Men born free but living in chains;

Men born free but living in chains;

What is independence? This seems like an obvious question. I'd say it is the ability of a person to do things for themselves. There are many ways of been independent. Economic, social and political independence comes to mind. We got independence from British Rule 44 years ago on July, 26. I believe that the document we signed with the British masters would be about giving us political independence from them. Anyway we were never imperialized by the British as they did with India, we were only a protectorate. I assume we had Economic and social independence from them. Today, as we celebrate our independence, it is important to gauge the extent to which we are independent.
Before I write anything more, let me say I am very passionate about my country and I often get emotional seeing the state of affairs in this country. If you ask me how I feel about our independence day, I would say that I would rather have British rule than this despotic rule. I am not that far up the Maslow’s need hierarchy to work for achieving political goals, but I would love to have economic and social independence. Also, I am not ignorant of the fact that we can never be completely independent as long as we live in a society, but I believe everyone should have the right to live their lives in the way they want. When I was born 24 years ago, I was totally dependent on my parents and for many following years I lived in their shadows. They influenced me as to what I am today. When I grew up and went to school I was bounded by the rules and regulations. The same was applicable even for the college. That time people used to say all this would be helpful in becoming a good citizen and once I become an adult I will be free and can live my life independently. How sad after 24 long years, I still find myself slave to an unjust system forced over me by my own people.
My country is awash with corruption and corrupt politicians. Bribery is the order of the day. I see gang fights- which more so often have caused loss of precious life, the crime rate has increased and people are no longer safer anymore. An entire generation of youth is wasted in drugs and do not have any religious or social guidance. Now, I realize everything is not as good as I thought it would be.
As far as I am concerned the problems with our society have been, the failure of us to establish a democratic system of governance in our country. I believe, with a vibrant democracy we can break free from the chains of autocracy and really feel the merits of been independent. For too long now, we have been chained by a system that systematically undermines human rights, would go to world’s end to hang on to power one more day and have crushed the hopes and dreams of an entire generation of people. Today democracy is the only preeminently acceptable form of governance. Tell you what? Nepal is a democracy now...
What exactly is democracy? We must not identify democracy with majority rule. Democracy has complex demands, which certainly [include voting and respect for election results, but it also requires the protection of liberties and freedoms, respect for legal entitlements, and the guaranteeing of free discussion and uncensored distribution of news and fair comment. Even elections can be deeply defective if they occur without the different sides getting an adequate opportunity to present their respective cases, or without the electorate enjoying the freedom to obtain news and to consider the views of the competing protagonists. Democracy is a demanding system, and not just a mechanical condition (like majority rule) taken in isolation. I believe an undemocratic society is forever chained to slavery, hence, with democracy we would have economic, social and political independence. Freedom is a part of human freedom in general, and exercising civil and political rights is a crucial part of good lives of individuals as social beings. Political and social participation has intrinsic value for human life and well-being. To be prevented from participation in the political life of the community is a major deprivation.
Slowly and painfully, we have now embarked on a journey towards democracy which as it is-is a half hearted attempt by a failed leader to appease an international community which got tired of him and domestic pressure which never relented. There is no doubt in my mind that our country’s journey into the future will be very difficult and problematic if we don’t succeed in establishing a fully functional democracy. I would like to think our future is very bright and that we are going to achieve greater heights. I feel sad because our leadership have failed us big time. A country of 3 lakh people with abundance of resources (oil is not the only resource that the world have) is still an under developed country after 30 years of one man show, is beyond me.
To all those who call themselves leaders (I do not believe we have anyone worthy of mentioning as a leader), I want to make a plea, please don’t destroy our future and that of my country by hanging onto your egos and personal grudges. It is hard to have any faith in this democratic system that we are paying so much money for you guys to establish, as I really don’t see anyone of you working for the better of the nation. It is not only our president who failed us. There are many others like the majority of parliament members and anyone who was a conspirator in this masterpiece of a show.
If we have to have a brighter future, if we want to be self sufficient, if we want to be rich, if we want have economic, social and political independence and most of all if we want our voices to be heard we have no choice but have a democratic system of governance. Our business would be more open to markets and our economy will get more FDI, we would have high level of schooling and there would be social opportunities that widen participation in the process of economic expansion. . Political and civil rights give people the opportunity to draw attention forcefully to general needs and to demand appropriate public action. The response of a government to the acute suffering of its people often depends on the pressure that is put on it. The exercise of political rights (such as voting, criticizing, protesting, and the like) can make a real difference to the political incentives that operate on a government. Political rights, including freedom of expression and discussion, are not only pivotal in inducing social responses to economic needs, they are also central to the conceptualization of economic needs themselves.
The difficult periods that we go through in our lives transform and enlighten our views on life. The devastating effects of social problems, the undesirable effects of so called globalization, more than sufficient ‘free thinkers’ and the struggle for political and economic freedom have helped me appreciate my existence and that of others in a positive way. It is my prayer and wish that one day we would be a vibrant democracy with intelligent and self sufficient people.