A report released at the 15th^th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety (2-4 September, 2024) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) highlights what it calls the deplorable state of road safety indicators in Nepal. The report, titled ‘WHO South-East Asia Regional status report on road safety (2024)’ shows that Nepal’s progress in comparison to other countries in the region is the most disappointing when measured against the 12 global road safety performance targets. 

According to the report, Nepal has one of the highest road traffic fatality rates in the world with an estimated death rate of more than 28.2 per 100,000 population. While neighbouring countries like India have been reducing the number of road traffic deaths, Nepal has seen a 25 percent increase over the past decade.

Huge socio-economic cost

In its latest report, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that an estimated 8,500 people are losing their lives in Nepal in road crashes every year. Likewise, a study by the World Bank has estimated that Nepal has been facing an annual loss of nearly 3 percent of the national GDP due to these road crashes.

Road fatalities are increasing in Nepal every year and the majority of them involve motorcycle crashes, officials say. According to Nepal Police, nearly 13,000 people were killed during road crashes in Nepal over the last five years while nearly eighty thousand others were injured. The socio-economic cost of road traffic accidents is quite high but the entire society and the government seem to be accepting the situation as a ‘fait accompli.’

According to the Department of Transport Management, there were around 4 million vehicles registered in Nepal in 2021 of which more than 3.2 million were motorcycles and two wheelers. Only 0.7 percent population of Nepal own cars so motorcycles have become an affordable means of transport – quite popular among aspiring youths. It could also be the result of poor public transportation system in the country. 

Though motorcycles may be a convenient mode of transport, they are also associated with high risk. According to Nepal Police, over 35,000 road crashes were recorded in the country during the last fiscal year out of which over 56 percent involved motorcycles and two-wheelers.

Wearing a helmet

Researches show that many fatal deaths and serious injuries could be avoided if both the driver and pillion rider wore helmets.  According to a publication entitled “Helmets: A road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners” published by a group of organisations including the WHO and FIA Foundation  says that head injuries are the main cause of death in most motorcycle crashes. “Quality helmets reduce the risk of death by over six times, and reduce the risk of brain injury by up to 74%, “ the manual said. “Yet despite this, a number of challenges are slowing the uptake and proper use of quality helmets, particularly in developing countries. These challenges include availability and affordability of quality helmets, improperly fastened helmets, a lack of available helmets for children, hot weather and even misinformation.”

The manual calls upon the governments to enforce a universal helmet law, introduce helmet standards and educate people – especially youth – about the benefits of wearing a helmet. The manual also calls upon the authorities to adopt the Safe System approach, which recognises that road transport is a complex system with interconnecting elements that all affect each other. “A Safe System can only be achieved if safety becomes a fully integrated element in how we organise, design and build out our mobility systems. In this context, actions to ensure motorcyclists can and do wear quality helmets must be part of a holistic and whole-of-government approach to road safety and safe mobility,” the manual said.

In the Nepalese context, while majority of drivers of two wheelers obey the rules and wear helmets, majority of pillion riders do not. A study conducted by NASA Foundation – an NGO that has been advocating for road safety in Nepal- found that number of fatalities of pillion riders was three times more compared to that of drivers.

Many people, especially youth, find it inconvenient to carry an extra helmet with them to be used by a pillion rider. Many of them drop their family members or friends on their way to College or work and don’t want to carry an extra helmet with them. Then, there are issues involved with costs also. When Nepal Police tried to enforce the rule that pillion riders must wear a helmet, many social media users claimed that officials were taking this initiative as helmet dealers had bribed them. Officials did not try to engage with the public and the initiative had to be aborted. When few road safety campaigners call for the need to strict enforcement of helmet use – for both drivers and pillion riders – as prescribed in law, they are instantly targeted and abused by many social media users.

The Vietnam story 

Nepal would do well by learning from Vietnam.

In 2007, Vietnam introduced universal helmet law making it mandatory both for the driver and pillion rider to wear helmets. A study, entitled “Heads First: A case study on Vietnam’s  conducted jointly by AIP Foundation and  FIA Foundation revealed that an estimated 500,000 head injuries and 15,000 fatalities were averted due to increased helmet use between 2007-2017. The study also assessed data from Viet Duc hospital in Hanoi and Hai Duong hospital in northern Vietnam. It found that patient cases with severe brain damage reduced from almost 21 percent in 2007 to 13.6 percent in 2016.

“Vietnam provides an important case study in government determination, sustained over the long term, to tackle motorcycle deaths and injuries,” said Saul Billingsley, Executive Director of the FIA Foundation. “This report shows how to assemble the essential ingredients for success: a clear objective allied to a plan of action, supported by multi-sectoral cooperation, international donor and expert support, active engagement of civil society, mobilisation of communities, and, above all – political courage and commitment.”

Petititon to the Prime Minister

In September this year, civil society leaders, former UN officials and road safety campaigners from around the world sent a petition to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli urging him to take urgent measures to make Nepal’s roads safe for everyone.

 They called upon the government to enact Road Safety Act, set up a powerful Road Safety Council, introduce Star ratings of schools, roads and vehicles based on road safety performance, introduce procedures so as to prioritise vulnerable road users including pedestrians, cyclists, wheel chair users and make it mandatory for the use of quality helmets to all motorbike riders including children, among others.

“Strong road safety measures will not only help in the economic progress of the country, it would also help promote tourism and give a positive image of the country at the world stage at a time when the reputation of its aviation sector is not any better,” the petitioners said.

To begin with, “the (Nepal) government can start by adaptation of well-established helmet-use global best practices, developing helmet safety action plans, and making political leaders more responsible for endorsing, and advocating compulsory helmet use,” say Dr Puspa Raj Panta and Bhagabati Sedain, road safety researchers who also signed on the petition. “Along with these activities, the government needs to allocate a sufficient budget, convince people to mandatorily use helmets, and strictly monitor helmet use in practice,” 

Unless it is done, unfortunate and unnecessary deaths of people like Mr Thapa and Mr Gurung will continue in Nepal for many more years to come.

(The author is a former BBC Nepali journalist and can be reached at bhagirath.yogi@gmail.com )

Nearly 36 hours later, on Wednesday, negotiators from nearly 200 countries who had gathered in the United Arab Emirates to discuss climate action finally agreed on the 21-page document – that had been amended several times.

The first Global Stocktake of progress towards the goals of the Paris Agreement has been completed at the COP28. The outcome of the summit includes, for the first time, a call on countries to contribute to a transition away from fossil fuels in the energy systems, in line with the goal of net zero global emissions by 2050.

Dr Dharam Raj Uprety, one of the negotiators from Nepal, said that mention of mountains and cryosphere in the preamble of the declaration was recognition of efforts made by countries including Nepal to highlight the impact of climate change on Himalayas and mountain communities. “Though the declaration stopped short of calling for phase out of fossil fuels, member countries’ agreement to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems should be seen as a major achievement,” said Dr Uprety, who is Thematic Lead – Climate and Resilience at Practical Action South Asia Regional Office, Kathmandu. “The declaration calls upon countries to deliver a national adaptation plan by 2030, which is a good beginning.”

A total of 51 countries including Nepal have already submitted their National Plan of Adaptation (NAP).

LDCs disappointed

Least Developed Countries have, however, expressed disappointment over the outcome of COP28 and have called upon the rich countries to do more.

In a statement issued after the COP28 agreement, Madeleine Diouf Sarr, Chair of the Least Developed Countries Group, said, “This outcome is not perfect, we expected more. It reflects the very lowest possible ambition that we could accept rather than what we know, according to the best available science, is necessary to urgently address the climate crisis.”

“Limiting warming to 1.5C is a matter of survival, and international cooperation remains key to ensuring it.  Next year will be critical in deciding the new climate finance goal, which must be informed by this global stocktake (GST), and must close the vast gaps that have been identified,” said Miss Sarr, who is also head of the Climate Change Division at Senegal’s Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological transition. 

Global coordinator of LDC Watch – a civil society group- Dr Arjun Karki, said that LDCs have been calliong for strong commitment to phase out fossil fuel and immediate, total and just transition. “The climate finance has to be predictable, additional and non-debt creating,” said Ambassador Karki adding, “We demand reparations from rich countries for loss and damage. Reparations not merely in the form of financial transactions but as a moral imperative. It is about acknowledging historical responsibility and recognizing the fundamental right of affected communities to live in a stable and sustainable environment.”

During his recent visit to Nepal, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, said, “There is loss, and there is damage. You can see it in Nepal.”

Loss and Damage

On the first day of the COP28, member states agreed to formally operationalize a loss and damage fund to support vulnerable countries dealing with the effects of climate change.

The European Union pledged US$245.39 million while Germany pledged USD 100 million. The UK promised at least $51 million while the US agreed to give $17.5 million.

Developing countries, however, say the pledges made by rich countries that have come so far are only a fraction of the loss and damage that developing countries are incurring due to climate change.

The devastating flood in Pakistan in 2022 caused damages worth 15 billion dollars and economic losses worth over 15 billion dollars, UN agencies said. “Estimated needs for rehabilitation and reconstruction in a resilient way are at least US$16.3 billion.”

From Himalayas to Oceans

Countries like Nepal took the opportunity to highlight the threat due to climate change though their greenhouse gas emissions were negligible.  Addressing the COP28 in Dubai, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said, “Our message is clear: mountains are tortured by rising temperatures. Save them first! I am deeply concerned about the findings of the recent IPCC report, that states climate-induced disasters breaking records in the Himalayas. We have already lost one-third of our glaciers, and scientists have warned that we are going to lose another one-third by the end of this century. Mountains are tortured by rising temperatures. Save them first,” he urged.

Not only countries sharing the Himalayas, those sharing the ocean are equally worried. Said newly elected President of Maldives, Dr Mohamed Muizzu, “First, the Global Stocktake must commit to a plan that corrects our course towards a 1.5-degree pathway, in line with the Paris Agreement. It must be based on equity and the best available science. And it must inform the next set of more ambitious NDCs. Second, we must close the climate finance gap.”

Closing the climate finance gap was one of the key issues that was debated at COP28.

In its report published on December 4, the London-based Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment estimated that emerging nations would need up to US$ 2.4 trillion a year in investment to cap emissions and adapt to the challenges posed by climate change.

“The world is not on track to realise the goals of the Paris Agreement. The reason for this failure is a lack of investment, particularly in emerging markets and developing countries outside China,” said the report’s co-author and chair of the Institute Prof Nicholas Stern.

Countries directly hit due to the impacts of climate change are asking for billions of dollars through a newly formed disaster fund. They have also suggested ways to raise the money.

“A global 0.1% tax on financial services, for example, could raise $420 billion, she said, while a 5% tax on global oil and gas profits in 2022 would have yielded around $200 billion,” said Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, at a press conference at COP28.

As things stand there is little hope of rich countries meeting the target. And, climate activists are furious. “We cannot celebrate mere inclusion of reference in the text if it comes without means of implementation and finance for energy transition for poor and developing countries. If this is what a ‘historical outcome’ looks like, then it is on the wrong side of history,” said Sanjay Vashist, director of the Climate Action Network South Asia.

Former US Vice President Al Gore is also disappointed. “The decision at COP28 to finally recognise that the climate crisis is, at its heart, a fossil fuel crisis is an important milestone. But it is also the bare minimum we need and is long overdue. “Whether this is a turning point that truly marks the beginning of the end of the fossil fuel era depends on the actions that come next and the mobilisation of the finance required to achieve them,” he said.

For many, the tough road ahead to combat a global challenge like climate change has just begun.

Addressing the first-ever interaction with the Nepali diaspora based in the UK on Wednesday, ambassador Pollitt said that keeping both of the neighbors happy, on your side, is a tricky balance to strike.

Referring to Nepal’s vote against the Russian invasion of Ukraine early this year, she said what type of company you are keeping in the international arena makes a difference. “Whether in (UN Offices) in Geneva or in New York, Nepal is playing a responsible and leadership role in the region.”

While two of its powerful neighbors, India and China, abstained from voting, Nepal was one of the 141 UN members that supported the UN resolution that ‘deplored in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of Article 2 (4) of the Charter.”

The resolution, that was put to vote in March this year, also demanded that the “Russian Federation immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine and to refrain from any further unlawful threat or use of force against any Member State”.

Ambassador Politt said that the British government’s priorities in Nepal included supporting the federal system of governance, especially the provincial governments in Madhesh, Lumbini and Karnali.

“We are also supporting to build the capacity of Nepal Police to deal with gender-based violence,  support the government at macro level to achieve growth and prosperity and to support Nepal’s efforts to combat climate change and educate women and girls, especially from the marginalized communities,” said Pollitt.

Addressing the Gurkha Grievances

In September 2016, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rejected claims by a group of former British Gurkha soldiers that they had been discriminated against by the British government in their pensions. In its verdict, the Strasbourg-based Court held that there had been no violation of Article 14 and Article 1 of the European Convention of Human Rights as claimed by the petitioners.

The applicants, two retired Gurkha soldiers and an NGO acting on behalf of Gurkha veterans, complained that their pension entitlements had been less favorable than those of non-Gurkha soldiers in the British Army, and those of younger Gurkha soldiers who had more years of service after 1 July, 1997.  The petitioners went to the European Court of Human Rights in 2011 after they lost similar cases at a British high court and the British Supreme Court refused to entertain their appeal.

Despite losing their legal battle, Gurkha veterans continue to press the governments of Nepal and the UK for what they call compensation, reparation and equal pension and benefits. In August 2021, former Gurkha veterans Gyan Raj Rai, Dhan Gurung and a Gurkha family member Pushpa Rana Ghale staged a hunger strike for 13 days near the Ministry of Defence in central London. They agreed to end their strike only after the British government agreed to form a high level committee to listen to their demands.

Responding to a query regarding the long-running grievances of Gurkha veterans, ambassador Pollitt refuted allegations that Gurkha veterans were being discriminated against their comrades in terms of pensions and benefits. During the formal talks at the Ministry of Defence in London early this month, British officials insisted that they would like to discuss the welfare of Gurkha veterans who are living in the UK and in Nepal. Representatives of Gurkha veterans, who were taking part as observers, however, registered their strong exception towards suggestions by the British side that their demand for ‘equal pension’ should not be discussed in the talks.

Talking to a small group of Nepali diaspora at the historic Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in central London on Wednesday, Pollitt, however, hinted that the British government was not in favor of revisiting the pension issue again.

“It’s very good that both sides have come round the table (to discuss Gurkha demands). We must not forget that both the highest court in the UK as well as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have always decided in the British government’s favor. So, it will be very difficult to negotiate on the pension issue again. But the veterans’ welfare is always on top of the British government’s agenda,” she added.

Thousands of former Gurkha soldiers and their families are now residing in the UK following the British government’s decision in 2009 to allow ex-Gurkha soldiers, who have served at least four years in the British Army, to settle in the UK.

Historic relationship

Nepal and the UK enjoy more than two centuries long relationship thanks to the Gurkhas. The UK is one of the largest development partners of Nepal. Nepal is also seeking to expand its trade ties with Britain and attract more British investment into the country.

“There is a need to expand and strengthen our historic relationship with the UK. Engaging the Nepali diaspora in the UK is a right step in that direction,” said Councillor Lachhya Gurung, a former Gurkha and former Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet.

Dr Tejendra Pherali, Professor at the Institute of Education, University College London, said that both the countries should now explore new avenues such as reaching out to the second generation of Nepalis now studying and working in the UK.  “This will also help develop people-to-people relationships at the grassroots level,” he opined.

One of the recent developments in the bilateral relations has been Britain’s negotiations with the government of Nepal to bring in Nepali nurses to work with the state-owned National Health Service (NHS).

“The recruitment of (Nepali) nurses has to be ethical and formal with no involvement of middlemen,” said ambassador Politt adding, “The NHS Trusts in the UK are working in partnership with the British government. We are piloting next year by bringing in 200 (Nepali) nurses on a five-year work visa.”

As Nepal will graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status, hopefully in 2026, the UK has offered Nepal to join its Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS). “From 2026, we might think about a trade agreement. We are working on signing the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTDA) between the two countries. The ball is now in Nepal’s court,” said ambassador Politt, a career diplomat, who will complete her four-year assignment to Kathmandu in the coming summer.

As Nepal and the UK are hosting a series of events to mark the centenary of the 1923 UK-Nepal Treaty, ambassador Pollitt said that she would try her best to organize Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to Kathmandu.

If that happens, Sunak will be the first British Prime Minister to travel to Kathmandu in more than two centuries.

Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was buried near the coffins of her late husband and other members of the royal family at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle amidst a private ceremony on Monday evening. She passed away peacefully on September 8 at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Prince Charles was promptly proclaimed as the new King of the United Kingdom. Tens of thousands of people paid their respects as the body of the late Queen was lying in state at Westminster Hall in central London.

End of an era

The death of the longest reigning monarch in British history was bound to create a big void in the national psyche. Though the British got a new monarch without much hassle, the void left behind by the death of the 96-year-old monarch, who reigned for 70 years, will be difficult to fill in, if not impossible.  

“To all the people of England, all the people of the United Kingdom, our hearts go out to you and you were fortunate to have had her for 70 years. We all were,” said US President Joe Biden after arriving in London during the weekend.

Like the rest of the world, Britain has changed a lot over the last 70 years. When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, Britain was the third largest economy in the world. But, lately, its former colony, India, has superseded it by pushing the UK to the sixth position. According to The Economist,  in 1953, of 50.6 million people in Britain, only eight million were 60 or older–a ratio of 2.7 to one. The population since has grown to 67 million, and aged. The ratio of young to old is 1.4 and falling.

“Britain is living through times of great change. After a succession of crises–Brexit, Covid-19, partygate, four prime ministers in six years–now one of the last symbols of stability is gone with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II,” commented The Guardian newspaper.

For King Charles III, keeping the country with much more racial and cultural diversity unified would be one of the major challenges. But, Ravi Jung Lamichhane, a London-based businessman and philanthropist who queued for up to 13 hours on Sunday to pay his respect to the late Queen, said he saw people of all ages, colors, from all corners of the UK and abroad queuing up to pay their respect to the late monarch. “Even those who could not stand in the line for so long came to show their solidarity towards us. It was quite heartening,’’ he added.

Queen Elizabeth’s legacy

Analysts say Queen Elizabeth’s main legacy has been her devotion to the nation and people and her sense of duty. She resumed her public duties days after her husband, Prince Philip, died last year. “Queen Elizabeth was a constitutional monarch, not a political leader with real powers, and one who was required to serve an ever-changing set of realms, peoples, institutions, and ideas that were no longer as obviously compatible as they had been when she ascended to the throne. The Queen’s great achievement was to honor the commitment she made to an imperial nation and its empire as a princess even as it became a multiethnic state and a Commonwealth,” wrote Tom McTague in The Atlantic magazine.

Even in the late nineties, she would enjoy cutting ribbons, meeting people from all walks of life and chatting with them. “Not only people from the UK and Commonwealth, I have the feeling that people from across the world loved and respected her,” said Lachhya Gurung, a former Gurkha and former Deputy Mayor of London Borough of Barnet.

Making the institution relevant will be the greatest test of the British monarchy, which has been changing to a great extent along with the changing times.

Two Queen’s Gurkha (QG) Captains always stood behind the Queen and her ADC during the investiture ceremonies. “She was so sympathetic and spoke with her subjects and visitors with love, warmth and empathy,” said a former QG, who has been promoted as a Gurkha Major and did not want to give his name. Tens of thousands of Gurkhas fought for the Crown in theaters of war around the world, many of them winning VCs and other bravery awards. Thousands of them died.

Nepal-UK relations span for more than 200 years. The UK is one of the largest development partners of Nepal. From infrastructure to policing, energy and girls’ education, British aid has helped Nepal’s development endeavors.

Secret of royal popularity

So, what is the secret of the popularity of a monarch who doesn’t have any political powers? ‘He who loses support of the people is king no longer,’ wrote Aristotle more than two millennia ago.

Making the institution relevant will be the greatest test of the British monarchy, which has been changing to a great extent along with the changing times.

“I have seen Queen Elizabeth II as the monarch since I arrived in the UK more than four decades ago,” said Dr Raghav Dhital, OBE. “But, I have noted that the monarchy has always tried to feel the people’s pulse and behave accordingly.”

King Charles, the longest-waiting monarch-to-be, knows where exactly the shoe pinches. Divorce from his first wife, Princess Diana, in 1996 and her death in a car crash in Paris a year later were one of the greatest challenges for the British monarchy in modern times. Wounds may not have healed completely as seen by the awkward relationship between Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and other royals. But besides keeping his family together, King Charles III would also need to keep the fabric of the nation together. As British politicians continue to spar among themselves to locate Britain’s place in the world after Brexit, his job would be to keep nudging them from behind the curtain. 

A tall order, indeed but not impossible. The Queen is dead, long live the King. 

Bhagirath Yogi, a former BBC journalist, is Consulting Editor of Nepal Live Group. 

During his childhood, Pradip read almost all books in his house–mostly in Hindi–gathered by his father Mitra Lal Giri, who was elected in the first parliamentary elections in 1959 from Nepali Congress party.  Pradip passed SLC from the school his father had founded. He then went to Kathmandu and later to Varanasi, India, for higher studies. These were eventful times.

In 1960, King Mahendra dismissed Prime Minister B P Koirala’s government, put him and other Congress leaders behind  bars and later introduced the partyless Panchayat system. In India, first elected Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru passed away in 1964 but his daughter, Indira Gandhi, was yet to emerge as a powerful leader.

Giri became active in the student politics affiliated to the Socialist Party of India led by Ram Manohar Lohia. He was also close to Nepali Congress (NC) which was banned in Nepal at that time. When B P Koirala went to India in self-exile in 1968 and started living in the holy city of Varanasi, Giri had an opportunity to know the leader personally and used to have debates on issues ranging from literature, arts and politics.

When Koirala called for an armed struggle to overthrow the Panchayat regime, Nepali Congress activists were nabbed in Okhaldhunga district and later in Kathmandu. They were extra-judicially killed by the Panchayat regime. There were speculations and allegations about how the information got leaked and NC cadres started distancing themselves from this fiery writer and speaker.

After India led by Indira Gandhi annexed Sikkim in 1975, in December 1976, B P Koirala returned to Nepal calling for ‘national unity and reconciliation’ with the then monarchy to protect the sovereignty of the country.

Giri was so good at explaining Marx’s propositions that Nepali Communist leaders invited him to deliver lectures on Marxism to their cadres.

In 1980, King Birendra announced the referendum between the ‘reformed Pancahyat polity’ and multi-party democracy. Giri returned to Nepal and campaigned in favor of multiparty democracy. His home district, Siraha, was one of the few Tarai districts where ‘blue’ won over ‘yellow’ in the referendum.

In the mid-eighties, Giri came to Kathmandu and continued to write and speak about democratic socialism. He was active under the banner of Democratic Socialist Youth League (DSYL)–loosely affiliated to Nepali Congress–and courted arrest during the Satyagraha movement called by Nepali Congress in 1985.  In 1988, he became one of the founders of Human Rights organization of Nepal (HURON) led by flamboyant diplomat, author and historian, Hrishikesh Shah.

Giri was close to Nepali Congress leaders Ganesh Man Singh and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. He was among the few within the party who could speak with authority on the ideologies of Nepali Congress. He became a central member of the party and was elected to the parliament from his home district, Siraha, twice. He was also appointed as Member of Parliament and Member of the Constituent Assembly by Nepali Congress party.

The storyteller

Giri would read any book–mostly in Hindi–that was available in his village and school. He used to read Hindu epics, Mahabharat and Ramayana. He had an extraordinary capacity to recall stories from those epics, mostly from Mahabharat, and relate them to the present context. Through his storytelling capacity, he continued to connect with party cadres, media and masses.

In his book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari argues that humans are story telling animals. For thousands of years, we have developed the shared story and we believe them. Whether it’s  capitalism and democracy or communism, these are the ‘stories’ and billions of people follow them, says Harari.

Interestingly, Giri was so good at explaining Marx’s propositions that Nepali Communist leaders invited him to deliver lectures on Marxism to their cadres. He had studied philosophy and economics in India and advocated that people should be at the center of development.

‘Giri had the capacity to narrate complex subjects in an interesting and easy-to-comprehend way drawing historic and often mythological references,’ says Senior Journalist Rajendra Dahal. ‘He could connect to the imagination of the youth through his stories and speeches.’

He was among the few within the party who could speak with authority on the ideologies of Nepali Congress.

After literary fests were introduced in Nepal, Giri was invited to tell stories of Mahabharat and their relevance in present day Nepal. Whether in the floor of the parliament or a TV studio, Giri promptly referred to Mahabharat stories that quickly connected with masses. A widely read person, he often referred to the British parliamentary practices and how Nepali politicians should try to emulate them.

Senior journalist Kishor Nepal, who had a long friendship with Giri, says that Giri had interest in literature, spirituality and politics–in that order. Giri spent months at the Osho Tapoban at Nagarjuna Hills at the outskirts of Kathmandu and had read Osho’s literature widely.

Like Indian mystic Osho, he saw institutions like nation-states and even family as barriers to individual freedom. ‘Socialism can’t be complete without love and respect for each other. We should not sacrifice our freedom in the name of ideologies,’ Giri often said.

‘Giri was a ‘sannyasi’ (monk) in the true sense. He never collected money, property or any other physical goods that would be more than what was needed to sustain his life,’ wrote Senior Journalist Hari Adhikary.

His critics say Giri did not interfere and did not try much to stop or reverse the power-oriented politics of his party or in the Nepali body politic. But those who knew him from close quarters insist that Giri was a conscience keeper of his party and the Nepali politics at large.

‘I am the only MP who did not sign this constitution (in 2015) but I urge you all to protect this document,’ said Giri in one of his last speeches in the parliament. An eternal optimist, Giri hoped that Nepali society would move towards a better future in the days to come. He, however, cautioned that socialism is not something we could see and practice in our lifetime. ‘It might take generations,’ he warned.

Bhagirath Yogi, a former BBC journalist, is Consulting Editor of Nepal Live Group. 

During a free, guided tour of the Senate building that was on recess, an American tourist in our group asked our guide how the Senate called witnesses for hearings. He was, however, not happy with her answer. ‘Truth is the casualty of politics,’ he said. His utterance, perhaps, resonates more true in the present day Nepal.

A parliamentary probe committee recently completed its probe into the allegations that Finance Minister Janardan Sharma sent some unauthorized people to decide about the tax rates on the eve of his annual budget speech on 29 May 2022. When a Nepali national daily broke the news, after much hullabaloo, Minister Sharma resigned from his post and the House of Representatives formed a probe committee. Both Sharma and senior officials of the Finance Ministry claimed in front of the Committee members that the incident had never happened. The Ministry also claimed that the CCTV footage of the said incident has already been deleted. As expected, the committee said that it didn’t find any conclusive evidence to prove that unauthorized people were in fact involved in altering the tax rates.

Interestingly, when the probe committee was summoning senior government officials (including then former Minister Sharma), student activists affiliated to the ruling alliance organized a protest in Kathmandu demanding that Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari resign from his post. The demand came in the wake of media reports that Mr Adhikari in fact was the person named as ‘M Adhikari’ in one of the committees of the main opposition CPN (UML). The NRB Act prohibits any person with political party affiliation to hold the top position of the central bank. Both Adhikari and the UML refuted these reports. Interestingly, student protests subsided as soon as the parliamentary probe committee made its report public.

So, was there any quid pro quo between the ruling alliance and the main opposition in these two recent controversies? As the country is heading towards elections for the federal as well as provincial legislature, many believe that the UML did not want to antagonize the CPN (Maoist Center) party. Finance Minister Sharma (who was reappointed to his post early this week) is a senior leader of the Maoist Centre.

In a country like Nepal where civil society as well as most of the media are said to be  close to one political party or another, making government officials accountable is a huge challenge. 

This is not the first time that truth has been a casualty in Nepali politics. When asked by reporters what happened to arms and ammunition held by his comrades (that were not disclosed to UNMIN-a UN agency), Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said casually that they were swept away by a river. Nobody in the government or opposition asked him any further questions.

In a country like Nepal where civil society as well as most of the media are said to be  close to one political party or another, making government officials accountable is a huge challenge. So, what should be done?

According to the Institute for Government, a London-based think tank, accountability lies at the heart of democratic government. Strong accountability matters–and when it works–it benefits everyone, the Institute says. In a recent report, the Institute has made seven recommendations to improve accountability in a democratic government. They include 1) improve transparency around the feasibility of major projects, 2) provide stronger oversight of the civil service, 3) clarify what public services citizens get for their money, 4) ensure that government policies have strong accountability arrangements built in, 5) strengthen scrutiny of the links between local public services, 6) support earlier investigations of possible failures and 7) improve the scrutiny that Parliament provides.

‘Heads must roll’ when there are major failures in governance, the report says. But in Nepal, members of civil service or junior officials are held accountable in cases of corruption while politicians usually go scot free. To change this culture, voters must take the reins in their hands. The forthcoming elections on November 20, 2022 provide that opportunity to Nepali voters.

Bhagirath Yogi, a former BBC journalist, is the Consulting Editor of Nepal Live Group.