak up are silenced. There were reports a couple of months ago of Oli shunting women leaders in his own party. This comes from the very mindset that Minister Tamang has stooped to shaming women. Misogyny has no place in a civilised society. Failing to act tough on those who spread misogyny will damage the very fabric of society. The Oli government must wake up and act.

Ambitious plan

The government has envisaged providing 50 per cent of the minimum wage for 120 days if none of the members of a family remains unemployed throughout the year. The government has recently fixed Rs 13,450 as basic monthly salary for workers. It means that if an unemployed family is entitled to get half of the wages for 120 days. Such a family will receive Rs 26,900 annually.

This programme is being launched under the “Prime Minister Employment Programme”. For this purpose, there shall be different layers of committees identifying the unemployed youths who will be issued identity cards based on the recommendations to be made by the local levels. After actual data are collected, the unemployed youths will be offered jobs in agriculture, energy, tourism, drinking water projects and other infrastructure sectors where a large number of skilled and unskilled human resources are required. It is an ambitious plan. But it should not be a political tool to throw money out of the window to appease the cadres of the ruling parties. Such schemes introduced in the past have been proved to be total failure.