Spontaneous Combustion

Nepal awaits the monarch’s address on New Years Eve. Speculations abound, but most folk hope for a peaceful resolution to the political stalemate the nation finds itself in. I look forward to peace, but I am scared of the changes that have come in the general psyche, attitudes and morals.

The security personnel in Nepal have behaved as demi-gods in the past, and there has been no let up despite the political changes that have come about in recent decades. They have always enjoyed immunity for most of their actions, some bordering atrocities and others crossing over. Bloated by their seemingly immune status, the security forces have often squashed over the rights of the public with impunity. Ask the commoners on the streets, and in the villages, for ‘public enemy # 1’, and fingers may be pointed towards the people in uniform. It is ironic, but this is not a trait limited to Nepal alone – the role of security forces is very often translated as ‘ruling’ and ‘bullying’ in many South Asian countries.

The attitudes of the people in uniform leave much to be desired for, but a recent development in the public leaves me worried. On my way to office this morning, I passed a group of people. I heard one of them say, “… lets start with this taxi…” A moment later, he poured some inflammable on the tyres and set the taxi ablaze. It was utterly callous and casual, and unprovoked. It was done as leisurely as we would take a walk or shop.

What I witnessed maybe a one-off incident, but it does not bode well for the future. Peace may come somehow, but with a public that does not think twice before an act as horrendous as burning a taxi, the administration has major headaches in store for them.

From the desecration of private property to that of life is a minuscle step. Political crises may be resolved, but moral afflictions?