Almost every conversation I have seems to ultimately lead to talk of the government. “It’s the government’s fault.” “The government is corrupt.” “If they would actually work for the people.” Blah blah blah… we’ve all heard it time and time again.

So, before you point fingers and raise your voice, let me say this: I am not defending the government.  I absolutely agree that our government isn’t fulfilling its duties. I too, am a citizen who would like to be taken care of the state that I pay taxes to. And just like every other Nepali, I dream of a day when Nepal has a functional and orderly structure with high morals and a constitution that really is for the people.

So those in Nepali politics aren’t good leaders. This isn’t news to any of us, but what we fail to look at is the other half: being good followers. You could be the best leader in the world and it would amount to nothing if you didn’t have people who could work well with you and under you.

There is a lot of blame that the government should humbly bow their head to, but there is a lot that we citizens are to blame for that we’re not taking into account.

Here are a couple of examples:

1)   Dirty roads: News flash – politicians aren’t dumping garbage in front of your house.

You are! There’s no point in having a cleaned and swept house where you take the filth and dump in on the road that you share with the community. What happened to being a good neighbor? Public places stink just as bad for you as it does everyone who passes by.

2)   Traffic jams: Everyone on a bike isn’t a politician!

This may be a shock, but the asswipes who swoop in front of you and make a tight traffic situation even tighter are probably your nephews, cousins, brothers (and yes, nieces and sisters on scooties). It’s not the government’s fault if the roads of Kathmandu are filled with people who are in a greater rush than everyone else that lives here.

3)   The lung cancer you’ll get from not smoking

Ever feel like your organs are dying because of the pollution? That would be all the people in the over crowded city using their cars that don’t adhere to the emission standards that are set.

So what’s my point? The government is only as good as the people it governs. Us Nepalis have to do our part too. And if we take responsibility then maybe the government will too – it’s worth a shot.

Saani has no real goals and aspirations but she sees opportunity in everything and goes with the flow. This is probably because she loves exploring and discovering. She writes for fun but for the same reason she also cooks, reads, and spends a lot of time on random websites that offer a chance to learn all sorts of tid-bits on life.

www.parakhi.com/blogs