KATHMANDU: A psychology of suspicion, fear, and confusion prevails among the general public following the Gen Z protest that took place on September 8 and 9. Ideas and discussions mixed with apprehensions about what is happening now and what will happen next have found space in tea shops, public squares, community rest stops, and internet-based social media.

On the first day of the protest, the lives of tender-aged children were lost due to state repression. The very next day, acts of vandalism, arson, and looting occurred at important state bodies, government offices, industrial/commercial establishments, and the houses of private individuals. No amount of condemnation is enough for the brutal repression by the state and the killing of young protesters. This incident cannot be compared with other issues. However, the kind of destruction and criminal activities that took place on September 9 in the name of the movement were of a category that did not align with the traditional and indigenous nature of movements in Nepal. In past protests, there was no vandalism, arson, looting of public and private property, jailbreaks to free prisoners, surrounding and killing of police personnel, or looting of their uniforms and weapons like there was this time.

Such incidents are never part of the protest’s agenda or objective. Therefore, these events are not normal, and it should not be delayed to state that our society is crisis-ridden due to the resulting situation. This is so that the new trend of frightening organized crime developing in the country can be understood, and the black cloud and potential danger looming over the country’s sovereignty can be averted.

This article discusses why the Gen Z movement took place, what issues fueled dissatisfaction in the minds of the youth, and some fundamental reasons behind the creation of this psychology.

Political parties and leadership

Political parties are the basis of the system where the people govern, which is democracy. Aristotle said, ‘Man is by nature a political animal.’ This means that political structure and leadership are integral parts of human society and are necessary for governance. The political principles, strategies, and programs of the parties determine the overall fate of the country. A society or state without a party and its leadership is impossible. However, the parties and the leadership are only the means. The end goal is the state system created through the conduct, behavior, and principles and ideas they adopt in the governance process. Therefore, the role of political parties or their leaders is primarily responsible for the current situation in the country.

The people gave them opportunities through votes many times, putting the head of one party or another in power. But they were not honest about national development and improving people’s livelihoods. They considered themselves masters, not servants, and acted arbitrarily to fulfill the interests and desires of a limited group. Only the appearance of those in power and those close to them changed. The condition of the people, who suffered difficulties in public service delivery, unemployment, inflation, and inconvenience in daily life, did not change. The current political leadership has proven unsuccessful in the long course of testing. Therefore, it is appropriate for them to clear the field for new leadership. Power lust, inaction, corruption, cronyism, nepotism, and narrow-mindedness have become synonymous with political parties. The main reason for this is the inability of party leaders to deeply understand and analyze society and the times. Essentially, the dominance of middlemen, or ‘Dalaltantra’ (crony capitalism), that has flourished within the parties recently is the root cause of the deviation of the parties and leaders. The foundations of this, whether they are “nepo kids” or “nepo baby” as Gen Z calls them, or corruption and misgovernance, are all results of broker-centric politics and governance.

The situation of the country and its citizens has worsened as party rule, lacking internal democracy and with party people dominating state bodies, descended into Dalaltantra. Dalaltantra is the conduct or tendency of the state where a limited number of individuals entrenched in and around power and authority, driven by familyism and nepotism, exploit the state, engage in policy-level corruption, and cause hardship to the people. A political culture dominated by middlemen is widespread everywhere. Representative service-providing bodies run by middlemen, such as the Land Revenue, Survey, Transport, Tax, Customs offices, Municipality’s Map Approval, Road Department, and Immigration offices, have become centers of bribery and corruption, looting citizens.

Essentially, the dominance of middlemen, or ‘Dalaltantra’ (crony capitalism), that has flourished within the parties recently is the root cause of the deviation of the parties and leaders. The foundations of this, whether they are “nepo kids” or “nepo baby” as Gen Z calls them, or corruption and misgovernance, are all results of broker-centric politics and governance.

This situation is the result of a serious ideological deviation of the political parties. This trajectory suggests the disintegration of an advanced state. The growing distrust between the government and citizens signals this. Apoliticism without principle is Dalaltantra. The activities and work of the parties, from electoral alliances to governing, revealed this character of selling principles for momentary gain and fascination. Therefore, if the leaders of the old parties, instead of listening to the voice of public discontent, remain stubborn and arrogant, maintaining the status quo, the country must be prepared to face another political tsunami. Hence, leaders should not lose their wisdom but show generosity to create a new history. Even a single arrogant impulse or insensitive word from you will no longer be beneficial for the country.

Bureaucracy

The bureaucracy of Nepal has not been able to free itself from the dominance of a few limited castes from historical times until today. Inclusion, increased through the Constitution and laws after recent political changes, should be continued, and further liberal arrangements should be made. Inclusion is the appropriate path to establish equality and justice in accessing, consuming, and controlling state resources, and for positive transformation; therefore, its importance is even greater in the bureaucracy. However, the interpretation, propaganda, and narrative surrounding the bureaucracy that society has understood and has been made to understand have been constructed and disseminated by limited castes and classes. This can be termed Antonio Gramsci’s ‘Cultural Hegemony.’

The state’s civil service mechanism is considered a permanent government and is a supporting organ of the executive. It is the responsibility of this mechanism to deliver public services to the people without discrimination based on any belief or ideology, adhering to government policies, programs, and plans. But are the civil servants, referred to as ‘nation’s servants,’ dedicated to service with honesty and diligence? Are citizens receiving services without hassle and hardship? Are the employees public-oriented, or are they helpers in fulfilling personal and specific group interests? The answers to these questions will certainly not be positive. These issues have also contributed to the rise in public dissatisfaction and anger.

It is not that there are no conscientious, honest, and diligent employees as exceptions. But judging the majority of employees, our bureaucracy is problematic. They are also at the forefront of those who illegally amass vast wealth. The bureaucracy is notorious for being able to play games in collusion with representatives of the executive, figuring out how much money can be siphoned off by cutting the budget of which development project, delaying/circulating which file, or making/having decisions made to benefit whom in which program.

The bureaucracy must conduct a ruthless self-assessment and move towards transformation. Otherwise, just as the political parties and leaders were the main targets in the recent movement, the bureaucracy could be next. Such an unfortunate event would push the state into an even bigger abyss. Reform work must be initiated to prevent such a day from coming. Structural reforms will certainly take time, but a change in the conduct and behavior of employees would show immediate results in service delivery, putting an end to the widespread tendencies of bureaucratic delays, work not getting done without bribes, and the need for connections or access. In addition, work should be done at the political level to ensure inclusiveness in the bureaucracy in line with the country’s demographic structure.

Discrimination and inequality

Although social discrimination and inequality are sensitive issues, we tend to take them as normal. In measuring or interpreting discrimination and inequality in Nepali society, objective facts are often given more priority.

Discrimination and inequality are the experiences, understandings, and separate feelings and experiences of individuals, groups, and communities in society, which include not only objective but also subjective, inherent aspects and invisible structural systems. Due to widespread poverty and illiteracy in society, all classes, regions, genders, and communities in the state have not been able to have equal shares in the benefits and opportunities provided by the state. There is unequal access to resources. Inequality and discrimination also prevail in the distribution of resources. Our political-social practices and bad customs that nurture this are the main culprits.

It is not possible to eliminate discrimination and inequality through state policy alone. The implementation of programs targeted at groups and classes subjected to discrimination is necessary to bring them into the mainstream of the state. Policies and programs limited to paper cannot transform society. If discrimination and inequality persist in society, small sparks of discontent could become the cause of a massive social conflict in the future. If we do not find a timely cure for our domestic problems, the unity of Nepali society could turn into a house of cards.

Now, let’s discuss some secondary reasons.

Development and Use of Information Technology

With the rapid development of information technology, being accustomed to its use in daily life and work has made technology a fundamental necessity for people. This has brought about significant changes not only in people’s routines but also in their way of thinking and behavior.

The development of technology has not only been a boon for us; it has also brought some negative aspects and complexities. The decline in human sensitivity, emotional connection, and cultural aspects are its ‘side effects’ or weaknesses. Communication and relationships between people, and the exchange of ideas and feelings, have changed from physical to virtual. We find that virtual mediums are used even to connect with family members and share information and knowledge. Reliance on the artificiality-oriented knowledge system and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increased sharply.

With the leap in technology, the door to cybercrime has opened, increasing various frauds, crimes, distortions, and social and cultural deviations. The rise of an uncontrolled and reckless culture is almost certain to add further complexity and challenges to society. Practical and systemic regulation is necessary to face this challenge that has emerged in human civilization.

The allure of discussion and trending on social media has trapped users in the illusion of getting viral or publicity. Due to the desire to go viral and the intention to provoke or malign a certain group, caste, or party, a flood of false, misleading, and deceptive content is unleashed. Since social media is a borderless world, when a person posts incorrect information or details, it can spread like poison, the extent of which cannot be estimated.

Virtual practice has made people impulsive. We hurry to react without thinking for a moment when an issue arises. We are enjoying making negative comments and crude narratives rather than positive ones. Under the guise of ‘content creation,’ when content is exaggerated, incomplete, and falsely presented, there is no account of how much negative poison is spreading in society, what kind of psychological seeds are being sown in people, and what impact it has on human values, community harmony, and individual dignity.

Through the rapid development and use of information technology, we are virtually accepting a new colonialism. Colonialism creates new rulers and slaves in society. We are accepting a new form of slavery, which is digital colonization. It is important that we all become sensitive about this and hold a healthy debate.

The development of technology has not only been a boon for us; it has also brought some negative aspects and complexities. The decline in human sensitivity, emotional connection, and cultural aspects are its side effects or weaknesses.

What kind of information technology development and use do we want? The state’s inability to prioritize this and its policy ambiguity are the reasons for the destruction that occurred in the recent movement. The state power, or the government, is the guardian of the people. Fulfilling the role of being accountable to the public and explaining things to the people is the fundamental character of the state. This strengthens the relationship between the government and the people and also helps create a positive psychology.

Geopolitics

Geopolitics has developed as a powerful and multidimensional subject in modern society. Powerful countries fulfill their political/strategic/economic interests and maintain the dependency of the concerned country in the decision-making process by expanding their dominance or influence in other countries through diplomacy.

The use, testing, and influence of diplomatic maneuvering are major weapons in world politics. Only the amount and the guise of the subject differ, but the underlying interests are always economic gain and strategic power expansion. The concern that Nepal, which has been in a strategically and geographically important location for a long time, is also falling into the grip of geopolitics is often expressed. Nepal’s geographical location falls within the geopolitical priorities of powerful nations. Without balanced and wise diplomacy, Nepal’s sovereignty is always in the circle of danger from the whirlpool of global geopolitics. However, internal shortcomings and problems and complexities created by characters within the country become the stepping stones for external geopolitics.

There is a tendency here to not tighten one’s own diplomacy and internal politics, to not be able to turn the interest of powerful countries in the sensitive geographical location into the national interest, but instead to create various conspiracy theories about geopolitical moves and foreign games when something happens in the country. It is our established tendency to immediately comment about external conspiracies and spread confusion to cover up our own weaknesses and incompetence. This does nothing but perpetuate the status quo.

Economic development and education

Nepal’s economic development has some clear foundations. I am not a development expert, but based on common understanding, it can be said that the main areas of Nepal’s priority and potential are agriculture and tourism. Development based on agriculture and tourism, and the development of a quality and indigenous education system based on them, are indispensable. Only state priority and rapid development in these two sectors can achieve sustainable transformation and prosperity.

According to the current demographic structure, we have a population age group with the highest potential. The energetic Gen Z is an integral part of this. Creating employment within the country is the necessity of today to utilize this invaluable power for nation-building. The Gen Z movement was a product of an unprecedented interest in the nation and nationality that emerged in the youth generation. We have the opportunity to focus the emotional surge in the youth toward nation-building.

Finally, the primary need of today is for all generations to move forward to build a universally acceptable, undivided, and prosperous Nepal. It will be in the interest of all of us for political parties and old leaders to abandon arrogance and graciously hand over the leadership, for the bureaucracy to transform to end Dalaltantra, and for the Gen Z generation to exercise restraint and maintain vigilance. Election is the best tool of democracy. Let’s unite to make the House of Representatives election scheduled for March 5, 2026, successful, and let’s spend our energy electing competent individuals. Let’s choose candidates and parties who come with a clear manifesto to solve all our problems. For that, let’s all play a positive and healthy critical role.

Nation-building is a long-distance journey. For this journey to be successful, everyone needs to self-correct. Let’s avoid becoming victims of impulse, self-interest, and conspiracy. Let’s eradicate the bad culture of elections based on ‘money’ and ‘muscle.’ Those who fish in murky water, those who seek to incite instability and anarchy, are many; let’s be vigilant. Let’s abandon our wrong practices of the past. Let’s end the tendency of giving and asking for votes by saying “my and our party,” winning by any means, capturing booths, and buying votes with money. Only when we all change will the country also be transformed.