The power of honesty in Nepal
Youth protests against corruption felled a government and then led to a search for a few honest leaders. The Himalayan nation may have found them.
Sabin Tamang, 20, who works in a restaurant in Kathmandu, and participated in a Gen-Z protest, holds up a shovel while posing for a photograph next to a graffiti as he takes part in a cleaning campaign following deadly anti-corruption protests in Nepal. "To develop our country, we need to choose good people instead of choosing relatives," he said. "We should hand over the future of the country to a person who has good ideology and is not self-centred."
Reuters
Over two days last week, young people in the Himalayan nation of Nepal took to the streets in protest against corrupt politicians. Their initial complaint was aimed at the adult children of the elite flaunting their lavish wealth in online posts. When the government then banned most social media, the outrage escalated. For Generation Z, or people born between 1997 and 2012, you don鈥檛 mess with their online access and connectivity.
When the demonstrations caused the government to fall, Nepal鈥檚 Gen Z was forced to switch from condemning others to championing their ideals, namely honesty in government. Like the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, they searched the public square for a few honest leaders, or those without any self-interested motives.
True to their digital savvy and egalitarian spirit, the leading youth group, Hami Nepal, used ChatGPT and an online poll to latch on to two names: Balendra Shah, the young mayor of the capital Kathmandu who is an independent as well as a former rap star; and Sushila Karki, a former Supreme Court chief justice and the first woman to hold that post.
In a country ranked as one of the most corrupt in Asia, these two are seen as not only exemplars of integrity but also leaders who try to bring out honesty in others. During the protests, for example, Mr. Shah, who is only 35, praised Gen Z for their 鈥渇ire, vision and honesty.鈥� Ms. Karki has been called Nepal鈥檚 Lady Justice after her court stood up to the government in choosing the national police chief in 2017.
As mayor, Mr. Shah has urged police to not take bribes. 鈥淚f you remember that honesty is the best policy, you will advance a lot in life,鈥� he said. Last year, after a constitutional lawyer won a case in the Supreme Court stopping a corrupt land deal, the mayor said the result was 鈥渁 prime example of the power of honesty.鈥�
In the end, ChatGPT's artificial intelligence leaned toward picking Ms. Karki as the caretaker prime minister. Already retired, she says she will bow out after elections in March. The youth and their ideals are 鈥渢he engine鈥� of reform in Nepal, she said, while her longtime experience is only a 鈥済uardrail.鈥�
Mr. Shah praised the choice and, in a country where more than half the people are younger than age 30, he still has plenty of time and support to show others 鈥渢he power of honesty.鈥�