Tuesday, 30 June 2009

• Life in a failing State

  Nepal stands in the 25^th spot out of 60 in the list of failing states indexed by the Foreign Policy Magazine.  Somalia has the honor of occupying the number one spot, while Guatemala languishes in the last spot.  We were born and grew up in a very peaceful nation.  Life was far from the modernity, but we had everything we needed to live in peace and harmony with no one dying of hunger.  Some 20 years ago, Nepal was still in the age of innocence as a nation even though the king gave little freedom of expression.  But today, within the last 20 years, the age of innocence has vanished itself into the arms of crimes and violence unheard in the entire history of this nation. 

  With economy in tatters, the price of commodities is touching the sky.  Maoists have killed or managed to chess the successful farmers away from the agricultural landscape, people are now dying with starvation.  For ten years, they bombed the bridges and roads, now many die while attempting to cross those big rivers.  Maoists brought the guns and now the criminals have more fire arms then the entire police force and they are using it in killing, kidnapping and extortion throughout the length and the breadth of the nation.  Parents have no peace until their children come home safe from the school because the teachers themselves are engaged in kidnapping the well to do family kids for hefty amount of ransom.  Government is exacting heavy tax from the schools and in turn the schools charge the students to pay to the government and thus making it impossible for low income families to get a decent education.  

  One cannot dress well and go out into the city because the criminal eyes are looking for the possible source for their kidnapping business.  There are countless political parties and each of these parties thrives because of the criminal activities of their party members.  When a criminal is arrested by the police, they use their political connections and get away without any penalty; the police force looks in embarrassment and helplessness.  But now the police and the security personnel also have found the ways to play in and profit from. 

  If one receives some kind of threat to life and property, the police will blame the person getting the threat instead of going after the culprit.  If one can gather about ten people and create a commotion in the neighborhood, they neighbors will have to comply with whatever the demand is put forth. 

  When a traffic accident happens, regardless of the fault, the party that is weaker will be beaten up and the vehicle burnt; still demanding the compensation for the one who was responsible for the accident because he had the bigger voice.  The highway can be shut for any number of days by the command of any such gang leaders until their demands are met either by the local people or by the government.

  Fear is the national feeling for those who once had a wish to live and die in their own homeland, but because of this monstrous fear, they are leaving in droves to be refugees in any land that would promise them a good night rest without the fear of being harassed, attacked, kidnapped or killed.   Nepal is truly bleeding and there is no one who can weep for her eventual death.   The criminals (also known as politicians) within the nation are drunk, and those who manage to move to other nations wish for a total amnesia so that they could forge a new identity free from the ignominy of being a denizen of a failed state.

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