The current age we are living is nothing like the past. It is the age of constant exposure and instant information, connection facilitated by the information revolution. The truth is that it is mostly misinformation revolution since the age we are living in is ruled by the “untruth.” Hasan Minhaj in his show Patriot Act rightly called it the “golden age of nonsense.” No matter what, the nonsense can also be used to reveal the truth if you know the trick. The Tiktok generation used the social media to do just that. Where else but in the U.S.?
At the moment, Nepal too is being shown the way by its small group of young blood. They had sense enough to know that RDT tests were not reliable, so PCR tests would have to be emphasized. The government did not know that or chose not to. Perhaps there was more commission in the RDT machines. The report has come out that the very first purchase made by the government through the Omni Group is being investigated. None of the PCR machines purchased works. High-level officials involved in that corruption are suspects.
The PCR machines sent from the Health Ministry to other hospitals and testing facilities are also found to be useless. This should raise a serious concern. These were the PCR kits purchased by the Nepal Army and sent to Birgunj, and Hetauda, along with three other districts-Banke, Chitwan and Koshi.
Another troubling news was the one about Nepal’s Communist leaders and the party being coached and taught in a virtual class by the Chinese Communist Party. Does that give you a break to ponder the legitimacy and the ability of Nepal’s rulers? If you remember correctly, it was the Chinese Ambassador who went and visited all the top Communist leaders when they were at the height of the party squabbles. Thus if such open collusion is going to be in display among foreign interest and Nepal’s ruling class, then where does that really leave Nepal to be its own independent nation?
Hence these issues must be in the minds of the new generation who have taken to the street in an innovative and peaceful way. They have rightly asked the government to show the details of the money spent on the COVID-19 failed efforts They should also expand their activism to ask other pertinent questions on the burning issues like the do or die scenario or MCC, citizenship, corruption in all areas and the arrogance of this government to openly mislead people.
If the TikTok, K-Pop, Snapchat and other social media can be used as a weapon to totally wreck the political prospect of the president of their country, Nepal’s youth are no less equipped to find innovative and effective means to foil the evil designs against this nation of Buddha, Janak and Sita. If Nepal’s Communist Party is a pawn of Chinese Communists and other parties have to run to Delhi for even small decisions, we must be well aware that these people are not going to be thinking about the welfare of Nepal. These sponsored rulers have made politics into big business, instead of the greatest means of service. The anger has spread across Nepal. Our youth can also foil them.
It is up to the youth to carefully mobilize and support the next leadership that has no ties to the old guards and have new ideas, new enthusiasm and a determination to make Nepal its own sovereign nation working for all Nepalis, not beholden to foreign masters.