There are decades when nothing happens; and then there are weeks where decades happen.
Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin is believed to have said this to encourage his supporters while in exile in Switzerland, just before the start of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.
In Nepal, too, events that would not happen in many decades occurred in just two days on September 8 and 9.
On September 8, the forceful intervention of the Gen Z generation, who took to the streets with clear demands against misgovernance and mismanagement and for good governance and the rule of law, will be etched in golden letters in Nepal's political history.
The state's brutal repression of unarmed students and youth on the same day will be recorded as a great stain on the democratic system.
And, those who attacked state property, the main center of governance, Singha Durbar, the Parliament building, the Supreme Court, and other offices across the country; raided private businesses; and attacked the homes of politicians, businesspeople, and many individuals on the pretext of the glorious Gen Z movement on September 9—have shaken the very fabric of Nepali state and society.
In due time, an impartial investigation of all these events will take place. For now, this is the time for all of us to look at the Nepal of tomorrow with hope and start laying the bricks for it.
The decisions we take in the next few days will not just affect the coming years but the coming decades as well. Therefore, it is time to take a moment to think and take decisions with a cool head.
This editorial is primarily for our Gen Z friends and is a request to everyone to discuss and decide with that same patience and thoughtfulness.
The interim government that will be formed based on the strength of the Gen Z movement must first reassure everyone about the protection of democracy, open society, civil rights, and the rule of law. At the same time, it must also reassure from the very beginning that the rights of every citizen who engages in business are secure and that the state will protect and encourage it. Both in word and deed.
Questions and doubts are now being raised about the protection of democracy and the Constitution issued by the democratically elected Constituent Assembly. In this editorial, we will write about how to proceed by protecting democracy and setting the right constitutional process.
Before that, let's talk about another extremely sensitive aspect that many might not have considered.
As a responsible media house, we have interacted with various segments of society. We have listened to their concerns. We have also listened to the concerns of businesspeople. The confidence of thousands of businesspeople who invest and operate businesses has suddenly plummeted to the ground. Their confidence was already dwindling yesterday. Businesspeople were becoming discouraged due to a society that curses them, a state (politicians and employees) that exploits them, policy instability, and doubts about whether businesspeople will get justice from the judiciary.
The biggest problem of our economy today is the billions of rupees piling up in banks. Banks have about Rs 911 billion available for investment. Businesspeople were not even willing to withdraw and invest that amount yesterday.
The way businesses and businesspeople were selectively attacked on September 9, the day after the Gen Z protest, the way they had to flee to save their lives, and the way they are still forced to hide in 'safe houses'—why would they be willing to take a bank loan and invest tomorrow? In what hope will they invest taking risk?
In today's world, there is no compulsion to do business only in Nepal. Any Nepali business house can operate a business from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, or any other corner of the world.
The second generation of many businesspeople we talked to were already working from abroad yesterday. They were not ready to return and invest in Nepal. Their question was, "Why should we come to such a volatile society that considers businesspeople to be 'villains'?" Those who did come back, some are regretting why they came at all. They are in a dilemma about why they should not just go back.
We must understand that today's world is different—one can do business from anywhere.
What message was sent to businesspeople by the attack on businesses and businesspeople on September 9?
Dear Gen Z friends,
Min Bahadur Gurung started with a one-room shop and, with his courage and hard work, has now opened superstores across the country. He has provided employment to thousands of people. He has provided the convenience of buying many goods under one roof. He has provided a platform for thousands of small businesspeople to sell their goods. He has sold goods at a cheaper price than many other shops.
Why have many of us gone to Bhatbhateni to buy things? Is it out of love for Gurung or because shopping is convenient and the goods are cheap?
If so, why were dozens of his stores across the country set on fire? Why were thousands of jobs taken away? Why were the goods of small businesspeople who had put their products there to be sold burned?
Gurung has invested hundreds of billions of rupees by taking loans from banks. He has grown his business. What does he do as his wealth grows? Does he eat and finish that money? Does he use it all up on clothes? Does he use it up by buying a good house or car?
He already has all those things. What does he do with that wealth then?
He invests that wealth again. He provides goods and services to people again. He creates jobs. He pays taxes to the state.
That's what all the business houses that were set on fire on September 9 do. They already have enough to eat and wear.
Gurung also has another side. He has invested Rs 500 million to build a building at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Maharajgunj.
Dr Bhagwan Koirala, a capable doctor in Nepal whom we all respect, is trying to build a non-profit children's hospital. He has gone through a lot of troubles to raise funds for that hospital. Do you know who has supported the campaign?
Min Bahadur Gurung.
He has already donated more than Rs 1 billion to ensure completion of the hospital being built in Kathmandu.
Dear Gen Z friends, in whose interest were these businesspeople attacked on September 9? Who carried out the attacks on important state structures to weaken and destabilize the country?
If these small and large businesspeople do not invest, our economy will reach a state of collapse tomorrow. The economy is always based on a very fluid balance. If the economy collapses, the state will have no money. The state will go bankrupt and the state will also collapse.
We have not an iota of doubt—your hands, which have risen to establish the rule of law in the country, to remove mismanagement and to establish order, did not do that.
We also believe that you will understand—giving confidence to businesspeople and saving the economy is a crucial task today.
We also want to draw the attention of Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah to this.
Shah is the only leader that the Gen Z has liked and wanted both yesterday and today. He was the one who supported the Gen Z movement most vocally yesterday. And the leadership that the Gen Z wants to see is also Balen's.
Therefore, leaders from all generations, all professions, and all new and old political parties must acknowledge without prejudice today—Balen Shah is the only deserving leader of the interim government to be formed on the foundation of this movement.
Shah is certainly not a god. He has many virtues and flaws. His honesty, energy, and the drive to do something are his biggest assets. He also has technical and now, to some extent, administrative knowledge and experience.
But Shah also has plenty of weaknesses. As the mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, he has done some good things. He has also done some things that he should not have. As a mayor, his ability, as well as his singular style and lack of human sensitivity, have been widely exposed.
Setopati has written extensively about his right and wrong actions. It has criticized him. We have always fulfilled our journalistic duty to question any leader in power, and we will continue to do so.
We still believe that Balen Shah should lead the interim government. He is the deserving person for it.
The name for the leadership of the interim government that Gen Z friends have put forward, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, also has our immense respect due to her honesty and courage. When political parties filed an impeachment motion to remove her from the position of chief justice, we strongly opposed it through an editorial.
Sushila Karki has always respected the Constitution and the law. We are confident that even in this difficult situation, she will guide the country through the current transition while respecting the Constitution and lead it to elections.
Now let's talk about the important process of appointing the head of the interim government.
To our Gen Z friends, Balen Shah, Sushila Karki, and the Nepal Army that is facilitating this transition, we have another request—it is necessary to adopt a constitutional and democratic path and a broad consensus on the issue of appointing the head of the interim government.
Let's not forget—the Parliament elected by the people, the head of state elected by the House, and the Constitution are still alive and active. A new interim prime minister should and can be appointed by relying on these important institutions and the Constitution.
As some political parties and leaders have said, it is still possible to appoint a person from within the House who has been chosen by the people as the prime minister.
But doing so would be an insult to the Gen Z movement and, especially, to the more than two dozen youths who have been martyred.
Therefore, if Gen Z chooses Sushila Karki or, if they change their mind tomorrow and put forward Balen Shah, an interim prime minister can be appointed in a constitutional manner in two ways.
There are two paths for this.
First, the House can amend the Constitution to allow a person who is a member of the National Assembly to become a prime minister for a single term. A member appointed by the President can be asked to resign, and a new member can be appointed. That person will then be elected as prime minister by the Parliament as per Article 76 (5) of the Constitution. The elected prime minister will then set the date for the election with everyone's consent and recommend the dissolution of House.
There is also another way.
There is currently a vacant constituency in Rupandehi, and an election is due on November 3. All the major parties in Parliament should not field a candidate and help Sushila Karki get elected to the House. After that, she can be elected as prime minister.
Balen Shah's demand is that the House should be dissolved first. However, House dissolution is neither the demand nor the mandate of this movement, and no one can dissolve House by force. His concern is that the House might not let the prime minister work, which is not illegitimate.
Therefore, before he or Karki becomes prime minister, let there be a discussion and agreement on this process among all the parliamentary parties, representatives of the Gen Z movement, and the president. According to that agreement, all parties should agree on a roadmap and sign it, stating that as soon as Karki or Shah is appointed as prime minister, the House will be dissolved.
We would also like to remind everyone—the military headquarters is not a place to discuss political solutions or to interview prime ministerial candidates. In the current volatile situation, let's not misinterpret the facilitation it has provided. But now, let's move this political dialogue to the President's Office, Shital Niwas even if half of it has been incinerated. Civilian rule is the first condition of democracy. This condition should not be violated now.
In this way, by respecting the Constitution and the democratic process, by electing the prime minister of the interim government, and by dissolving the House through a constitutional process, we can go to elections.
After that, the people are the gods—they will choose who governs. This is the beauty of our democratic system.
And, if that new House deems it necessary, it can change the Constitution, laws, or acts as it sees fit. But for now, no one is allowed to touch the Constitution by going outside of Parliament.
Once again, we urge you Balen Shah ji, the path is open for you become the interim prime minister with everyone's consent, reassure the country, lead it to elections, and then win the popular vote to become a democratically elected prime minister. This is the best solution for the country. So, please think with a cool head for once and accept this historic responsibility. Do not shy away from it.
If you decide to step back from this, and if Gen Z friends also say, "We have already made our recommendation, let's make Sushila Karki the interim prime minister," that's fine too.
Sushila Karki will also become prime minister through the same constitutional process.
The opinion written by the then chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha and justice Sushila Karki in the Constitutional Bench on March 28, 2016 in a writ petition against formation of the election government led by the then chief justice Khil Raj Regmi on March 14, 2013 is worth remembering here.
In their minority opinion, Karki and Shrestha had written, "Since such an act without a clear constitutional guarantee would be undesirable in the context of the implementation of the Interim Constitution and also in the context of the implementation of the constitutional system thereafter, a copy of this order is to be sent to the President and everyone else with instructions to ensure that such an act is not repeated under any circumstances and to be vigilant in that direction."
We are confident that Karki will surely honor the opinion she herself wrote.
If, by any chance, the army or someone else has the audacity to appoint a new prime minister by going outside the constitutional process, it will be a great misfortune for the country.
The resistance it will provoke and the confusion it will create cannot be handled by the economy and the country. Such an audacity carried out without proper planning in a few days will push the country back decades. The destruction that took place on September 9 has already pushed us back by at least a decade.
On the other hand, let there be no game of making any current House member the head of the interim government under any pretext. That would be a betrayal of the Gen Z movement. It would be a gross violation of the sacrifices made by Gen Z to lead the country toward a prosperous democracy, the rule of law, and good governance, and it will also face fierce resistance.
Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to pause, listen to others, and find a solution that is acceptable to all and is in line with the Constitution.
We want to warn again—our wrong decision today can ruin the country for decades. Let's not go down that path.
Even today, the situation can be managed. The country can be moved forward. It is possible for us to start moving toward that great aspiration today.
Dear Gen Z friends,
You have more enthusiasm and awareness than the previous generation. That's why you did not sit around merely complaining like the previous generation saying, "Democracy is not good, there is no good governance, corruption has increased, leaders are not good." You took to the streets and intervened without caring for your lives, just as the previous generation intervened to bring democracy and a republic without caring for their lives.
Where Nepali society has reached today is due to the sacrifice and awareness of many generations.
Your enthusiasm and awareness today are a great asset to make our democracy more prosperous and to make Nepal prosperous.
But, if you lose your awareness in your enthusiasm, democracy and the Constitution can be lost in the blink of an eye.
A mistake of one day or the whim of someone for one day will again ruin our coming decades.
We are confident that you are also aware and vigilant about this.
