If you want to know how a political party would run this country were they to come to power, attend one of their tea parties. Don’t fall for their hawatari speeches because our netas have promised us thousands of MW of electricity in the past decade and we have not even managed to add a hundred. Instead, we are covering half of our demand from our chimeki across the border. And instead of using our water, we are asking the Desis to burn their coal to provide us electricity. Yes, this government is not for saving the environment but for destroying it in the name of development and modernity. Yes, destroy our Chure region to make our contractors richer. Destroy our forests so that everybody can make millions while the airport will be like Melamchi and take most probably half a century before it comes to operation.

We have resources but it is our civil servants, contractors and clowns who work together to ensure that this country remains underdeveloped while their bellies and bank accounts are overdeveloped. Millions of Nepalis work abroad to make a few ringgits, dinars and lucky ones earn yen and dollars. Here at home, those in power make millions and billions but do not want to share the money with the common folks.

Forget Singapore or Switzerland, remember Somalia or Sudan. Instead, try the tea at one of those tea parties and if it’s not worth it then you know whom not to vote for if elections are around the corner. Our politicians loot billions of rupees from this country, civil servants, contractors and common citizens but when it comes to tea parties, they practice extreme frugality.

So far, none of our political parties have managed to organise a good tea party at all. sEverything is disorganised and it seems that the members of the organising committee themselves don’t have a clue about the programme schedule or what to do when the tea runs out. Yes, it’s tough to manage an event where tens of thousands of folks come rushing in to grab a cup of tea and a packet of tidbits but hire a PR firm or an event management company and make it a fun event instead of asking thousands of folks who have free time to stand in line for hours to grab a cup of tea and if lucky then take a selfies with our so-called leaders.

Our comrades spent more than 50 lakhs to organise their tea party at Bhrikuti Mandap recently.  Why spend so much for a box of samosa, kera and laddoo and watered down milk tea? Why not ask all your cadres across the country to visit child care centres and old folks home and spend a day with the kids and our senior citizens and make their day worthwhile.

We all thought that Baburam’s new party could make a difference. Well, Dr Saheb will get all the freebies from the state as a former PM and he doesn’t have to worry about chiya kharcha. But one man show cannot change this country. Rabindra Dai should have made a deal with the UML and he could have beaten Prakash Dai. Yes, sometimes you have to make deals with the clowns as well to bring changes to this country. Look at our Emperor. A while ago he was in bed with Deuba then he changed partners and is now bromancing Oli and who knows later one, he may switch sides and show us another set of his magic tricks.

Tihar is here. Our cows give us milk. Dogs are our best friends. Crows do their thing but our politicians give us nothing to be happy about. Instead, we have to worry about everything while our chor netas only worry about how to appoint their near and dear ones to positions of power and even make money off it. Let us wish Oli better health. Let us wish our Emperor more wealth as if he has not made enough and for the rest of us, let us pray that we finally have the courage to stand up and hold those in power accountable for their actions. First, let us start with the Jorpati road. If our government cannot take action against contractors and sarkari hakims, then it’s now time for the people to wake up and smell the rotting corruption in this land.

Guffadi is a grumpy old man who blogs at guffadi.blogspot.com. You may contact him at [email protected]