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With the head of the government out of the picture because of his poor health, the lapses we see in the country’s response to the snowballing Covid-19 crisis were perhaps to be expected. But they were not inevitable. The convalescing Prime Minister KP Oli would have done his country a world of good had he temporarily transferred executive powers to someone else. He didn’t. This resulted in chaos down the chain of command. Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel was tasked with leading the government coronavirus response. But most of his instructions seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Not that other top government officials have exactly covered themselves in glory either.

In a shocking development, the corona test kits and protective equipment imported from China are reportedly of questionable quality. But this isn’t China’s fault necessarily. It was Nepal that ordered these untested kits; China simply delivered them. The only logical way Nepalis make sense of this is to assume that at least some people made a lot of illegal money in this transaction. There also seems to be zero coordination between the three tiers of the government in dealing with the impending coronavirus epidemic. Money is being doled out right and left, with zero accountability. 

Then there are the Nepali citizens who have been prevented from entering their homeland. Under international law, the country cannot bar its own citizens from coming. But short of reliable quarantine facilities and testing kits, the state also fears its incoming citizens might carry the dreaded coronavirus. To be fair, any government would have had a tough time managing movement through the open border during a crisis like this. Yet the amount of confusion and helplessness on display was unwarranted. Again, there does not seem to be a clear chain of command running from the center down to the grassroots.  

Countries around the world have struggled with the corona epidemic, even those who were supposedly well equipped to deal with it. But one unmistakable lesson is that the most effective response involves close cooperation between different tiers of government and active participation of the private sector. There is also someone in charge of the whole process. Establishing a clear chain of command and constantly communicating the government intent and plans is thus vital. People here are already dying from undiagnosed illnesses. Daily essentials are in short supply. Thousands of Nepalis untested for corona are lined up at the border, ready to enter. Time is of essence.   

Since the federal government enforced the weeklong national lockdown starting March 24, it has been consistently urging people to stay home. This makes sense. Around the world, the only corona-control method that seems to work is social distancing: the fewer the number of people you come in contact with, the lesser the chances of you catching the dreaded virus. Yet when the lockdown was announced, many people also asked a simple question: Can everyone afford to lock themselves in their homes? 
 
What about the daily wage earners who struggle to make their ends meet if they don’t work for a day? Or those with disabilities and the elderly living alone, who are running out of rations? The National Human Rights Commission on March 26 urged the government to look after the needs of these vulnerable groups during the lockdown. Undoubtedly, this should be the top government priority. But the problem extends beyond those vulnerable groups. People in general are confused about the terms of the lockdown. The government says they can easily buy daily necessities. But most shops supplying these essentials are now shut, as are the grocery stores. 
 
The shopkeepers say they are hesitant to stay open as they don’t have the protective gear to keep themselves safe. To make matters worse, the police are forcefully closing many retail shops in the mistaken belief that they are required to do so, in a clear case of communication gap. Green vegetables are in short supply. Even when they are available, the prices are high. As the country is in the lockdown for the long haul, it is important to get these seemingly small things right. 
 
After the initial panic, people have been cooperative in helping enforce the lockdown, despite constant rumors of shortages of daily essentials. But their patience will be tested the longer the shutdown continues. People are just not used to staying cooped up in their homes for long. To keep their frustration in check, a clear and honest messaging is vital. Regular press conferences will help: If the government is working in public interest, let people know about it. 
 
The formula is simple: Tell the truth and keep us informed. If the government bungles this duty at a time of national emergency, it will quickly lose public support, to potentially disastrous consequences.  
 

These are tough times. The sheer level of uncertainty over the novel coronavirus can make your head spin. What do you do? You would like to trust the government that there are no active corona cases in Nepal. But then you think about the paucity of tests here and come to the inevitable conclusion that there must be at least a few undetected cases. This thought makes you a touch panicky. If, tomorrow, a few cases suddenly crop up, won’t there be an absolute pandemonium in the market? In that case, won’t daily necessities like LP gas, edibles and even soaps to wash your hands quickly disappear from shop-shelves?

Better to hoard these essentials when you can still get them relatively easily. You have a family to look after, don’t you? Why take chances then? But if everybody started thinking along these lines, one thing is certain: most of the stocks of these essentials will go to their highest bidders while those of lesser means will have to make do with the little morsels left behind. The tendency to hoard during a crisis, while natural, is also selfish. 

Even today, besides the now indispensable facemasks and sanitizers, there does not seem to be an acute shortage of any other daily necessity. Although there was an initial panic when the virus first started spreading around the world, it quickly subsided. People can see that most things they need are easily available. India has vowed to continue with its exports to Nepal, and all our major border points are still open. Even if some private petrol pumps have hung up ‘No petrol’ signs, you can easily get some fuel at one of the government-run pumps. 

Do everything to keep you and your family safe from the dreaded virus. But there as yet is no need to panic about your next meal. Perhaps if people see the government folks are out there monitoring for artificial shortages, and punishing those responsible, they will be assured more. A crisis of this magnitude can be tackled only if the government, the businesses, the citizens, the civil society, the media—all act as responsible social actors. 

Exactly a year ago, the Oli government outlawed the Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplob’-led Nepal Communist Party (NCP), in a move criticized in many quarters. Instead of talking to the renegade Maoist outfit and trying to usher it into mainstream politics, why was the government trying to suppress it with brute force? And why was Biplob’s party outlawed without a serious attempt at talks, at a time the outfit of CK Raut, another underground party, was being persuaded to shun its secessionist path?

The critics had a point. The price of trying to suppress the incipient Maoist rebellion in 1996 was high. In the end, a solution to the Maoist insurgency could be found only through talks. So perhaps Biplob could have been talked out of extremism too? Unlikely. The decade-long insurgency was possible in Nepal during a particular time. Things have since vastly changed, in and outside the country. Nor did Biplob, unlike CK Raut, appear willing to talk to the government team that had been formed specifically for the purpose. Instead, the outfit resorted to blatant acts of violence and killing of ordinary people. It was rightly banned.

On 11 March 2020, the first anniversary of the ban, the party detonated a bomb at the residence of ex-Minister for Communications Gokul Baskota, whom it blamed of robbing the country and of displaying fascist tendencies. Again, bombing public places is no way to make yourself heard. Since imposing the ban, around 1,500 leaders and cadres of the party have been arrested, and it’s on the verge of political irrelevance. Biplob is on the run, reportedly living somewhere along the Indo-Nepal border.

There can be no two ways about it: If the party is serious about finding a way out through talks, it should first abandon violence. Last year, asked by APEX what he was trying to achieve, Biplob had replied: “… we want an end to the way the crony capitalist class is impoverishing the people and bankrupting the country by capturing the economic, political and cultural arena and key sectors like education, health and real estate.” Apparently, he wants to achieve all this by ‘completing’ the ‘incomplete’ Maoist war that ‘turncoats’ like Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Baburam Bhattarai abandoned halfway. The growing marginalization of his party is proof that time is not conducive for another war. It’s also a message that Nepalis have had enough of politics of violence.