Concerns Of Gen Zers

Nepal’s Gen Z movement has already been carved as a significant event in the annals of its political history. It has exposed the endemic corruption that has spread its tentacles far and wide. Before the Gen Z youths hit the streets, the government, with a two-thirds majority, appeared fine as though it was facing no serious trouble. But beneath its rhetoric of stability and good governance lay piles of corruption scams. The government leadership had displayed undue arrogance, undermining the people's rights to communicate through various social media sites. The youth, already frustrated by the job scarcity and inflation, rose in revolt when a ban was imposed on the social networking sites. For them, the digital space served as a viable means of visibility, career growth and economic earning. They have been using such sites as a platform to combat corruption and the highhandedness of the state's apparatuses. The failure of the government to handle digital diplomacy resulted in mass protests in the streets. Scores of youths were killed, the government collapsed, and the parliament dissolved. 

The Sushila Karki-led interim government was formed in the aftermath of the Gen Z revolt. It has been assigned, among others, to conduct the general elections in March next year. But institutionalising the Gen Z movement has been the prime task of the interim government. Investigating the killing of 76 people and the destruction of public and private properties during the movement is of crucial importance. The government's credibility and efficiency are tested when those responsible for the killing of tender youths are brought to book. The government has expressed commitment to book the culprits. For this, a high-level probe panel has been working.   

Bearing in mind the sentiments of Gen G youths, the current government is taking a series of steps to fulfil their demands. The other day, a Cabinet meeting decided to provide identity cards with photographs to the martyrs’ families of the Gen Z protest. The relatives of Gen Z martyrs, including mother, father, husband, wife, unmarried son and unmarried daughter, will get the ID cards. More importantly, the government has decided to observe the Gen Z Martyr Day on Bhadra 23 every year. Marking Bhadra 23 as Gen Martyr Day will honour the martyrs and the injured in the movement. This is an important step to provide political acceptance of the Gen Z uprising. Similarly, the government has extended the deadline of the high-level body formed to assess the loss and damage caused to the public and private sectors during the Gen-Z protests by a month. 

Meanwhile, a news report, carried by this daily, states that more than 2,000 out of 2,522 wounded in the Gen Z movement have yet to receive their identity cards and relief provided by the state, despite the government's repeated requests to them to take the state's succor that includes free treatment, medical allowances and relief. Surprisingly, many injured Gen Z youths do not want to receive these facilities for fear of being arrested by the would-be government of established political parties. But the Gen Z activists argue that injured youths have not accepted the ID cards and allowances as their demands have not yet been addressed by the government. More than five Gen Z groups are active and have submitted various demands to the government. The interim administration must allay their fears and convince them to take the relief and allowances so that their daily hardships will be eased to some extent.