A study conducted in collaboration with Kantipur and the Sharecast Initiative has revealed the fundamental problems experienced by citizens and the agenda that the next government should prioritize.
What you should know
The parties and candidates seeking votes in the election are giving the impression that they alone have the 'magic wand' to solve all the problems of the citizens. From public speeches to conversations with voters, they are also making their victory a precondition for solving the problems.
In reality, there is no identification between the specific problems faced by citizens and the candidates' 'solution formula'. If there was, the candidates would have tried to make their commitments as objective as possible. The reason for this is that the parties and candidates have not been able to realize the specific issues of the citizens. A study conducted in collaboration with Kantipur and Sharecast Initiative has revealed the fundamental problems felt by the citizens and the agenda that the next government should prioritize. In this last week of seeking votes, if the parties and candidates can focus on those problems and make commitments to the people, this election will be truly people-centered.
The survey on 'Citizens' perceptions of contemporary social, economic and political issues in Nepal' was conducted by directly meeting and interviewing about 2,905 people from all over the country. 116 wards from 102 municipalities in 45 districts were selected for the survey. Of the citizens included in the study, 72.5 percent felt that there were problems. 5.6 percent responded that they did not know/did not want to say.
Similarly, 21.6 percent said that there is no problem. Similarly, 19.3 percent of those included in the study said that unemployment is the biggest problem for them. 17.8 percent said that economic hardship is the main problem. 12.3 percent said that the poor condition of roads, 9.3 percent said that health services, 8 percent said that drinking water, 3.1 percent said that irrigation, 3.1 percent said that education, and 2.6 percent said that agriculture is their main problem. These problems are not very unique, they are issues that everyone faces daily as a citizen. Therefore, the parties should be able to find and present solutions in a point-by-point manner.
Citizens are suffering from unemployment and economic hardship. Every year, 500,000 new labor force enters the labor market. Employment opportunities for them in the country are very few. As a result, their lives are facing financial difficulties. Therefore, foreign employment is an option for them. Statistics show that every year, an average of 300,000 youth go abroad to obtain new labor permits and 500,000-600,000 go abroad to continue their old jobs.
Employment creation is also linked to the economic development of the country. For economic development, it is linked to industrial development and self-employment opportunities. For this, many other level and sectoral components are also linked. Therefore, it is now clear that the main agenda of political parties should be economic development. The models of the parties may differ on how to achieve economic prosperity, but the parties should clarify what their model is.
The poor condition of the roads has also been considered a major problem by the citizens of remote areas. This is not only a problem related to easy travel, but is also indispensable for safe and fast travel. Even now, the lack of access to roads is becoming a major problem, the poor quality of the roads is another problem. Due to the lack of access to roads, news of remote areas not being able to receive timely treatment, pregnant women dying on the way to the hospital or giving birth to children has been made public. Statistics show that 168,000 road accidents have occurred in eight years, and more than 19,000 have died in them.
Similarly, health care has also become a major financial burden for the citizens. Last year, in the 'Gandaki Gantuwa' organized by Kantipur, the then Health Minister Pradeep Poudel presented the statistics that every year, 500,000 Nepalis fall below the poverty line because they have to spend 54 rupees on health for every 100 rupees earned. Similarly, food, irrigation, education and agriculture have also become issues of concern for citizens.
It is not that the parties and candidates have not touched on the issues that citizens have felt are problematic. These and other issues are mentioned in the manifesto in a point-by-point manner. However, the sensitivity towards them has been seen to be low. Because, the parties that had won the elections and reached the parliament before were not able to feel that the parties were serious about the concerns of the citizens. Therefore, the parties have been seen as weak in the graph of citizens' trust.
After all, the Constitution has also addressed many issues. However, the problems of the citizens have not been reduced due to the failure to implement the rights of the Constitution. The suffering of the citizens remains the same. Therefore, the need of the hour is for parties and candidates who are sensitive to the problems of the citizens, who can present objective grounds for solving the problems, who are familiar with the policies, laws and procedures, who can be committed to solving the problems, and who are constantly engaged. Parties and candidates who reach the doorsteps of the citizens should present themselves in the same way.
