Pessimism has become defining characteristic of Nepali society

Nepal is much better than it was three decades ago when democracy was restored. Poverty has substantially gone down, there is road access in remote regions, health system has improved, people live longer and healthier, and the quality of education has become better.

But over the past few years, the sense of pessimism among the people has increased. Many people, mostly the youth, believe that the things in the country will not change or become worse 10-20 years down the line. There aren't many optimists around. Even the wealthy folks, those with stable, well-paying jobs and businesses are glum. 

A few days back, a preeminent social worker and businessman said: “What surprises me is that even those people who have sufficient wealth and good career are pessimistic and leaving the country. It is hard to find any young people who are optimistic about their future these days. Most people do not want to stay in the country. Youths do not think about what will happen once they go abroad, they just want to leave this country.”

Nepali media are filled with the news stories of Nepalis illegally entering America through Panama Jungle, paying up to Rs 6m to manpower agents. There are also disturbing reports about Nepali men entering Russia on visit visas and joining the army to fight in the war against Ukraine. The government is now struggling to bring back the Nepalis serving in the Russian army, those held hostage by Ukraine and those killed in the war. According to the government's official figure, approximately 2,000 youths leave the country which does not include the people with visit visas.

Today if you meet college students, you can sense their disillusionment and frustration regarding the country and their future. Even those who are holding good jobs are disaffected. Scores of people who are in the civil service are leaving their job midway to go abroad. As for the professionals who are in their forties or fifties, they seem regretful for not leaving the country when they were young. Some of them are ready to go abroad, provided they get a good opportunity. Take one example of an established businessman in his fifties, who recently said: "My father is 93 years old, he recently suggested that I advise my children to go abroad so that I can also settle there later.”  It is not just the youths, even senior citizens do not see the future in this country.

So how did we get here? Political analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta says those who are in their early twenties are the ones who feel most insecure and do not see better prospects in this country. 

“The collective insecurity has become a defining attribute of our young generation,” he says. “This sense of negativity among our youngsters has been building up for quite some time.”

He adds: “Many factors, including the politics of the country, should be held responsible for this. We have reached the point where every third person is waiting to board the next flight. Nepal is going through what scholars call a ‘polycrisis’. The permanent nature of such a crisis may push the country into ‘permacrisis’ or permanent state of crisis. This is the type of state and politics we have developed during the last couple of decades.” 

The reasons for unhappiness among Nepali citizens are innumerable. Since the 1990s, Nepal’s economic conditions have not been satisfactory. The country has come to a standstill with regard to job creation. Absence of production-based economy has increased Nepal’s dependency towards outside. 

“With more than 25 percent of national GDP, remittances have become the national lifeline. Remittances certainly have played a crucial role in reducing poverty in Nepal, but the stark reality that it produces is such that Nepal’s survival is connected with the global labor market,” says Bhatta.

Corruption is another big reason as to why Nepal and its citizens are not faring well. In fact, corruption runs so deep, from the center to the grassroots, that it is hard to imagine a government agency providing the simplest of services to a citizen without bribe money. Political parties and their loyalists have taken over high level government jobs, and their corrupt practices mostly go unpunished.

Only those who are close to the halls of power are getting job opportunities, while the rest are forced to leave the country to feed their families. “Nearly half of the population is associated with some political parties so that they can get opportunities to earn money. These people are content with the current situation of Nepal. The rest of the population do not see the future in the country,” says Bhatta.

At the heart of all these problems is a lack of political stability. Frequent government changes, and building and dismantling of coalitions among political parties have left ordinary Nepalis convinced that the country’s politics is never going to be stable enough to ensure development and economic prosperity. Political parties and their leaders are still engaged in petty power struggles and have not taken any measures to improve governance and economy.  

Growing pessimism, particularly among the youth population, is also posing a serious threat to democracy. They are gradually losing their faith in the power of vote and political parties. 

Ramesh Parajuli, a sociologist affiliated with the research institution, Martin Chautari, says the nature of pessimism runs at both individual and societal level. “Both privileged and underprivileged groups are agitated in this country. It is obvious for the underprivileged to be agitated, but the privileged group is also feeling the same way,” he says.

Nepal’s politics, Parajuli says, is in a quagmire that has failed to chart a clear course of action. 

“Politics has not taken a clear direction partially due to the electoral system we have adopted. The same set of parties and politicians are in power for decades and continue to take privileges. They are heavily involved in corruption, and this has hampered the economic growth and opportunities, thereby creating pessimism,” he adds.