The state of Bureaucracy in Nepal

Situation:-         Kripaya Tebul mathi nabisi dinu hola” (Please do not sit on the table)-         “Hamro 4 crore ko beruji ke bhayo? , 4 crore ma nai chha ki 1 crore bhayo”-         “Sir, malai ta dherai nai pressure aayo, 15 jana ko sato 18-19 jana lai nai pathau nu parchha jasto chha…. 1-2 lakh ma mantralaya bata milai dinchhun” 

Perception: These are what I had to hear and see when I had to go to Singh Durbar for collecting certain information regarding “climate change and adaptation” for a workshop.   For a student who is studying “good governance” and how to better the situation in our country, these sights and sounds really shocked me as well as showed me the clear picture of reality. For me, who is, just stepping into the real world, every step is giving me shock literally. Things that were taught in good governance were fresh in my mind as we were preparing for our exam and luckily our teacher was also too good, young and vibrant really shaking us up with his assignments and reading materials. Corruption, the whole governance concept, effectiveness and efficiency, responsiveness etc… and all these things I could see inside the offices inside the Ministries of our country, the topmost administration of our country.  There were help desks in ministries.

We visited I guess 4-5 ministries unfortunately; there was no one at the help desk to help us, to help visitors. So we can imagine how effective and efficient our service is. Luckily one ministry, Ministry of Health had.  As there are many ministries and offices inside the Singh durbar, for someone who is visiting a ministry, it was so pathetic to see the map that was there with numbers and showing the buildings as to which building was which. It was not comprehensible and for someone for example me who is weak at directions, how would they read that map. And for uneducated, it is absolutely of no use. There was no direction on the way. So we had to keep asking people on the way. 

The most surprising and the most shocking thing there was what I saw at the entrance of one of the ministries. “Kripaya Tebul mathi nabisi dinu hola” (please do not sit on top of the table). After reading this, I was like what is this written. May be I misunderstood it or something and told my friend also to read that and even he was shocked to read that. How can an office as big as ministry can have request like that. That is something which everyone should understand and if we need to tell people not to sit on the table, we can imagine what kind of people are there in our country who would sit on the table that is also in a ministry. If the halat of our ministries is like this, what can be expected from our state, the sole authority responsible for all the citizens?? How can people here be well off when there are so many (literally so so so many) flaws in the government??? 

We were talking to one of the officials in a ministry, he asked another person about “beruji”, (similar to embezzlement). He said, “Hamro 4 crore ko beruji ke bhayo? , 4 crore ma nai chha ki 1 crore bhayo” He was saying that candidly giving me an impression these kind of activities were too common there. Then he called someone probably his boss saying, “Sir, malai ta dherai nai pressure aayo, 15 jana ko sato 18-19 jana lai nai pathau nu parchha jasto chha…. 1-2 lakh ma mantralayas bata milai dinchhun” Sometime I feel sorry for some people who are working inside the mantralayas. A few may be genuine but the pressure from relatives, from those above and from public is so great that they are bound to do some kind of “dhadali” and they are caught up so badly that it is too difficult to get out of this trap. And this gives rise to corruption embedding it more instead of eradicating it. 

Then we took an opportunity to visit a NVC. Most people might not even be aware of this centre. It is National Vigilance Centre which was formed in 2002 under Prime Minister GP Koirala under the Corruption control act 2002 to oversee the corrupt objectives. Objectives and functions of NVC are as follows extracted from its official website.Objective The main objective of NVC is to effectively control corruption-related activities and raise people’s awareness against corruption. Functions, Duties and PowersThe NVC is entrusted with the following functions, duties and powers:

(a)	To collect information on whether or not the functions of Ministries, Departments and Public Institutions of the government are properly conducted and to alert them if not;
(b)	To monitor statements of property and income declared by persons assuming public office;
(c)	To conduct surveillance, surprise audits and inspections in corruption prone places or works;
(d)	To make recommendations to Government with regard to policies, strategies and law reforms for corruption control;
(e)	To ask Ministries, Departments and other Public Institutions to put up a complaint box to deal with public grievances and advise or direct them on matters related to corruption prevention;
(f)	To collect and update information from bodies or authorities empowered to investigate corruption and to share corruption related information with them;
(g)	To conduct or cause to be conducted other incidental functions with regard to corruption control;
(h)	To conduct technical audits of infrastructure projects; and
(i)	To conduct or cause to be conducted other functions prescribed by His Majesty’s Government.

 We recently had presentation about NVC in the class so wanted to see the centre out of our curiosity. There were hardly three people in the office. It was too small. One was working in the computer. We asked for the booklet of NVC but one official, who was just sitting maybe helping one working in the computer with something, told us that there is a very limited copy and he would provide us with only one. But later what came in his mind that he gave us two. When we asked about the latest activities that NVC is doing, he was telling us generally what NVC’s functions were. They were so relaxed and so laid back. They said that information about NVC was there in the website but if you visit NVC’s website it is not even updated.

By the way how would they even update it and how would he even answer our question when they have done nothing?  The office vested with so much of power is so powerless in the sense that they were not using power. This office is supposed to be the most powerful and the most active ironically in our country it is not and is the most relaxed office.  

Corruption is so rife in our country. Every one knows about this and it is usually the public institutions, government offices that this is like so acceptable act that nobody wants to go against corrupt people. NVC which has so been vested with so much of power that it could go against any official but it simply doesn’t care to do so. It is all because of nepotism, natawad, kripawad that is too ubiquitous in our country, and people here are too passive and think about themselves only.  

The problem in our ministry is not the system or anything I think. Until or unless there are genuine people and until and unless there is a change in people’s attitudes, nothing’s going to work here. Whether there be democracy, or so called loktantra or whatever, nothing is going to change for better if people are not conscious, if the government officials are not honest, genuine and seriously think about our country and people. Places like ministries need active, vibrant and dedicated people who possess the value of integrity. There has to be a fair competition and fair selection of officials.

When corruption is in full circle, it is a herculean task to better the situations here. After visiting ministries I felt so miserable that our ministries and people’s attitudes are like this.   If we really need to build NEW NEPAL, then one or two honest people cannot do anything. That is 100% sure. First and foremost, the officials in whole ministries have to be changed. The setting is so frustrating that even people who have integrity will become like that if they do not get support. There should be entry of whole new generation of people with high energy level who can work with dedication and who possess the value of integrity.

Only then new
Nepal is possible otherwise only thing that can happen in this country is corruption and more violence and more injustice until the country gets collapsed.   So we have advocate for new leaders, young dedicated leaders. We may not know many of young leaders at present but let’s support the youth leaders in colleges and campuses and let’s start a campaign. Let’s do it. Only we youth can do it. The need of the hour is that of youthful people who are not “ekohore” and not talking BIG but the simple dedicated people who have patience and have that zeal to do something.  

We might be thinking that Prachanda and his gang will walk the walk but analysing the situations in the country it seems that these Maos are also only for the seats in the parliament.  After all, everyone’s got the vested interest. So until and unless there is a transformation at the individual level, nothing’s going to change. No matter, how many times people fight for loktantra or gana tantra or any tantra or no tantra, situations will remain the same. Only thing that will happen is like there will be more hatred, more intolerance and more riots and more disintegration. So it is time that we raise and rise and work collectively.

Regards, Radiance

Happy New year 2007

Wow!!! 2006 What a year!!!! Its been soooo awesome and I don’t know where to start. To recap in jus a few words is impossible, but I will make an effort to do so.

So what made 2006 such a awesome year? Everything….every single awesome thing. From the miniature moments of happiness to the tears to hellos and goodbyes. It was the fights and the misunderstandings, it was the jokes and the laughter, it was the coffee and the noodles.

It was the college life:
It was the sharing the salary booty with loved ones. It was the “I am so broke man” of student life. It was ‘’zero balance’’ for 11 out of 12 months of the year. It was the transfer of and request of (well more or less the demanding of) NTC phone recharge from friends who were equally broke. It was walking home with jelly feet coz you hadn’t eaten the whole day. It was walking home coz you were too broke to climb the cheapest available transport and the only thing you wanted to do was cry, isn’t it MizBold? And yet we shared our booty and our phone recharge. And we swapped pennies. And we shared lunches and complained and lived on.

It was the flippin words: yeah that’s right. The development of sinister vocabulary that was as close to code tongue as we could get. There was the ‘’flippin’’, ‘’floppin’’ and what was it ‘’fluppin’’? There was the ‘’arse olds’’. There was the ‘’vulgarian’’ and ‘’vulgaria’’. There was the “meet” and the ‘’productivity’’. And lots more.

There was the list drawn up as to what exactly we will be (as per our teachers from first year till today): We will be “development walas”, and Community development workers, development advisors, development practitioners, development economist, conservationists, human resource managers, peace builders, leaders, professional mediators, professional negotiators, social workers…..and you name it, we’ll be it!!

There was the “I wanna hug you” and the “I wanna kick you”, the intellectual talks and the side talks. There was the rolling of eyeballs and the rolling on of long loooong boring classes.

But most importantly there was the laughter and there was the love. The growth of friendships and self discovery. We saw ourselves in each other and we discovered new persons in people we’ve known for months. We’ve discovered new potential in ourselves and supported the potential in each other. We’ve competed and let others win. We’ve understood.

It must have been the love:
The defense and offence of protective love. The unconditional love, the newly found love. The love for strangers. The love for family and friends. The merger and the diffusion of love. The sharing and the retaining of love. The protection and the letting go of love. The love to need, and the need to love. The selfless love and the selfish love. The love the one found within oneself and the love for oneself one found in others. The love to keep to oneself, and the love to let free. Thank you for the love.

It must have been the tears:
Motherly tears, paternal tears. Tears of anxiety. Tears of strength. Tears of utter hurt and dire possibility of letting go. Tears of leaving and being left behind. Tears of inspiration. Tears of tiredness and stress. Tears of losing oneself in the process of living life.

It must have been the inspiration:
The “Yeah man I’m gonna do that too”. The “Lets do it!!” and the “Garnayneee!” The transitional justice class, the talk of a youth parliament, the possibility of improving lives of people one has never met, the human rights tosh and the post conflict rebuilding chitchat. The youth social forums and the power packed good governance hand outs.

It was the fusion:
It was all of the above in its individual retrospect and in the mosaic of intertwining the functioning’s of each other. The sadness and the happiness hand in hand that made this year so splendid for many of us. And it is our hope that the next year that shall arrive to override this one and make us older wiser humans shall be all of the goodness and strength of this year’s and more.

 

I hope that it will make someone of all of us. I know wishing for world peace has become stale….but here’s wishing each of our contribution in making space for the betterment of a life, ours or others a more easier one to live through.

Here’s wishing that you smile and laugh manifold and that every tear you cry make you stronger and may it be worth it.

Here’s wishing you manifold happiness and incase sorrow passes your way, believe that it’s a blessing in disguise. Because everything has a reason, and that reason will make you more sensible.

Here’s wishing you confusion that shall help you find answers to life’s questions. And hurt that shall help you heal. And happiness that shall let you share. And hugs that will melt your pains. Here’s wishing you strength. And best of all love that shall come your way infinitely that shall let you give infinitely.

Most of all here’s wishing you the BEST YEAR YET!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007!!

WITH LOVE

HAYAH