The Ultimate Public Servants

We are a lucky lot, really – to be blessed with such great leaders who are dedicated to public service by birth, even more so when they hold a public office, and most so when they are retired! Everything they do is dedicated to the people. Like everyone else, they, too, wear clothes, but those clothes are bought to represent the people. They, too, ride cars, but their journeys are for alleviating the people’s pain. They have come to realize that the best form of worship is to serve humanity. That is precisely why these steadfast souls have given up all lures and greed for property, position and prestige, and are deeply engaged in party politics!

Deep down in their hearts, they have deep respect, profound love and whole-hearted devotion for the people. When they dream, during the day or night, they dream on behalf of the people. They become restless and cannot find a moment’s peace if they are not serving the people, irrespective of what the law says. Didn’t you notice how quick our former leaders, who held the country’s highest offices as the president and vice-president, were to make the welcome decision to return to party politics?

In most other countries, leaders retire and stay at home. At most, they choose to lecture in a college or devote themselves to social work. But in our case, no matter how old they become, whether with their chin still up or a walking stick, they tirelessly dedicate themselves to serving the people day and night. They care neither about exhaustion nor age. From borrowing a hospital bed to falling on a ventilator, when you ask them their final wish, they all give the same answer: I want to serve the people!

The government offers elderly allowances and pensions so that the elderly can stay home without worry. However, our poor leaders, unable to stay home, are pulled through by an iron conviction in order to work for the people. That is why they keep raising the age limit, removing term limits, and proclaiming wholeheartedly that they will serve the people as chairperson a second time, yet a second time, as many times as necessity requires. Just observe the zeal and sense of urgency to serve the people, even at a time when they are supposed to play with their grandchildren and enjoy retirement at home!

I truly believe that the Nepali people often fail to grasp the depth of sacrifice their leaders make on their behalf. That is why they keep protesting. Because the leaders’ devotion to service is so deep that it cannot be seen from the surface. The people have no idea, none whatsoever, of the vast, divine feeling of service that dwells within their leaders!

After stepping out of Sheetal Niwas, former President Bidya Devi Bhandari seems to have been deeply moved by the suffering of the people. It appears that the people’s hardships have once again stirred her heart. That should be why she recently said while formally announcing her comeback in active party politics, “Madan (the former President’s husband and charismatic communist leader, the late Madan Bhandari) used to say, ‘there is no such thing called tiredness in politics.’ Today I feel the same!”

Interestingly, the pain of the people, which remained unseen during her presidency, has now become visible to her just months after retirement, as if blessed with a miraculous divine vision. Truly extraordinary! Even the Buddha got enlightenment after leaving the palace. Now, former President Bhandari, too, has left the palace of Sheetal (cool) Niwas and returned to the UML, envisioning a new dream to steer the nation forward. One can only imagine how much her heart must have burned within those ‘cold’ palace walls, from being unable to serve the people! In the same vein, former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, too, has announced his return to active politics. Isn’t that a matter of great joy for us?

Indeed, during their tenure as President and Vice President, they saw nothing but happiness, comfort and prosperity all around. After all, safely surrounded by layers of security and cruising through traffic with blaring sirens, forcing ordinary folks to face hours-long traffic jams, there was simply no way for them to see the hardships and suffering of the people. It was only after stepping down from the seat of power and returning to the people's level that they finally came to understand the true reality of the people. How is today’s Gen Z going to understand such things?

Change in government, one after another, is very much part and parcel of our political tradition. Nepalis get a taste of a new government every 9-10 months. Don’t you think this continuous change in government is making us the world’s most pro-change nation? Frequent changes in government mean people acquiring a taste for a new government, different kinds of governments. This is what democracy is. If the same guy occupies the seat of government, that would not be democracy but Putin-ocracy!

But just because new leaders and new governments keep coming, how can we forget the contributions of our old leaders? To be honest, we would need historians just to document all that the old leaders have done for the people. Unfortunately, the people have never truly understood this important point. Yet, there is hope that one day, the people will surely come to understand the worthiness of our Nepali leaders.

Therefore, we know that the country will not change unless the old politicians return to power. And the old politicians are returning – not every five years but every week, and if need be, at every available opportunity! The return of former leaders, those who have already served as President and Vice President, to active politics is a sign that better days are on the horizon for the Nepali people.

We can safely declare that Nepali politics is truly great and Nepali politicians are saints, sages and great souls whose only aim is to serve the people, no matter what sacrifices they have to make on the way! Now, let the Chief Justices and Chief Secretaries, after retirement, start their careers anew from the positions of junior clerks for the sake of serving the people. Let the retired IGPs begin again as constables and patrol the streets. Let the former Army Chiefs start their service from remote outposts as a corporal. Only then will our so-called public servants truly get the chance to become servants of the people!

Aren’t we Nepalis super lucky to have such leaders who are the ultimate public servants of the people?