A better life

In political circles, there is often a misconception about the definition of being a patriot. Whether it is in the West or East, social conservatives to the right perceive their own kind to be more patriotic than a liberal left-leaning person who is open to others’ views and is more welcoming. One definition of a patriot is “a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors.” The operative word in this definition is ‘country’. A country is not just defined by boundaries on a map but by the values and beliefs that are ingrained in its constitution. The statute answers the ultimate question, ‘What does it mean to be a Nepali?’ Are we still ‘bir’ Gorkhalis that fight enemies against all odds? Maybe we do have the genes to persevere against all odds and do what it takes to survive. That can explain our lads queuing up to face death in Qatar or working long hours as security guards in Macau or as maids in Malaysia or even as a PhD student in the US who sacrifices many more weekends and weeknights than their American counterparts.

But perseverance should not be the only value that defines being a Nepali. It should also mean respecting others and believing that each has a unique capability to make our lives better. Whether we come from a Dalit community or were born in the lap of luxury, we should all have the opportunity to make our lives better. Then, we must build our society and thus our constitution, that

is free of insecurities, free of discrimination and free from social stigmas disguised under the veil of tradition while respecting the history and culture that defines us.

Chained to tradition

One of the strongest currents that holds our society back is the unhealthy reverence we have for tradition and history. When students want to play tennis, teachers discourage them because students should traditionally focus on studies. Sports, acting and singing are extra-curricular activities for fun, not a future ‘bright’ children should aspire to. When a woman wants to work, she is still expected to complete all her household chores first. When a young political leader wants to lead, older leaders tout their own long history and ask, ‘What have the young accomplished?’ These are old habits we must break if we believe that being a Nepali means making our lives and our society better. Building our society takes risk and allows young students to follow their passion and not denigrate them. We must let women contribute their skills and wisdom in building our economy. We must let young leaders take the lead of our political process.

Enabling institution

Unhealthy reverence to failed ideologies like communism is another chain that is holding our society back. When the British left India, it was natural for them to gravitate towards an ideology that effortlessly fit the narrative of lifting the lives of millions of the poor through government subsidised basic necessities and services. That same ideology seeped into the Nepali political psyche and into our leaders. But over 100 years of experiment has unequivocally proved that what drives human ingenuity is our innate drive to make our personal lives better. And the best way to achieve that is by establishing an enabling system and institutions that unleash our entrepreneurial and innovative skills. That means breaking from our past and re-defining the role of the government, not as a provider of services and security but as an enabling institution that helps to unleash that which is inside each of us, while protecting the rights of every Nepali from the gluttony and prejudice of every other Nepali.

That greed and prejudice is what we, democrats, the patriots and the young, have to fight against at this moment when we are writing our constitution. Sadly, we have given the rights to write our constitution to the same older generation who were born and raised in the morasses of a corrupt political system that breeds dishonest leaders. We can still save our country if we believe in ourselves, our future and do not lose our passion. Henceforth, when the South Asian godfather of conservative, right-wing firebrand rhetoric, ie, the BJP, unleashes a political tsunami in India, albeit on an economic transformation platform, we have to be alert that their ideology does not define what its means to be a Nepali.

Onta is one of the founding members of Entrepreneurs for Nepal