Dear Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba,
I am a graduate student of environmental science; more than that I am an ordinary Nepali citizen. I am writing to you today after you got appointed the prime minister of Nepal and wish you a best of luck in your future endeavours. I personally believe you are a lucky prime minister as this is the fifth time that a 75-year-old political leader is returning to power.
To be honest, I am not involved in any political party in Nepal and have never been interested in my life to date. However, I cannot blindly escape from it as it badly kicks me continuously with different complex and harsh issues in my life. The air I am breathing is polluted, the water I am drinking is not clean, the road I travel is not safe, the job I am working is not permanent and is paid less–that reflects the crystal clear view of real Nepal. Needless to say, the political, social, economic situations are getting worse with the passage of time. In this regard, I always remain in a dilemma whether I need to stay happy or sad whenever the change in the prime minister happens in Nepal as it does not have any influence and impact on people’s lives.
Nonetheless, I have made an effort to write to you and give some suggestions about what your priorities should be at this point in time. Please accept.
1. Expedite Covid-19 vaccine purchase
The most important issue today is vaccination against Covid-19. I feel poor and helpless to say that old-aged people are not been fully vaccinated even today. Your government should prioritise vaccination. It is a good decision that the government has allocated Rs 5 billion for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines and I hope it will work efficiently.
2. Create jobs and solve existing problems
Meanwhile, the data reveal around 1,200 people in Nepal migrate internationally every day for job opportunities and study purposes as well. The number is significantly increasing as the government fails in creating jobs for sustainable living. The industries and companies are not enough available to create jobs within a country. The economic growth rate is around 2.3% with the per capita income at $1085, inflation as of now at 6.5% with an increment in import by 12.9% according to the data in the recently concluded fiscal year 2020/21. Any Nepali in any corner of the world feels disappointed with the situation that a country is facing these days.
Moreover, our nation is listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world along with the polluted city which makes me feel inferior.
However, I am an optimistic person as well, a ray of hope still exists in some sphere of Nepal`s geography where we can rise again and build our country. I agree that it is challenging to be a prime minister in this pandemic situation, but also an opportunity as well to reveal how capable the government is in addressing the people’s needs.
3. Keep right people at the right place
One of the crucial actions that government can do is nominating the right persons in the right positions. The right persons in the right places make all the differences that improve satisfaction and productivity. For instance, Kal Man Ghising has proved with his action in the history of Nepal in terms of electricity development and management. He urged people not to worry about the power cuts and prevented chronic load-shedding up to 18 hours a day. Similarly, the major positions such as education minister, health minister, forest minister, finance minister and many more should be given to the right people without a political bias. My concern is not on a particular political party but on individuals who can lead and drive the nation on the right path.
4. Encourage youth
Looking at the sunny part of the issue, we young blood are the pillars of the nation who can bring a drastic change. We should actively rely on the agriculture revolution, education reform, eco-tourism, entrepreneurship development and many more to contribute to the nation instead of blaming the government. In contrast, the reality is completely different such as moving abroad for job opportunities and quality life, the service sector dominating the productive sector, the share market thriving while economic growth being worst, unemployment, poverty and many more.
To sum up, you need to uplift our nation which is your major responsibility with free education at least up to secondary level and health service to some extent. It is very crucial to create industries and companies within our nation that create jobs and make our country independent in terms of basic fundamental resources and skilled human resources as well. The world is developing forward at an alarming rate while we are fighting to meet our basic needs such as fresh air, clean water, electricity, road access, government service and many more. Finally, let our future generation feel proud of you, otherwise, they will not forgive you.
Hope we will see a harmonious and progressive nation when we grow into your age.
Yours sincerely,
Nirmal Kumar Sharma
Shivanagar, Tulsipur-7, Dang
Nepal
