Prof. Dr. Yubaraj Sangroula
It has now become a fact that the end of yesterday’s military, political, and economic structures and balances of the world is taking place. Francis Fukuyama’s conjecture has already ended. The picture of the world is now becoming different. Now countries like China, Russia, India, etc., are not willing to accept Western hegemony and direction. We must think about what misfortune the politics currently being practiced in Nepal will bring.
The shape and color of tomorrow’s world are gradually becoming visible. The idea that a new global order will be built upon the coexistence of the values and principles of all civilizations and systems of governance is no longer mere rhetoric. Nepal’s time to chart its own roadmap for the future is also approaching within this very global context. As the elders say, our time too will come—for we possess fertile land, sufficient water, enough forests, and the necessary wildlife. Our prosperity lies precisely in our land, water, forests, and living beings. The feudal tumor that has long resided in our minds must also come to an end. It is not possible to forever remain as migrant soldiers or to go abroad on labor and oil visas. Citizenship itself is more honorable than living as part of the diaspora. Now, the country has no alternative but to advance along the path of citizen sovereignty.
Yes, for the past seventy years, Nepal’s political system has indeed been weak in exercising the power of self-determination. The main reason for this is that the nation has not had strong and capable leadership. Although from time to time there were efforts to assert our sovereign will, small countries like Nepal were compelled to face challenges to their independence due to Western political and military dominance. However, that era is now coming to an end—even though the West has not yet abandoned the idea of imagining another war. Even today, in many former colonies and in countries like ours governed by corrupt elites, the belief still survives that democracy is merely a collective narrative constructed by Western political philosophy. Such foolish scholars, driven by the lure of foreign money, continue to make a ruckus like a pack of jackals. The root cause of this lies in the feudal ambition that survives within the weak intellectual leadership of countries like ours—the desire to become feudal lords within the system of governance. Because of this, the minds of our leaders and the bureaucracy have become breeding grounds for foreign plans and schemes.
1. But now, the situation is changing rapidly. Almost all the countries of the former Second and Third Worlds are joining together on the platform of the Global South. The leading role of emerging economies such as China, Russia, and India is something the West can no longer stop.
2. Nepal, in today’s changing circumstances, is not a swing caught between two rocks; rather, it is a fertile mine situated between two major markets and civilizations. Our journey from here must be decisive and unwavering. In this situation, Nepali citizens must abandon their selfish social psychology. We must discard the parasitic mindset that believes we cannot achieve progress unless others do not progress. Civic discipline must be grounded in our humanistic philosophies, such as the Vedic Sanatan, Buddhist, and Mundhum traditions.
Political systems and state institutions must be built upon the foundation of our civilizations and culture. We must end the tendency to uproot our own culture by carrying green cards and foreign citizenships, abandoning hollow nationalism and chauvinistic interpretations, and filling our minds with conspiracy theories as well as Western political and military norms. Without this, political stability and economic prosperity cannot be achieved in the country. Only after we reconstruct our political system on the basis of our own civilization and culture — rather than the distorted mindset imposed by others — can we envision true political stability and economic growth.
3. No one can undermine Nepal’s independence and sovereignty. Nepal is a member of the United Nations. However, with the continuous rise of China, Russia, India, Africa, and South America, Western hegemony now perceives a challenge to its own existence. The West speaks of a world order guided by law, but it also expects all nations to conform to its political, economic, and military norms. If they do not, it interprets it as a threat to world peace. This is not an egalitarian principle, which is why the global order continues to face challenges today.
In this context, Nepal also faces strategic interventions from the West aimed at restraining the rising powers. However, these interventions will not succeed. As the saying goes, after a game of chess ends, pawns and queens are placed in the same box — meaning the chess game is temporary. In the past, rulers who failed to understand this allowed foreign “chess” to manipulate the state, but that influence was not permanent. Even the leadership that emerged from recent uprisings has now begun to show its own divisions and disagreements.
4. This situation is the very precondition for the rise of intellectual leadership in the country.
Nepal need not regard the competition between India and China as a threat; what matters is that we do not neglect or mismanage our own affairs. India cannot — and will not — reject Nepal’s relationship with China, and likewise China cannot — and will not — reject its relationship with India. They need Nepal just as much as Nepal needs them. One day Nepal is certain to become a bridge between them.
Therefore, it is the duty of Nepali citizens to transform the current structure of the state. As the saying goes, a dog carried close to your shoulder will not turn on you — a point the Congress and Communist leaders who recently came to power failed to understand. Now the dream of a renewed rise has become no more than fantasy. The fate of those who mounted rebellions has also been exposed. Their hope of controlling Nepal through embassy networks or from abroad will only backfire on them.
5. It is not as easy as earning a degree through a political scholarship. Politics drives the economy and governs the functioning of state employees. Failing to understand this, leaders in their old age end up as vagrants. And after burning their own homes in service of their masters, they now have to hide in prison cells or dark rooms.
6. The state’s destination is now clear.
a. There is no alternative but for capable individuals, who can lead a government based on citizen sovereignty and accountable to the people, to enter politics and build the state’s capacity for self-determination. The state is not a casino for royal families, for those educated abroad, or for a handful of individuals influenced by foreign powers. The path is now clear for creators — farmers and entrepreneurs who can save the nation, ensure prosperity, and establish a self-sustaining economy in every village. Just as animals gain freedom once the bamboo is cut, so too will the nation’s true independence and growth begin once these obstacles are removed.
b. Everything can be lived without, but one cannot survive without food. Therefore, self-reliance in agricultural production must now become the nation’s primary mission. This will free citizens from the compulsion to work abroad as migrant laborers, because a prosperous agriculture lays the foundation for industrialization.
c. Both sectors require advanced education. Quality education is created by good teachers, not by feudal leaders. By now, all teachers should understand that simply feeding a cow grass does not make the cowshed productive. The time has come for the educated to take responsibility for the state.
d. Education must generate self-employment. Schools and colleges must now become centers of research and production.
e. We have entered the digital age. Therefore, young people must be actively engaged in the digital revolution.
f. The first priority of development and opportunity must be the bottom 40% of the population. The state must be accountable for providing them with access to education.
To achieve all this, the state must be inclusive. Therefore, the debate should not be about how to cast votes, but how to make representatives accountable to the people. Our real challenge lies in maintaining the geopolitical balance. We must remain sensitive to the security concerns of both India and China. Our responsibility should be to build cooperation between South Asia and China — this must become the guiding principle of our foreign policy. Let us abandon despair and narrow-mindedness. Politics should not be pursued to become a minister, but to dedicate oneself to nation-building.
