Aristotle must have well understood human psychology when he stated that “man is by nature a political animal.” In the present day and time, one might naively assume that one can be untouched by politics merely because one is not associated with any political organization as such, but that is a wrong assumption. Everybody today is affected by politics whether it is on a regional level or the international level. One may attempt to stay away from it but cannot successfully evade it.

That is probably why expectations are always the highest from political leaders. We want our political leaders and parties to examples so others may emulate them and the society becomes better, progressive, and just. However what happens when the people and organizations we have trusted break our trust? Nepal’s present scenario provides several glaring examples.

The Nepali Congress, allegedly the most democratic party calls a nationwide strike because one of its cadres, in jail for murder, is killed in jail violence. Worse still they demand that the cadre be declared a martyr. They bring life to a total halt for a criminal killed in prison violence. If an allegedly democratic party has the audacity to violate peoples rights what can we expect from parties that ideologically believe in power coming from the barrel of the gun. It is clear that the Nepali Congress has still not learnt its lesson despite the fact that for most of the time since 1990 it has been in power.

The Maoists for that matter are today revising their own course. Pushpa Kamal Dahal has already declared that their armed revolt could not have been successful and that completing the peace process and the writing of the constitution is the only way forward. Albeit there are those within his own party that think that he is wrong. Vice Chairman Mohan Vaidya and other hardliners are already hinting of a break up.

Former president of the Maoist student organization Lekhnath Neupane last week said that this was not the way a communist party should function, that it was essential for the party to maintain an army. The heat is now on Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai to ensure that the hardliners be tamed or they loose control of the situation. What right did Prachanda have then, to declare a people’s war and kill thousands if he is now thinking that the revolt could not have been successful?

There is no political party in Nepal today that the people can truly trust. Every political party that has come in power has abused the people’s confidence in them. At the moment people have had enough of politics but there will come a time when the people’s patience will run out and the politicians will face the music then. It is time for a new people’s party to emerge. It is time for the youth to emerge and throw these old corrupt inefficient politicians out. If Nepal is to change we must change ourselves so we have better leaders.


http://www.parakhi.com/blogs/2011/12/26/repent-revise-reform