In his seminal work titled ‘Nexus’ that narrates the history of information networks from the Stone Age to AI, Yuval Noah Harrari, an acclaimed writer of Home Sapiens and Homo Deus elucidates the formidable power of the human network arguing that human species’ unique ability to unite for a common cause is its defining strength.
This theoretical framework has found a stunning real world manifestation in the recent Gen Z protest. The unprecedented power and network of Gen Z has not only shaken the current governance system but also brought the nation’s executive, legislature and judiciary to a grinding halt inviting a deep vacuum in politics and governance.
While it is heartrending to note the damage of critical infrastructures and public property including parliament, courts among others, the root of this outrage was buried deep in years of systemic failure to deliver promise for change and development. Having said that, the second day of the Gen Z seems to have been infiltrated by hooligaans and regressive forces with vested self-interests.
The ousted government and its coalition partners’ underestimation of this generation’s pathos and yearning for change remains the major factor for the current situation. Against the backdrop of a series of dismissive public statements from the former Prime Minister, coupled with a heavy-handed response to initial dissent including haphazard gunfire, the unprecedented tragedy occurred.
The government’s subsequent decision to ban social media platforms, the very lifeline of this movement became the spark to ignite a national conflagration. The Gen Z population are the embodiment of what political scientist Samuel Huntington termed the “Youth Bulge”- a disenchanted generation that becomes a pivotal, revolutionary force when a state chronically underestimates its potential and ignores its demands.
Through social media platforms, campaigns like #nepobaby# targeted the glaring inequity between the entitled offspring of political dynasties and ordinary citizens struggling for opportunity. The protest was for a future free from corruption and systematic overhaul than anything else.
The uprise of Gen Z
Nepal’s Gen Z has been closely observing series of similar protests happening in countries like Srilanka and Bangladesh in the recent past. In 2022, Sri Lanka witnessed a similar organic leaderless movement triggered by economic collapse and rampant corruption popularly known as the ‘Aragalaya’ that mobilised millions of youths from diverse socio-cultural, ethnic and economic background to shake the governance of a powerful president from office.
Last year, university students in Bangladesh launched massive demonstration demanding an end to discriminatory quotas in government jobs, facing down state authority with remarkable courage. From the shores of Colombo to the campuses of Dhaka and the squares of Kathmandu, a common concern of a young disenchanted population weary of the old politics of patronage and impunity has gained greater ground.
Nepal’s Gen Z has not just toppled a government but also disseminated a strong message that the old guard can no longer take the acquiescence of its youth for granted. Although the path ahead appears still confusion amid dissenting factions among Gen Z to choose their unanimous leader, the nexus of connectivity, consciousness and courage still offers a ray of hope for a politically transformed nation with improved governance. The question now is how to harness this youthful exuberance to construct a more just and equitable Nepal thereby setting a powerful example for a region yearning for renewal.
Critical lesson from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
A critical lesson for Nepal’s Gen Z protesters from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is that merely ousting a leader or government provides no solutions to the complex challenge of governance and politics. Although Sri Lanka’s 2022 Aragalaya movement has been hailed for its success in toppling the powerful president who was leading rampant corruption and economic mismanagement, the major demand of economic stabilization and systemic change remains unfulfilled. In the context of Bangladesh, the much anticipated governance reform under the leadership of Yunus has stagnated with rising internal political conflicts and weakening law and order situation.
With the battle of the street largely won, an uphill task of building a new nation lies ahead. The immediate responsibility lies with the emergent de facto leader that will be borne of this movement. They must now channel the raw energy into structured and meaningful dialogue. Engaging with the President, as the only remaining legitimate constitutional entity under a framework that ensures national stability is a critical next step.
The mandate for the upcoming interim leadership in Nepal is two-fold: ushering governance reform and holding fresh election to gather new public mandate. This must be executed with bold, epoch-making decisions. To justify the immense sacrifice behind this movement, the new government must immediately initiate powerful, independent judicial probes into the killings of protestors, placing those responsible behind bars. It must freeze the assets of top political leaders accused of grand corruption and establish a truly non-partisan committee to investigate long-standing scandals. This is bare minimum to honor the movement’s spirit.
