Blunt and Brash: Shah and Sampang

They looked charismatic! One represented educated urban youth, the other represented a down-to-earth local passionate to bring a change. Their lifestyle and apolitical background ignited hopes in people. Balendra Shah and Harka Sampang were new faces in the old lot who did not promise to turn their cities into Switzerland or Singapore. Ultimately, they won the hearts and the votes of their supporters to become the mayors of Kathmandu and Dharan. And now, both are shooting themselves in their feet by weaponizing social media.

Balen Shah who rapped about the government’s malfunctions and shortsightedness in his songs was expected to be the savior of the capital city. His supporters believed that this structural engineer would indeed restructure the city.  There’s no denying that he has been effective in getting the daily waste out of Kathmandu, although challenges remain at the dumping site. His efforts to get pavements cleared have been successful in many areas of Kathmandu, although there are still roads with large potholes, and roadside vendors still complain of being displaced.

Balen has nevertheless enjoyed the fame of becoming a young mayor who comes from an ethnically diverse family and exhibits high regards to the local culture of the city. He has also tried to establish himself as the bold one. He canceled his trip to China recently after China used Nepal’s old map instead of the new one endorsed by the Parliament. He banned an Indian movie which reportedly contained controversial statements about Nepal’s history. Back in December last year, he said he rejected the US Ambassador’s proposal of financial support. These gestures are important indicators for the common Nepalis.

He has not spared Nepal’s Supreme Court either or Singhadurbar. And he uses social media to vent his anger bluntly. The recent post about a policeman performing his duty got him so furious that he threatened to burn down Singhadurbar. His staunch supporters expressed their solidarity and even offered to light the fire without questioning the reasons for the police stoppage. Some media confused people if they were doing journalism or sensationalizing the issue. One of the famous Nepali Facebook pages, Routine of Nepal Banda that had been Balen’s sincere supporter from the beginning posted the news of Balen becoming a father.

The hardcore fans then started blaming the police and the media for being insensitive toward Balen’s wife. The truth unfolded later and Mr Mayor removed his status. Did he need to become so impatient and blunt in the first place? He who decried political leaders’ highhandedness in his songs had become no different.

The Mayor of Dharan seems to be even more aggressive and arrogant. His choice of words are worse than Balen’s. One can easily see how obsessed he is with himself by looking at his social media posts. He has faced a lot of backlash on the comments he has made about people’s faith, which is why he has slightly softened his social media tone these days. What I fail to understand however is the amount of time he is spending on the plantation. There is no question that preserving greenery is vital, but it looks like he has taken it as an obsession. He must have other things to do. Since I am not from Dharan, I may not be able to comment on all his works but his social media definitely needs to be sensibly run.

Both Shah and Sampang are more popular than many other leaders. A huge population still thinks they will be able to change the face of their cities. What is alarming about both of them is the lack of respect for institutions and the selection of undiplomatic words.  Both the mayors should respect people’s faith in them and not turn the masses into mobs who are easily provoked by their social media posts.