• By Ram Prasad Khanal
  There is one word we hear repeatedly in our politics: party worker. In its simplest sense, a worker is someone who works. But the real question is, whose work are they doing, why are they doing it, for how long, and why should anyone be expected to abandon personal judgment simply to obey the orders of a political leader?

In Nepal’s political culture, the meaning of a party worker has gradually become troubling. Once someone joins a political party, there is often an expectation that whatever the leadership says must be accepted. Questions are discouraged, personal judgment becomes secondary, and party decisions are treated as more important than one’s own family, profession, future, and freedom.

The strange part is that political activism is not even a regular job for most people. There may be no salary, no social security, no appointment letter, no benefits, and no guarantee of a future. Yet there is still an expectation to follow instructions, and those who disagree may face disciplinary action.

In a democracy, are people supposed to exist for political parties, or are political parties supposed to exist for people? Are leaders the masters of citizens, or representatives entrusted with responsibility by the people?

Whether the leader is KP Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Sher Bahadur Deuba, or someone from another old or new political force, the basic question remains the same. How healthy is a political culture where one leader gives an order and thousands follow without asking questions?

Changing the party’s name does not make politics new if the structure remains the same, with orders coming from the top and followers simply applauding and obeying.

We should ask ourselves some difficult questions. What have political leaders actually given you? Have they secured your family’s future? Have they ensured your children’s education? Have they helped you develop skills, create employment, build a business, or become self-reliant? Have they built a country where young people no longer feel forced to leave in search of opportunity?

If not, why spend the most valuable years of life following political leaders? Why dedicate so much time to rallies, processions, speeches, political shows of strength, and endless arguments on social media? Why forget your own future while working so hard to build someone else’s political future?

Even after so many years of disappointment and failure, a large section of our society remains deeply absorbed in politics. From educated people to the uneducated, from teachers and professors to students, homemakers, farmers, laborers, businesspeople, professionals, and even doctors, political and partisan debate seems to dominate everyday life.

Political awareness is important, but when people become more committed to politics than to their own responsibilities, awareness can turn into imbalance.

Political awareness and partisan activism are not the same thing. A teacher should understand politics, but the first responsibility is to teach students. A professor may understand public policy, but the main duty is education and scholarship. A doctor can have political views, but the first responsibility is to care for patients. Farmers should understand agricultural policy, but their primary work is production. Businesspeople should understand tax and government policy, but their responsibility is to run businesses and create jobs. Students should understand politics, but their first duty is to study, learn, and develop their abilities.

Why have we started valuing political identity more than professional identity? Why do we want to be known first as someone close to a political party or leader instead of as a capable teacher, doctor, entrepreneur, journalist, farmer, engineer, or other professional?

A healthy society requires professionalism, integrity, competence, impartiality, and accountability. When party loyalty becomes more important than professional responsibility, institutions begin to lose credibility.

This does not mean citizens should stay away from politics. People should understand the Constitution, government policies, public spending, local government, corruption, and national interests. They should study candidates, ask questions, debate issues, and vote according to their own judgment.

But voting is not the same as becoming politically dependent.

In a democracy, citizens are sovereign and leaders are accountable to them. Unfortunately, the opposite mentality has often developed, where leaders behave like masters and political workers behave like servants.

Joining a political party does not mean surrendering your conscience. Supporting a party does not mean defending every wrong decision. If a leader you voted for does something wrong, you should be able to say so. If your party makes a bad decision, you should be able to question it. That is democracy.

Treating every statement from a leader as an order, accepting every party decision as absolute truth, and giving up your own judgment is not democratic participation. It is political dependency.

My greatest concern is for young people. Many are still in school or college, have not completed their education, have not built careers, and do not yet have stable incomes. At this stage, they should be encouraged to study, learn skills, build careers, start businesses, understand technology, innovate, and become self-reliant.

Instead, too many are being encouraged to join political organizations, attend rallies, increase crowds at political events, defend leaders online, and spend valuable time in partisan conflicts.

Young people should participate in politics, but participation should not mean full-time party activism. Carrying a party flag is not the same as political awareness. Applauding a speech is not automatically national service, and insulting political opponents on social media is certainly not meaningful political engagement.

Entering full-time politics without first building a strong career or financial foundation may feel exciting at first. You may get photographs with leaders, positions in organizations, opportunities to sit on stages, social connections, and recognition. A small number of people may succeed through politics, but for many others, the reality can be very different after several years.

Time may be gone, education may have suffered, skills may not have developed, careers may not have been built, and businesses may never have started.

The years between twenty and thirty are among the most important years of life. Education, skills, experience, discipline, and financial stability developed during those years can shape the next several decades.

If these years are spent mainly in political meetings, rallies, factional disputes, speeches, posters, election calculations, and following leaders, what will remain five or ten years later?

A few people may rise to political positions, but not everyone will. Thousands may work for years so that one person becomes a member of parliament. Hundreds may struggle so that one becomes a minister. What happens to everyone else?

That is why my message to young people is simple. Build yourself first. Study. Learn skills. Find a good job. Start a business. Work in agriculture, technology, art, literature, music, journalism, research, science, or any field that matches your talent.

Create opportunities at home if possible, and if you gain experience abroad, use it to become even more capable. But do not spend your entire life building the political career of someone else.

People deeply involved in politics should also look at their families. What will you say if your children one day ask what you did during the most productive years of your life?

Will it be enough to say that you followed a leader, carried a party flag, attended hundreds of meetings, wrote thousands of political posts, and argued with opponents?

Families need responsibility before ideology. Children need education, not slogans. Homes need financial stability, not political speeches. Old age needs security, not photographs from rallies.

Nepal has parties representing democratic, socialist, communist, nationalist, alternative, and many other ideas. Every citizen is free to choose an ideology. But no ideology should become a form of blind faith where questioning is forbidden.

Grand political dreams can sound attractive, but young people should think carefully before sacrificing their education, career, skills, family, and present life for promises of a distant political future.

Read political ideas, understand them, and debate them. But do not turn your own life into an experiment for someone else’s political theory.

We need a new political culture where people can say, “I am an independent citizen.” If something is right, support it. If it is wrong, oppose it. One party may have a good policy today and another may have a better one tomorrow. A leader you voted for today may deserve criticism tomorrow.

That is democracy.

Leaders are not gods. Political parties are not religions. Manifestos are not sacred texts. Party workers are not slaves.

Political parties must also learn to respect their members and supporters as independent individuals. People should not fear punishment for expressing opinions or questioning leadership. Political parties are tools of democracy, not the final goal. The real goal is the freedom, prosperity, security, and dignity of citizens.

We often talk about revolution, but perhaps Nepal needs a different kind of revolution. An unemployed young person becoming employable is a revolution. A poor family becoming self-reliant is a revolution. A student receiving quality education is a revolution. A farmer becoming a modern entrepreneur is a revolution. A small business becoming successful is a revolution. A young person creating an industry is a revolution. A Nepali becoming a world-class scientist, artist, journalist, doctor, engineer, or entrepreneur is also a revolution.

These may be greater revolutions than speeches, flags, and slogans.

Being able to stand on your own feet is one of the strongest forms of independence.

So we must ask ourselves again: when will we wake up? How long will we keep changing leaders while continuing to search for political masters? How long will we defend something wrong simply because our preferred leader did it? How long will we ignore problems in our own homes while fighting for someone else’s political future?

When elections come, participate. Study candidates. Ask questions. Debate. Vote. Remain aware of national issues throughout the year. But do not spend all 365 days consumed by party politics while neglecting your own life.

Politics can be part of life, but it should not become your entire life.

Before making politics your profession without a stable career, income, or economic foundation, think carefully. Depending completely on a leader or political party for your future can be risky.

Life comes only once. Time does not return. Youth does not return. Opportunities do not wait forever.

Do not become a blind follower of any political party or leader. Keep your conscience alive. Care for your family. Build your abilities. Study, earn, create, become capable, and stand on your own feet.

Politics should not control your life. Your conscience should guide your politics.

What the country needs most is not blindly devoted political workers, but educated, capable, self-reliant, thoughtful, professionally responsible, independent citizens who have the courage to ask questions.

Note: The author, Ram Prasad Khanal, also serves as President of the Federation of International Journalists of America ( FIJA), https://fijahq.com/