Stupidimundos Homosapius

By  Deepak Raj Joshi

May 26, 2021, 7:50 p.m.

Charles Bukowski once said, “The problem with the world is that smart people are full of doubts, while stupid people are full of certainties.” Research indicates that each generation has a lower IQ level than the previous one. The reasons are many and varied. Our society is getting dumber by leaps and bounds. Everyone has a degree but intelligence is declining. However, we live in the age of intelligence, where stupidity is the worst taboo.

Common sense is not so common anymore. The so-called ‘Smart’ people trust themselves too much and they think that they are always right. In order to prove they are right, they put too much pressure on people, and the most serious problem is, that they lack emotional intelligence. Everyone believes society can be good without morals in terms of economic benefits. Politics, economics, and public administration are not more important to them than moral education. Everyone talks about compassion, values, good conduct, morals, and ethics but no own practice. The height of stupidity, applauded by the same masses, who today cry for the victims of political ignorance.

Governments get rich at the expense of the ignorance of the people. Moreover, politicians have abandoned rational discourse and analytical thinking and have decided to address voters with elementary messages. Furthermore, we are living in a time where anything that does not appear on TV and social media does not exist. Media is controlling how we think and perceive things. In addition, technology doesn’t make us dumber, it just helps us show it off. Leaders are fighting like a gangster on national television while discussing the national issue. The blame game has become the new norm, and leaders seem to be rewarded based on hate speech. We live in a social media bubble where it is difficult to find out whether we are protesting or just posturing for social media. Media makes a mockery of democracy and our leaders but they enjoy it as if they are a celebrity what social media is doing to make stupid people famous!

It is so sad that the sun sets in Nepal during the day. Most people are afflicted by ambition, and it is hard to find people afflicted by loyalty. We are all bound by the limitation of society. Wherever I look, I can’t see anything but corpses. The corpse of life, values, and relationships. We are a society full of dumb people with smart phones and degree holders without direction.

What kind of democracy are we relying on? The elected person whom we have sent for 5 years to raise the very problem we are facing is not allowed to speak for more than 3 minutes. Sad enough, most of those elected members do not have a clue what to say in that 3 minutes time. There is no better business than politics. We are in a system where people with mental and physical imbalance become health ministers. A criminal becomes the Home Minister, and a person with fake certificates becomes the Minister of Education.

We have teachers who can’t teach, students who don’t study, advisors who don’t advise, actors without acting skills, producers who don’t produce anything good, singers who don’t know a thing about melody, a doctor without direction, bureaucracy without borders, a policy without politics, and politics without true politicians. In the crowd of grimy faces, power is still cheap and clean for the few so-called elites. Truth and Dharma are being destroyed in our society. Evil grows stronger day by day. The government is drunk with arrogance and ready to crush the social order. Our political and constitutional mayhem is not stopping any time soon. One can say, this country is run by absurd people with insane reason and scientists came up with the word. It is called Stupidimundos Homosapius. If you think you are surrounded by Stupidimundos Homosapius, don’t worry, they think the same for you.

originally published at spotlight Nepal

Sociocracy, Time To Reinvent Democracy eepak Raj Joshi 

Our political system, Democracy, starts from the same approach: the majority imposes its decisions on minorities who, little by little, are becoming disenchanted and moving away from democratic ways and channels

Feb. 23, 2021, 9:51 a.m.

 

Sociocracy, in which society as a whole has sovereign rights.(Webster’s Dictionary) . Its purpose is to solve the fundamental problems that the democratic system currently presents, creating spaces of security and trust in which all people feel involved in the decisions that are adopted.

This form of governance was developed by a Dutch teacher (Kees Boeke), then elaborated in detail by Gerard Endenburg. The term was first formulated by Auguste Comte (1798-1857) to designate a form of government where power would belong to Society (people who share values and interests), as opposed to democracy (mass of the population having only a few values in common).

Sociocracy is life beyond democracy. Our political system, Democracy, starts from the same approach: the majority imposes its decisions on minorities who, little by little, are becoming disenchanted and moving away from democratic ways and channels. Sociocracy involves the involvement of all the people who have participated in a decision; all decisions and agreements in Sociocracy are subject to a review in a certain period of time.

Sociocracy is based on four important principles: A resolution can only be passed if no further objection is raised against it. Circular structures replace line hierarchies. Circles are linked twice and Functions and tasks are divided up in open discussions according to the no-objection principle.

The way things are going in Nepal, it looks like democracy is slowly dying. Many experts are observing that representative democracy, which has constituted extraordinary progress and slowly running out of steam. The growing difficulties of representative democracy are manifold: the increasing complexity of the issues while the problems are treated separately in a non-systemic way; the lack of transparency in decision-making by elected officials; the difficulty of making the interests of elected officials coincide with the interests of voters, the former seeking above all to be re-elected, which encourages them to adopt a short-term vision rather than dealing with problems, etc.

Sociocracy is a democratic and efficient way of governing: decisions are made through consultation with all concerned (horizontal governance) and implementation works quickly and efficiently through the vertical organization.

At the level of a municipality, a region, or even a local level, it seems challenging to consult all citizens. The election without a candidate could be a way of democratically appointing competent leaders for the set mission, having the confidence of all, and assuming a responsibility that is not linked to a quest for power.

Sociocracy is beautiful because of the way it works. Every decision is reached when there are no more objections. Decision structures are parallel to the functional hierarchy. It connects the circles of different levels to each other by a member of both and there is an election without candidates (nomination by discussion then consent, without prior candidates and objective criteria, range of choice not limited by a fixed number of candidates, no losers).

Sociocracy allows everyone to participate; it can be implemented in all types of structures and with people of all ages and cultural levels. With this type of transparent government that respects the individual, people take responsibility and feel motivated to participate and collaborate; this helps to strengthen the social fabric or even recreate it where necessary. This will help to flow information from top to bottom and from the bottom to top to satisfy citizens and society.

Sociocracy helps strengthen the connection between politics and policy and the perception of residents and prevents unilateral interests such as local government processes, budgets or local rulers from being decisive in advance when it comes to decision-making. Sociocracy provides a holistic collection of principle-based collaboration patterns that enable complex problem-solving approaches through gradual change.

The Democracy we are practicing now has a decisive disadvantage, which is particularly serious in small communities: minorities can always be outvoted and in most cases find little or no hearing of their views. Sociocracy offers several approaches to counter this problem. It is based on basic principles that make it possible to take everyone involved with you. The main aim of the sociocracy is the Inclusion of everyone involved in decision-making with Transparency.

Reshaping society in the direction of a desired image of the future should be the common vision of a political organization. Freedom of expression is being severely restricted, television is salting government propaganda, freedom of assembly is being restricted, opposition activities are being restricted, and the independence of the judiciary is being destroyed. A party with money and power always takes over the society whenever elections happen and citizens only receive the information that the government wants them to receive to vote accordingly.

Democracy is ruled by ‘demos’ the general mass of people without connection. Sociocracy is ruled by ‘Socios’ people with social relations. The state as a social relation is what people are looking for. I don’t think our generation will get a chance to see such a system, but I am optimistic that sociocracy will be the type of government Generation Alpha will enjoy.

Dynastic Politics Undermines Democracy

Deepak Raj Joshi

 

When opportunity is given to children or members of a powerful political family, it is generally referred to as political dynasty. Many of such family are involved in politics and hold important public offices. Political dynasties hold hereditary powers that are carried out through family groups. Power is passed down to the heirs of family so as to maintain status quo. Families whose members are involved in election-based politics, political family members are bound through inheritance or marriage.
Dynastic politics is not limited to Nepal but is spread all over the world. The extent to which the dynasty has penetrated into Nepal’s politics is now visible in almost all parties. In modern times, politics has taken the form of business. Even though the children of political families are not familiar with the alphabet of politics, they consider party tickets and positions as their right. Dynasty is not bad if the qualified family members come to politics but it is surprising when the public wants to see the same unworthy descendants wearing the crown, despite having doubts about the qualifications of the successor. Every time innocent people fall prey to false slogans of political parties run by political family and then they are forced to live at the mercy of dynastic leaders.

Impact
The impact of the dynasty is less in communist and other parties compared to the Nepali Congress (NC). But whoever has it, political parties are run as family property. As a result, it is difficult for qualified and talented people to enter politics. Due to this, the value- and issue-based politics takes a back seat, with personality cult filling the void. Divergent factors such as caste, religion, and language makes a foray into politics. In addition, it also deepens the problem of political corruption which weakens democracy.
Dynastic politics has dominated our nation from the beginning. There is virtually no inner party democracy within the NC. Only the Koirala family used to run it and take every decision. It is Nepal’s Gandhi’s family in politics. It is no wonder that Girija Koirala and the Nepali Congress Working Committee were unwilling to groom a leader outside the Koirala family. Dynastic politics poses a threat to democracy as it gives rise to oligarchy, nepotism and mediocrity. The leadership of dynasty politics has no penchant for meritocracy. Thus, it gives birth to corruption and bad governance, leading to the country on the path of instability.
Political parties have a role in building political dynasties. Today’s political parties have a tendency to include party cadres possessing resources and money. But those with ability and integrity are ignored. On average, political dynasties rely on big money. We have to draft a bill to discourage political nepotism and flawed practice that help elect members of the same family to parliament. If such a bill gets endorsed by the parliament, many lawmakers are likely to face the question of qualification.
Political dynasties are a clear manifestation of the absence of democracy in the country that controls the economy and politics. This makes the concept of the political party in the country because families themselves serve as solid machinery to win the election again. It also shrinks space in participation to the substance as the position is just revolving around them instead of others having the opportunity to serve the nation. Nepal is a democratic country but unfortunately it has been tainted by pervasive nepotism. The people should be able to participate in the government, but dynastic politics becomes a serious disease that makes the competent candidates lose the elections. Political dynasty always seeks to grasp power at all cost, even by dumping ethical norms and values.
The biggest weakness of family politics is that it prevents the emergence of second-generation leadership. As the leader, the next generation of political leaders serve the leadership and create family heirs. Thus, heirs or leaderships are appointed at all levels of the party. In the absence of volunteers or people-centric leaders, the family-run political parties have faced wrath from the people. NC and democracy will only survive if the party breaks the clutches of family politics.
Most people are asked what the real problem of Nepal is. They get different answers. Some people call corruption as root cause of underdevelopment. While some people say unemployment, poverty, feudalism, and capitalism are the biggest problems. But in my view, the true problem of our country is unqualified political leaders who get the chance to run the country based on a family connection.

BP’s legacy
Power is in the genes. Political dynasties aren’t always bad. I do not think there is anything wrong with members of prominent political families wanting to serve the country as long as they are on the right track. The surname ‘Koirala’ will be a burden for leaders like Shekhar, Shashank and Sujata, who hail from Koirala family, if they do not fulfil the people’s expectations. New members of Koirala family have to get rid of the complication generated by their illustrious family. They must rise above the politics of fear and hate. BP Koriala’s legacy is both a glory and challenge to them. Expectations make us feel not only better but also sad when they are not met. Therefore, young Koiralas have to find the better way to win the people’s heart and fulfil the dream of BP.

(A telecommunication engineer, Joshi is the managing director New Millennium College) 

Published The Rising Nepal

    30 Nov, 2020

 

Collapsed Society

By Deepak Raj Joshi 

In recent years, the danger of our country collapsing is a matter of concern to many people. You feel that things are out of control and that the world could be about to face an insurmountable crisis. Headlines on natural disasters,pandemic, political instability, the gap between poor and rich and social injustice are the signs of the end of time and end of civilization.

Everything points to the fact that we are in the throes of a collapsing modern society. Due to the enormous growth of the world population and the formulation of the world economy, humanity and the natural environment have evolved towards a socio-ecological system that threatens the planet. As a result, financial crisis and natural disasters are some of the emerging destabilizing evils. Institutions are insufficient to cope with changes, so small-scale organization and the collaboration between small groups, independent of general policy, could be a solution.

We can think of two things: we are going through a genetic determinism to self-destruction as a species and these are some symptoms of the catastrophe, which are already sounding. We possess the famous “free will” in which case there is some form, using intelligence and creative thinking, governed and independent to redirect the aforementioned process and correct it. Now, if this is the latter, why don’t we do it all?

Humans and the natural world are on the way to collision. Human activities do much harm, often irreversible, on the environment and on critical natural resource sources. If not checked, many of our current practices are put at serious risk. The future that we wish for human society, the planet and the animal kingdom, may alter the living world so that we are unable to sustain life in the way we know how.

In short, we all live in structures of inequality consubstantial to our civilization simply because they define it. Inequalities in the global scale go from hurtful gender inequality, economic (and political and social) inequality and last but not the least, inequality with nature.

These inequalities mean that, from an emotional and philosophical point of view, the end of our civilization was already foreseen by sensitive artists and philosophers more than a century ago. For a relatively short time (four or five decades) – how long it has taken! – scientific reason joins them with the only advantage of the certainty given by numbers. Well, when one is mentally in the inevitability of the collapse one asks: now what?

I conclude with the solution to which I referred at the beginning.
We must create a single global government, not in the sense of ending the cultures of each region of the planet, which are very respectable and should continue to exist, but in the sense of ending once and for all with the miseries it suffers. The human race face challenges like wars, hunger, illiteracy, diseases, pollution, etc. In this government, all sectors of society should be represented, namely: scientists, economists, religion, politicians, artists, etc. I know this idea may seem more like anutopian society, but it was also utopia to go to the moon or send voyager probes beyond the solar system, and it has been achieved. I firmly believe that if we do not regroup in a global government, we are bound to fail and degenerate, and the entire evolution of 13,700 million years, will have been useless.

We have evolved into a false wealth, based on numbers but that is inflated and has not been backed up properly. We are entering an economic, financial and especially, moral crisis and are not clear what the real priorities are. We tend to give an exaggerated relevance to luxuries, hollow and superficial vanities, and for this, we borrow at whatever costbut then, it is time to question ourselves- for what?

In this century where technology is supposed to bring people closer. We see loneliness at its extreme, crazy people, delinquent children, drug addicts or alcoholics, without parents, worried about them, without communication with their elders, couples prefer to be infidel to talk about problems, prefer divorce than strive to save something as beautiful as a marriage, parents with no time for their children, children raised by television and the internet. As a society, it seems like we are reaching rock bottom. People are interdependent, requiring care that responds to their vulnerabilities (hygiene, food, emotional support, upbringing).

Growth in the capitalist economy can be explained by the increase in human labor, the exploitation of resources and / or productivity.Downfall starts , When justice becomes expensive in a society and the society crosses all the boundaries of mental backwardness.

we do not have the courage to say wrong to wrong and to support the truth, then the journey of our downfall also accelerates.The road to collapse seems inescapable if we do not act now.The collapse is already happening, although we are not very aware of it.

Monarchy Or Republic?

 

The King has no ambition to interfere in political life beyond his mandate or to increase these powers. The King does not have the mercy to lead a party or any civil movement that looks like a party

June 7, 2019, 12:58 p.m. Published in Magazine Issue: VOL 12 No.20, Jun 07 –27 June, 2019 (Jestha 24, 207/074-756) Online Register Number: DOI 584

Nepal could soon become the first country in the world to abandon the republic as a form of the state within democratic normalcy and restore the monarchy. Isn’t this a very unusual hypothesis-a dilemma that has its origins since ancient times? During their long history, both the monarchy and the republic had different meanings. The Republic is a form of government that has appeared in history both in autocratic and in democratic regimes, while the monarchy has for centuries been largely part of the autocratic regime, changing its various forms, ranging from a slave, absolutist state to modern, hybrids and constitutional parliamentary monarchy.

The way things are moving, Parliamentary monarchy is a better political solution than a republic for Nepal. The restoration of the Monarchy is getting closer in Nepal. We need to wake up from the general lethargy that had been around for the last 22 years with a different political experiment which gave nothing to my very nation.

Our irritated society with an agitated system can hardly produce anything anymore. Successful nation-building should incorporate basic principles like good partners, process, Problem-solving, Purpose, People. The nation building is about people. Power, Greed, and the Love of Money do not move history. People move history. We are practicing social Darwinism, not democracy in Nepal. I can go on and on as I need someone as a guarantor of national unity.

I was raised as a democratic person. I am a Democrat, and I confess that I am absolutely ready to return to the constitutional monarchy. Can we have a referendum on the monarchy? We can’t always make the right decision, but we can make every decision right. 
We have to do it now before it gets too late. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the modern constitutional monarchy which is part of a constitutional system based on a parliamentary form of government in which the monarch has only a ceremonial role. So the monarchy cannot clean up the political class, because the parliamentary system will inherently keep all the elements of democracy. The most important aspect of freedom and democracy are identity and dignity. The day we abolished the king, we lost our identity and dignity, and since then, we have not been able to practice true democracy with freedom. Do I really need such a system? A system that consists in mandating a party cadet who will have to obey the orders of international institutions that do not obey any democracy? Who will try to pass his reforms to an assembly of corrupt representatives?

Every citizen has the duty. We must all be aware of our history and the behavior of our policies, the quality of our vote, the system and therefore, our quality of life. Let’s not choose anything blindly. What we have is not a democracy. It’s a lottery. We are not treated as citizens. The problem of the republic is that an aristocratic fate of real parasites, parvenus, took control. Republican Nepal, which is not really a republic but plutocracy held by an oligarchy without nobility, is an occupied country.

The King has no ambition to interfere in political life beyond his mandate or to increase these powers. The King does not have the mercy to lead a party or any civil movement that looks like a party. Arguments never cease to stop in our country. The Nepalese still need to realize that a republic would cost the taxpayer more than a royal family. The republic is not politically and morally defensible for us. In reality, a Republic would be cheaper than a Monarchy, but this is not happening to our country. Based on the data from the last 10 years, the government has spent 10 Arab but in 250 years, only 9 Crore. Thus, we can say that Monarchy cost us less than the president! This issue has made Money saving one of the main arguments against the restoration of the monarchy. The fact is that the elected president is spending as much as the king or more than him. However, the issue is not only that. What many don’t know is that after every four years, the president gets a lifelong retirement so we practically will have several presidents at the same time, while in the case of the monarchy there is just one ruler, just one king.

Let us talk about the cost of the election. Every four years, the president is elected. It is simple mathematics that if a direct election takes place, the institution of the king would cost taxpayers less than the institution of the president. Hence, I believe now that a king would give a better image of my nation than a president. The monarchy seems to me as an antidote to Nepal. The Monarchy represents the plurality of identity and the constant renewal within continuity. Monarchy might not be a perfect system, but it is the best for a country like Nepal. The way things are moving, it has been proven that the monarchy in Nepal was more democratic than a republic!

Kleptocracy

Kleptocracy comes from the Greek words, “kleptes” (meaning ‘thieves’) and “kratos” (meaning ‘strength’). Thus, a kleptocratic government is a group of political body where officials are politically corrupt and financially self-interested.

By :Deepak Raj Joshi

March 4, 2019, 1:42 p.m. Published in Magazine Issue: VOL 12 No.14, March 01, 2019 (Falgun. 17 2075) Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75

The personal responsibility of politicians for their actions is closely related to the notion of political responsibility, but at the same time, these two forms of responsibility must be distinguished from one another. In other words, understanding the notion of political responsibility is closely related to how society generally understands politics. Unlike other forms of government such as democracy, monarchy or dictatorship, Kleptocracy is not an official form of government. The sole purpose of a kleptocratic government is to first and foremost exercise power based on the individual enrichment of its members.

Kleptocracy comes from the Greek words, “kleptes” (meaning ‘thieves’) and “kratos” (meaning ‘strength’). Thus, a kleptocratic government is a group of political body where officials are politically corrupt and financially self-interested.

Historically, it was found as a system in ancient Greece, but in society, the system of “governance by thieves” is more perfect due to the nature of states and leaders. Kleptocrats usually refer to public money as if it were their personal bank account, spending money where they consider it necessary. Many kleptocrats also covertly transfer budget money to classified bank accounts in foreign countries, so as to ensure a luxurious existence in case of their removal from power, or, if necessary, escape from the country.

The Party in power actually forms a system of organized theft. In order to survive and advance, it is forced to pretend to defend certain “values”, while its main task is to provide financial support to those who support it.

Kleptocracy describes the situation in a country where the corruption of the highest political institutions has been brought to a level when the government exists only for the personal gain of the individual and parties that make it, at the expense of the wider population and often out in the open.

Kleptocracy is characterized by corruption, lobbyist, money laundering, and neglect of long-term goals. In states where kleptocracy rules, the authorities have public property as their private property, and they either spend money on their own luxury or transfer them to accounts of foreign countries, thus providing themselves with a comfortable life in exile in case of loss of power.

The kleptocratic practice occurs in various forms, such as setting up companies that are sold to the government or members of his family, extorting money from business people for “humanitarian actions”, the ruling party embezzling money from state funds and turning foreign investments to their advantage. The consequences of such a regime cause the weakening of the state economy, state policy and civil rights. The money that kleptocrats steal is often taken from funds laid aside for the construction of public needs, such as hospitals, schools, roads, parks – which additionally enhances the quality of life in the country that is managed by kleptocrats. Kleptocracy disregards the multiparty authority due to the association of political elites, and thus
undermines both democracy and any other political format under which the state is.

For over twenty years, they have been trying to convince us that they were building democracy. We are still convinced that they are only interested in material values. We are economical at the bottom – among the poorest countries of the world. Modern Nepalese government has many names- pseudo-democrats, traitors, elitists and one of the main names of the Nepalese government is…..kleptocrats. Systematic theft leads to the fact that officials and entrepreneurs who refuse to participate in corrupt schemes, in various ways, move away from power and business. They do not just steal- they teach how to steal from the whole country.

Honest work becomes unprofitable. To be engaged in production becomes unprofitable. Investment in superior technology is not profitable. It is profitable only to steal, including those who honestly work, who are engaged in production, and are trying to develop technology.

Impunity, prevarication, bribery, political corruption, and misuse of public power to obtain illegitimate advantages in a secret way are the forms of cronyism that leads to kleptocratism.

The appointment of different positions in the government by taking money proves that this country is not only controlled by kleptos (thieves or thieves). They have evolved, from klepto to mafioso (the organization called the mafia). The mafia helps to elect a politician to gain power. They use illicit money from bribery, corruption, project mark-ups and budget lapses for the campaign.

Power is necessary to perpetuate hegemony, political power, authority, capital power as well as the power to monopolize the law. Law and justice need to be mastered to protect their colleagues who are involved in legal matters. Minimum punishment is light, and when sentenced, they go to prison but can go in and out as they desire.

The characteristic of the kleptocratic state, among others, is that the level of corruption in the bureaucracy is very high. This bureaucracy refers to the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. Kleptocracy often enriches its corrupt bureaucrats and partners by exploiting natural resources. People’s prosperity is often sidelined for the sake of gaining power and possessions.

The crime of corruption in Nepal has reached a chronic point. The decline or lack of improvement in ‘political accountability’ is almost certainly one of the main problems of Nepalese political development.

This fact can be seen from the continued spread of corruption cases or bribery involving many public officials (ministers, former ministers, governors, mayors, district heads), members of parliament at various levels or political party leaders. Political accountability is one of the important elements of democracy, to work well and to bring the most benefit to all citizens. Political accountability refers to the obligations and responsibilities of public office holders to take policy and take steps for the public interest as a whole. Otherwise, the relevant public office holds legal and political consequences. Kleptocracy threatens democracy. If idiocracy is a dictatorship of stupidity, then kleptocracy is a higher degree of idiocracy.

Why Is There Not A Hindu Nation?

In the name of secularism, our leaders have been felling their personal interest and these people have also put the country’s integrity and security on a stake. Religion is the way that helps every person formulate his life’s journey successfully. Hinduism was not rejected by the people of Nepal. Credit goes to Girija Prasad Koirala and his team who helped abolish the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy and transforming the impoverished country into a secular republic.

By Deepak Raj Joshi

Jan. 27, 2019, 12:02 p.m. Published in Magazine Issue: VOL 12 No.12, January 25, 2019 (Magh. 11 2075) Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75

 

Just before we abolished centuries-old Hindu monarchy and established the republican nation, Nepal used to be the only constitutionally declared Hindu nation in the world. Maoists and their shadow Democrats declared Nepal a secular state by getting rid of the Hindu state tag.

We all are firstly guided by the social norms, values, traditions, and customs, which are based on religion. Religion is the way that helps every person formulate his life’s journey successfully. Religion is the aroma of society. Hinduism in Nepal is not a religion, but a way of life and it is naturally secular.

Let’s examine the origins of secularism as an idea. It begins with the mindset of the Ancient Greek philosophers to see the society at that time using metaphysical dualism by distinguishing between worldly and spiritual matters. Assumptions that divide the aspects of life are categorized into two parts, namely spiritual and secular. Matters related to religion are identical with the spiritual matters and the things related to the world are identical with the secular. This is the beginning of the birth of secularism. While in terms of epistemology, secular comes from the Greek word “speculum” which means ‘worldly’ in the dimension of space and ‘now’ in the dimension of time. Secularism was a philosophy of atheists for a few decades.

In the name of secularism, our leaders have been felling their personal interest and these people have also put the country’s integrity and security on a stake. Religion is the way that helps every person formulate his life’s journey successfully. Hinduism was not rejected by the people of Nepal. Credit goes to Girija Prasad Koirala and his team who helped abolish the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy and transforming the impoverished country into a secular republic. Religion for Nepalese people is something we are proud of and carry it as a part of our identity. We are a victim of Pseudo-secularism. Secularism is considered to be one of the basic vows of leftist ideology but it was introduced with the help of the Nepali Congress.

Nepal is considered to be one of the fastest-growing Christian populations of the world. Based on official data, in 1951 Nepal did not have any Christian population and in 1961 we had 458 Christian missionaries. By 2001, Christian population grew to nearly 102,000. Now we have 1.5% Christian of the total population which accounts for 437, 993 (AIN report). This proportion is expected to rise to 3.8% by 2020. Based on some reports there are more than 3000 churches in Nepal. With this growth ratio, Nepal is on the verge of becoming a Christian nation.

Politicians and bureaucrats have become greedy, cunning, and disillusioned that communal and appeasement politics in the name of pseudo-secularism is the everyday way. The elite, educated, class who had a special hand in this cultural decline of the country do not know that they are insulting Goddess Saraswati by calling themselves intellectuals. The Christian-controlled media is silent.

The Constitution was imposed on the people by force from above and it is not the people’s mandate. Let people go to referendum to decide what kind of religious freedom they want. Under the principles of Lord Shree Pashupatinath, Nepal is identified as a Vedic Sanatan Hindu nation, which is in the form of a God-goddess, Shiva Bhoomi, Gyan Bhoomi, and Gorakhbhoomi. Nepal is the land of many temples where millions of Hindus visit each year.

Although the anti-Hindu ideology and the anarchist tendencies of the Left caused Nepal to lose its reputation of being the only Hindu nation in the world and declared Nepal a secular nation, most of the leaders from the political parties receive money from Christian countries, and these members have plotted to declare Nepal a secular nation. The country is going through a very dangerous phase. Religion serves as a foundation for a free society. Religion without culture is no religion and nation without religion is no nation.

Due to political instability, rampant corruption and poverty are everywhere. Christian missionaries are using venerability in our society and convince the vulnerable to follow Christ. These sick, poor and broken families see the hope and start following Jesus Christ. Most of the rural Nepalese are poor and they do not have any means and resources. They cannot even fullfill their basic needs. People without resources trust God more than people with money. These people are the easiest to manipulate. Poor people often believe that God helps and protects them. It is nothing but economic seduction of the helpless people.

Most of our leaders forget that Hinduism is the foundation of human civilization. There will not be the basis for the existence of Nepal without the Hindu religion. Over 81% of Nepal’s 28 million people are Hindus and they were not asked what kind of religious freedom they want. People of Nepal were forced into secularism even as 81 % of Hindu people are not ready to embrace secularism easily.

Secularism is an insult to the 81% of the population, that is Hindu. Secularism is such a disease that will only destroy this country. The most special feature of this disease is that the person who suffers from it feels that he is healthy and the rest of the people are sick.

There are 17 countries that enjoy the form of Christianity as a special status. Around 24 Islamic countries, and few as Buddhist nations. The sad reality is, Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religion on earth and does not have a nation of its own. A million dollar question is — why is there not a single Hindu nation?

Deepak Raj Joshi

(The author is a lecturer and IT, consultant. He also writes fiction under the name of Kapeed Joshi. He can be reached by email at [email protected].)

Populism: Democracy’s Honey Or Poison?

Politicians in the House are busy performing political acrobats without the support of rational arguments to cover all the issues people are facing in the country. Each party looks selective in sorting data that only supports the predisposition already embedded in their head by their political agenda. Populism is based on exploiting the wide ignorance of people.

By

Deepak Raj Joshi

Populism is a rapidly growing global phenomenon in recent years and Nepal is also its victim. Populism has become one of the 21st-century political keywords. Last year, at the end of November 2017, the Cambridge Dictionary stated that populism is the most searched and spoken word of 2017.

In the dictionary of sociology, populism is defined as “a peculiar form of political rhetoric, which considers the primacy and political validity of the people, views the dominant elite as corrupt, and that political goals are best achieved by means of a direct relationship between government and people, without the intervention of existing political institutions.” (Abercrombie et al., 1998).
In reality, whether you like it or not, Populism does not have a concept of a good political or economic system and it pushes the country toward unproductive and tendentious debates. Politicians in the House are busy performing political acrobats without the support of rational arguments to cover all the issues people are facing in the country. Each party looks selective in sorting data that only supports the predisposition already embedded in their head by their political agenda. Populism is based on exploiting the wide ignorance of people.
Just popularity is not enough for politics. Rich elites share the political power to manipulate the rules of the economic game, undermining democracy. If you want to succeed in politics, then only name, money and fame are not available for it. The first is enough if the politician is able to develop his political program based on people’s instincts and reactions.

Politicians are influencing ordinary people’s emotions and wanting to gain support from uneducated people even in cases where they do not have the knowledge they could reasonably be able to make.

Politicians often turn to the tools of demagoguery, fear, and prejudice to win their support. This kind of populism tells us that this part of the political elite is despising the ordinary people. Although the political participation of ordinary people in democratic societies is decisive, the political elite does not demand political parties, so the people understand things, it’s more about the voter’s feelings. The formulated reasoning is logical and true.
Well, the formulation of democracy cannot be perfect, yet in today’s politics, especially in a liberal democracy, populism is considered the greatest enemy of daily politics.
Both politicians and people addicted to populist policies take into account their short-term interests.
There were words about which populist ideas best pass in the region, which politicians are most flirting with the people, the connection of populism with nationalism, the use of the anti-corruption slogan for populist purposes. Or the extent of populism in Nepal!
The main characteristic of populism is belief without proof and majority opinion that does not suffer any questioning. Most of the time In political discussions and in the media, the concept of populism is often mentioned as a threat.
Populist leaders usually form a person’s cult around themselves. They are trying to establish direct and direct links with the people who they claim to represent and direct their hopes and fears. Needless to mention the name but e do see such leaders in most of the political parties in Nepal.
Modern populism has more complex goals and makes more radical statements than that of its predecessor. A central ingredient of populism is nationalism, the source, after religion, of the deadliest wars humanity has suffered.
In the political sphere, populism often leads to the destruction of democratic institutions: populists have the opportunity to gain a foothold in power on the wave of short-term achievements, but as the situation deteriorates, they abandon democratic procedures, promising prosperity as they defeat external and internal enemies.
Political populism threatens progress. It always is accompanied by economic populism (irresponsible fiscal and monetary policies, manipulation of property, etc). Populism is a policy aimed at protecting the interests of the common people and offers simple solutions to complex problems. It works best in societies with a high level of dissatisfaction with the power policy and low level of political education of citizens.
Political populism is an instrument in the struggle for power, but its economic consequences are not unambiguous. The party, which comes to power on the wave of populist slogans, can pursue any economic policy.
In politics, a lie is not accepted, at least by definition but making that is the truth is a marketing and marketing is a beautiful illusion.

Populists do not offer intelligent solutions, instead – some fantasies. The political orientation is not important for populism, because it does not care about the truth and concrete proposals for changing the situation in one area or another for the better. Populism is a manipulation of feelings made by charismatic leaders. The more politicians try to connect with the emotions of the people, the more they move away from what the people want. Populism is not an ideology. It is nothing but a trick.

Populism is the manipulation of feelings made by charismatic leaders. They do not have intelligent solutions but only have fantasies and it is an instrument in the struggle for power. Our Democracy is becoming victim of populism. The main characteristic of populism is belief without proof. Our political analysts believe that communism is just a threat to liberal democracy and freedom, but in reality, populism is a real threat. For these populist so-called leaders, the political orientation is not important, because they do not care about the truth and concrete proposals for changing the situation in one area or another for the betterment of all. Populist politicians always speak against the elite or against the bureaucracy. Populism is to politics what fever is to life. Populism is not exactly a disease, it is a symptom, it is politics that brings fever to life.

Nov. 23, 2018, 8:34 p.m. Published in Magazine Issue: VOL 12 No.08, November 23, 2018 (Mansir. 07, 2075) Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75