Frustration to Fire: On Nepal Gen Z Protest

It all began as an online movement against the lavish lifestyle of children and relatives from political families, who waste no time in flaunting it on social media, while the ordinary citizens were having a hard time amid limited opportunities, unemployment issue and low wages. The youth or the “Gen Z”, were frustrated with the concentration of wealth in the hands of few elites and politicians, driven by several factors including corruption, crony capitalism, and nepotism which was perfectly depicted by the lifestyle “Nepo kids”. Instead of hearing out the youth  and addressing their issues, the government choose to ban as many as 26 social media platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook and X, claiming that it was necessary to clamp down on fake news, rumours and hate speech. But for the citizens, it’s nothing but a move to stifle dissent, which is an intrinsic part of a functioning democracy to hold governments accountable for their actions and policies. Then all hell broke loose after the government’s brutal response on the protesting youth, killing more than a dozen persons and injuring hundreds earlier this week. What followed after that is complete mayhem as protestors defied curfew and targeted properties and homes of politicians as well as government buildings by setting them ablaze. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday amid reports of continued violence and vandalism, while several ministers had to be evacuated from their residences using helicopters.

What happened in Nepal seems to be an outburst of frustration accumulated over the years due to the persistent failure of successive governments in governance. As per the World Bank report, the country’s adult unemployment rate is estimated at 10.7% with 82 per cent of its workforce in the informal sector, giving a grim picture of its job market. The country's economy is heavily reliant on remittances from citizens working abroad. For the young population, opportunities are scarce at home, and the future appears bleak. They want positive change, but politicians and bureaucrats act with impunity, responding to their grievances with indifference. Finally, they have had enough of their antics, arrogance and corrupt practices. They were left with no other option but to take to the streets to show their discontentment. The outcome was not pleasant. The Oli regime was toppled, a phenomenon that some view as a recurring pattern in the Indian subcontinent. In 2022, Sri Lankan president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned after protests over mismanagement of economy turned violent. In a similar fashion, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country in 2024 after protesters marched to Dhaka and ransacked her official residence. Interestingly, all these ousted leaders – Rajapaksa, Hasina and Oli -- chose to stifle dissent rather than addressing the grievances of the people, for which they had to pay heavy prices. These incidents should serve as a reminder to all governments and politicians that that true power lies with the people, and undermining it can prove costly.