The 'Gen-G' movement of Bhadra 23-24 was sparked by one reason - the ban on social media. But was this movement just a product of momentary anger? This is a matter that needs to be discussed.

Various movements took place in the country at different stages. The events from the armed rebellion, the royal palace massacre to the people's movement- 062/63 have now been preserved in the pages of history. After the republic achieved through that people's movement, there was a radical change in the state system of Nepal. However, the major political parties could not assume power responsibly. The rights guaranteed by the constitution in Nepal have not been implemented and the leaders have misused and exploited state power and authority for the benefit of some of their close associates, so the future of political parties that once had a very golden history is in doubt today.

It is ironic that corruption is deeply rooted in every mechanism of the state, people's representatives, major political parties, government, employees, government offices, service delivery departments and other bodies. Every Nepali who remains silent, tolerates corruption, ignores it as ‘this is how it is’, accepts it, hesitates to warn and is unable to rebel is equally responsible for the current state of the country.

One of the main agendas carried by the Gen-G movement was – ‘Corruption Prevention’. Can the state eradicate corruption if it wants to? This is a complex question. When we hear news of proven cases of corruption even in countries where punishments up to the death penalty have been prescribed for corruption, it becomes clear that whether to commit corruption or not is a question of personal conduct and morality. However, of course, the main step that the state should take to eradicate corruption should be determined by the policy and legal system. The legal system and judicial system of the state are not clean and strong, and no matter how many movements there are, the state machinery will always remain innocent. The short-term government formed in Nepal after the Gen-G movement has not been able to pay any attention to this issue.

Disappointment among Gen-G generation

The main 'mandate' of the short-term government led by Sushila Karki is to create a fair electoral environment in the country and hold elections on Falgun 21, to expose the infiltrators who entered the country under the guise of the Gen-G movement on Bhadra 24 and create an atmosphere of terror, and to broaden the scope of investigation to control institutional corruption. For that very task, the Gen-Gs have elected the country's first female Prime Minister through online voting. However, if we analyze the government's working style on social media and in the news every day, the controversial names recommended for the formation of the Council of Ministers, the controversial decisions taken by the new ministers as soon as they assumed office, the Supreme Court's stay order on some of the decisions taken by the government, etc., it seems that this government has also started to lose its rhythm and has forgotten to keep up. Let's hope that the government fulfills its objective. Because if this is not done, we will go deeper into the dark tunnel.

The new government formed on Bhadra 27 decided to ‘make arrangements to abolish the Land Problem Resolution Commission’ in the name of organizational and structural reforms through the decision of the Council of Ministers held on Asoj 5. And on Asoj 23, it decided to abolish it. This government also adopted the attitude of previous governments that abolished it and reformed its structure. If you open the official website of the Land Problem Resolution Commission, you can see that so far, a total of eleven lakh fifty-two thousand eight hundred and seventy landless Dalits, landless squatters and unorganized settlement families have been collected. Such data collection work is done at the ward level, after verification by the ward, verification and verification by the municipality, only after the data entry work is completed, it can be entered into the online software of the commission. The sample form is so detailed that it takes more than half an hour to enter the details of three generations, land tenure details, and official certification details into the software. How many years did it take to fill out nearly 1.2 million forms?

On 30th Shrawan 2082, the commission had issued a 35-day notice asking for a final application if there is any pending work of the previous commissions, committees, and task forces and if the collection of data of landless Dalits, landless squatters, and unorganized settlers is left out. While that work was being finalized, this government also created a barrier. It was the duty of this government to guide the path of solution that was started by enacting the Land Act for the first time in 2021 BS to solve the existing land management problems in the country.

This government also axed the struggle and process being carried out by millions of people in the country to achieve the right to a minimum standard of living. The government should draw attention to the steps taken against its jurisdiction, objectives and 'mandate'. May such steps not be blocked by the Supreme Court again in the coming days. If the situation continues like this, neither will the elections be held within the time limit nor will the confusion and despair prevailing among the Nepali people, including the Gen-G generation, diminish.

To turn despair into power, shape it into a plan and transform it into knowledge, it is essential for our Gen-G generations to start studying national history, laws, statutes, procedures, justice, injustice and the extreme unrest, instability and overall life existing in society. It is essential for them to hear and see, understand and feel the stories of every corner of the country. What is seen and shown on social media is never the whole truth.

Have the representatives of the Gen-G generation who are warning the government today read the lives of those struggling in remote parts of the country? Does Gen-ji know the story of the extremely poor who have to live under the control of the financially wealthy 'big guys'? Have they seen the lives of those who have been forced to live as ploughmen, ploughmen, haliyas, kamaiyas, and kamaiyas under the landlords for generations and are still victims of the barbarity inflicted by the state? Have they understood the story of the community who were born, raised, and struggling in the state of Nepal, but have no home address, no basis for family security, employment, education, or health, and have been made stateless for years? When the voices of Gen-ji, representatives of those families, begin to resonate in our ears, and their lives become visible before our eyes, then only will the trumpet of real change be blown. If the ‘Gen-G’ leaders cannot build their own organization and cannot represent these communities, then the politics being done in the name of ‘Gen-G’ will be nothing more than ‘all those who come will be cut off’.

The path ahead

The Gen-G generation cannot have the mindset of being ruled by a ruler, deprived of the right to freedom, handing over the state to a wealthy family and accepting its slavery. Can that generation, which could not accept the decision to close down social media, accept the dictatorship of a single family? The sacrifice of the Nepali people and the sacrifice of the Gen-G generation are never meant to push the country back towards instability. The responsibility of protecting the existing constitution and structure has fallen on the shoulders of the Gen-G generation today. The kind of maneuvering that is being seen to bring the country to the situation of two decades ago, the way the voice of restoring the monarchy has been raised, is never the demand of today’s situation and time. The Gen-G generation cannot have the mindset of being ruled by a ruler, deprived of the right to freedom, handing over the state to a wealthy family and accepting its slavery. Can that generation, which could not accept the decision to close down social media, accept the dictatorship of a single family?

Therefore, the path ahead for Nepal is to form a government of political representatives with honest and clean image, who can formulate and enforce just policies and regulations under the existing constitution, prioritize the prosperity of the country and provide justice to the citizens, protect state property, and create an environment for elections. Therefore, the entire Nepali people must warn the current short-term government from the status quo. And most importantly, the Gen-G youth must properly identify their path. In the upcoming elections, they must either be able to show the existing major parties a blueprint and reflection of the kind of person they want to see standing in the state structure, or they must build the capacity to reach that position.