Timely Directives

The main demands of the Gen-Z uprising of September 8 and 9 were maintaining good governance and corruption control in the country. Although initiated peacefully, the movement turned violent, resulting in the deaths of 76 persons and the fall of the powerful government of the two big parties -- Nepali Congress and CPN-UML. The new government formed under Sushila Karki in the aftermath of the Gen Z revolt has reiterated its commitment to meet the aspirations of the youth right from the day of its formation. This commitment was rightly reflected in the 14-point directives issued by Prime Minister Karki to secretaries and other high-level government officials on Monday. 

The directives serve as a timely and powerful reminder of the government's core responsibility to deliver efficient and corruption-free governance to the people as per the aspirations of youths who sacrificed their lives. Her directives to control criminal activities with no compromise reflect her commitment to restoring public trust in state institutions and upholding the rule of law. Her instruction to streamline public administration by dismantling, merging or transferring unnecessary structures is equally significant to make public administration efficient, functional and result-oriented. The Prime Minister has also emphasised systemising the employee transfer and promotion process to make it predictable, transparent and fair. Till now, nepotism and favouritism used to have key role in the transfer and promotion of government officials instead of looking into their honesty and competency.  

Her directives to all ministries to review the implementation of their annual work plans and move beyond traditional approaches to set new standards are equally timely and necessary. Many government agencies have continued to rely on outdated practices that have hindered progress and service delivery.  Such methods fail to resonate with the energy and aspirations of our younger and digitally-driven generation. 

Similarly, Prime Minister Karki, in her directives, stressed that effective coordination among the three-tier government is equally important to deliver goods and services to the people efficiently. The constitution has envisioned cooperative federalism but due to a lack of coordination and cooperation, the hard-earned federal system has not been effective as per the expectations of the people. This has led to a sort of frustration toward the system, although it has decentralised the power. 

Acknowledging the importance of the civil servants, the permanent government, the Prime Minister has reminded their important responsibility of ensuring good governance, upholding the rule of law, and maintaining peace and security. After the directives, all government agencies and officials should now internalise the Prime Minister’s message and work collectively to build a governance system that is transparent, responsive and just. If implemented with sincerity and coordination, the directives could help translate policy promises into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives and reflect a truly people-centred approach to governance. 

They will be key in consolidating democracy, promoting accountability and bringing government closer to the citizens, breaking the long-standing barrier that has kept it confined within the walls of Singha Durbar. Of course, transforming the directives into reality could be a justice to the blood shed by youths. This is not the first time the governments have issued such directives. Previous administrations had also made similar commitments, but they were hardly implemented.  But this time, the government formed on the strength of youth has no excuse not to implement them.  We must not allow the younger generation to feel further frustrated by giving continuity to poor governance and not ensuring the rule of law.