Addressing ethical issues requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach that involves the government, civil society, private sector and individuals. This includes effective policy and legal frameworks
A person with a high degree of ethics is considered to have strong moral principles and is likely to act in ways that are consistent with those principles, even in difficult situations.
On the other hand, a person with a low degree of ethics is more likely to act in ways that are unethical or in conflict with their stated values. Ethics can be relative in the sense that different cultures and societies may have different ethical beliefs and principles.
However, some ethical theories, such as consequentialism and deontology, hold that certain actions are morally right or wrong regardless of the context or culture in which they occur.
In general, the degree of ethics can have a significant impact on a person or organisation's reputation, relationships and success, and is an important factor to consider in personal and professional life. In the case of Rabi Lamichhane, the verdict found that after giving up the U.S. citizenship, Lamichhane was found not adhering to the legal process to reobtain his Nepali citizenship. His offence may still fall on the lower degree of the unethicalscale compared to offences committed by many other such leaders, who are still managing to escape these pitfalls by utilizing their fame, position, power, and money. It is not surprising if it is a premeditated plot by those leaders to stymie the budding party that could garner attention from those frustrated by the established ones.
In every day-to-day walk of life, as simple as paying utility bills, driving on the roads, a visit to a hospital, applying for citizenship or a passport, and many more, to live with a higher degree of ethics in Nepal can be challenging. Though there can be comments made about leaving the country for better opportunities abroad and/or not having the guts to stand up to bringing changes in the country, ethical challenges can be suffocating for many who are residing abroad where they don't need to face those challenges in their everyday life. Let's talk about a few unethical practices in Nepal that have affected the general public but that are not even on the radar of the privileged/elite groups or most of the time normalised by them.
River Pollution: The pollution of the rivers like theBagmati, Roshi and many others can have significant negative impacts on the water quality and the health of people living in the area, as well as on the aquatic life and the cultural and religious significance of the river. Yet, the affected people are unable to raise their voice against the unmanaged use of crushers or dumping of sewage that are polluting the water. As ageneral public, you not only face threats from politically-backed gangsters but your life could also be at stake.
These gangsters are of big concern in Nepal as they have connections to politicians and political parties, and use them to engage in criminal activities such as extortion, intimidation and violence, with no fears of them being held for their actions. These gangsters can have a significant negative impact on society by undermining therule of law and the credibility of democratic institutions.
They can also have a chilling effect on free speech and political participation, as well as economic development, by intimidating and extorting businesses and individuals.
Mal-administered government offices: There is rampant nepotism and bribery in the government offices. Without connec-tions and bribing the staff there, it is almost impossible to get your job done.
There are even code words, such as tea time, for accepting bribes. Though you can find a signboard with information to report bribery, the phone number to report them seems to be unanswered. There is basically no prior information about the checklist for the paperwork required to accomplish a particular task.
When you enter the office premises, you have no customer support/inquiry torely on. You also need to wander from windows to windows carrying your documents to get them signed from different levels of staff. The arrangement of one staff for that purpose would have done it efficiently.
It is also almost impossible for the general public to write an application for an official task. There are a lot of jargons involved there even for highly educated/ literate ones. So, the office clerk (Lekhandaas) is very important to them. However, it is difficult to identify the registered ones. On the other hand, if you happen to be the privileged one or are able to bribe the staff, a single phone call can accomplish your official task.
Hospital visit: Escaping lines in a hospital is very common in Nepal. It is going to take a whole day for a general public even for a general checkup if you want to do it ethically, that is, conforming to the system in place and being considerate to others who are waiting in the line, especially senior citizens and ones with much more severe conditions than yours.
On the road: While on the road, you can't afford to yield to the pedestrians even though they are crossing the road properly using the zebra crossing. If you keep waiting, adhering to your ethics, it is near impossible to catch up with your daily activities.
The traffic lights would have solved the problem, but unfortunately, they are not functioning due to lack of maintenance.
Miscellaneous: The government has a policy in place to deploy fresh medical graduates to remote areas for two years under its compulsory bonding service programme.
This again is enforced for the general public.
For others, it can be waived or manipulated.
Addressing these ethical issues requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach that involves the government, civil society, private sector and individuals.
This includes effective policy and legal frameworks, institutions and mechanisms to combat corruption, and education and awareness raising programmes.
It also includes addressing underlying social and economic factors that contribute to violence and building strong democratic institutions and the rule of law.
Gajurel is senior computational scientist at Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA
A version of this article appears in the print on February 10, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
