Prime Minister Sushila Karki has said that the demonstrations and movement led by Gen-Z youth on September 8 and 9 reflected both the aspirations of our young generation, growing public awareness and, the dissatisfaction with prevailing corruption in the country.
Addressing the Constitution Day and National Day, 2082, main celebration ceremony held today at the Army Pavilion at Tundikhel, PM Karki stated, “We must recognize that this movement emerged partly due to shortcomings in good governance, prosperity and development in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, as well as from unfulfilled expectations, deprivation and the frustrations arising from them.”
"I have also viewed this movement as a measure of the health of our democratic system, for democracy is a system of listening to the people's voices, engaging in dialogue and seeking solutions," she stressed.
According to the Prime Minister, the movement of Gen-Z is also the consequence of not being able to stand firmly on the commitment expressed towards democratic values and norms, including the federal republican system of governance, civil liberties, fundamental rights, human rights, full freedom to press, an independent, impartial and competent judiciary, the rule of law and good governance.
"The remarkable advancements in information technology, the emergence of citizen-friendly governance systems at the international level as well as the concepts of open government and virtual governance have shaped the awareness of the young generation," she said.
Noting that the issues raised by the young generation- employment opportunities, quality of life, transparency in governmental actions, legal equality, corruption control, good governance and development- are, indeed, the shared aspirations of all generations and constitute a national agenda, the PM expressed the commitment of the incumbent government to embracing these agenda and working in line with the public expectations.
"The recent movement has provided us with the guidance that we are yet to make improvements in many areas. The young generation wants to participate itself in the governance system. They want to see the successful governance practices of developed countries applied in Nepal. They want to see their ideas reflected at the policy level," the Prime Minister said and gave assurances that this government will continue to work with firm determination to address the aspiration and expectations of youth, women, children, differently-abled people, Dalits, indigenous peoples, Madhesis, Tharus, backward classes, communities and all generations.
Prime Minister Karki said: "We have challenges of reconstructing the public infrastructures damaged during the Gen-Z movement and overcoming the losses suffered by business enterprises to uplift the country. The morale of the private sector, being the driving force of development, has to be boosted. Elections have to be conducted on the stipulated date."
In this context, the PM called upon the entire young generation, political parties, civil servants, private sector, development partners, and all citizens to participate in the great campaign of reconstruction and development
