After the promulgation of the controversial constitution last year, when the devastating earthquake had killed more than 9,000 people and left hundreds of thousands helpless, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took charge as the executive head. The provision that a ‘change of government must take place within a week’ in the constitution itself tells a lot about the purpose of the document and indicates why it was controversial. Since then, we have been witnessing misplaced priorities and gibberish statements from the executive head.

Post-earthquake priorities

There was a huge lobby group of urban middle-class that advocated having trust on the government and the bureaucracy one more time. But since the failure of the government and bureaucracy would not affect them directly, they must have opted to spread such hope among the Nepali people and the international community. The lobbying worked and the government successfully got assurances of a huge amount of aid from the international community. However, if we assess the situation now, the initial optimism for the beginning of responsible governance is diminishing fast.

People affected by the quake are yet to receive the government assistance to reconstruct their houses. The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), created for expediting the reconstruction  process and to improve coordination among the line ministries, is not functioning efficiently. While the country’s problems seem to be growing by the day, the government appears to be ignorant of them.

Example of sycophancy

Hardcore optimists are promoting the government and have conveniently forgotten the plight of the quake victims. As a result, we are seeing a well-planned propaganda campaign in the social media titled #IamWithKpOli, while people in earthquake affected areas are staring at another monsoon under temporary roofs.

As if ignoring the plight of the people’s suffering were not enough, Prime Minister Oli seems to be taunting people on an everyday basis with his gibberish talks. Whereas it is an established fact that there are places in Nepal where people do not have enough food to last them throughout the year, the prime minister is stating that every household will be connected with gas pipelines and a Nepali flag vessel will be sailing in the high seas. People get to hear childish assertions like Nepal will be producing petroleum products in three years, or exporting precious stones in order to make every Nepali rich like never before. Had it not been for the #IamWithKpOli campaign, this would have been most foolish. The campaign wants people to trust Oli and his claims, and start believing in a fairytale where our and our country’s fate will suddenly transform. No hard work is required. One can only imagine what a family of earthquake survivor from the Tamang community from Haku VDC in Rasuwa would make of the prime minister’s talks.

Post-earthquake, although the constitution was pending from a long time, it was not the topmost priority. It was pure opportunism of the then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to get his name registered in history on a par with other Koiralas, by promulgating the statute under his leadership. He will definitely get his due, but it will not be untainted. He will be remembered for creating more problems than solving them.

Still, everything is not completely lost and we can still mend our ways. Oli would do well to reflect upon his tenure and its achievements, and set his priorities accordingly. A cabinet meeting under his leadership had decided to replace all Tuins (wire crossings) with suspension bridges. Assessment of what progress has been made on that front would give him an indication of his misplaced priorities. Visiting families of the quake victims in remote districts without fanfare would be another significant step for him to reassess the performance of his government.

Nothing is more important than people’s lives. The state is responsible for the safety and security of its citizens. Prime Minister Oli needs to personally oversee the NRA’s activities and progress. He should instruct the bureaucracy to work for the well-being of the people whom it is supposed to serve. Those residing in temporary shelters cannot wait for ever. Words mean nothing if they are not followed by action. The results have to be noticeable. Until now, Oli’s words have lacked substance. Chances of his promises being fulfilled look slim. The propaganda campaign of #IamWithKpOli seems to be one of the purest examples of sycophancy.

Jha is a computer engineer