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Not only did she become the country's first female prime minister, but she was also the first to be elected more or less via social media.

Monday, 15 September 2025

Just when we had finally managed to arrange the collection > export > air freight > import, revolution suddenly broke out in Nepal.

Since the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was established in 2008 - and abolished the centuries-old monarchy - the country has had a new prime minister every year.

However, without exception, they have always come from the same group of three, by now, old men.

Well, it wasn't entirely unexpected.

Collectively, they have served as prime minister thirteen times over the past seventeen years. This chair dance was always a brief changing of the guard – rather than a change of power.

One was a little more cunning than the other and sometimes stayed on the plush seat a little longer. But their secret pact was: if you cover up my corruption today, I will leave your scheming alone tomorrow.

In 2023, a small, new political party shared its election poster on social media. They placed portraits of the leading figures side by side and wrote as their election slogan in large capital letters above them: नो, नट अगेन !

In other words: ‘Oh no, not again!’

‘Spreading hate speech,’ ruled the Election Commission, banning it on penalty of five years in prison.

No way, reacted a lawyer, and lodged an official protest:

‘The commission is violating the constitution and thus democracy.’

The committee then threatened that the entire election could be cancelled if such “hate speech” continued.

In effect, this amounted to the same thing, only stakeholders would still be casting their votes.

Already, politicians had been saying for some time that social media had become too disruptive.

However, foreign providers paid no attention to them.

So the ruling party decided to pull the plug.

How the millions of migrant workers – who finance more than a quarter of the annual budget with their hard-earned wages – could still maintain contact with their families back home was not considered at all.

The idea was that the major social media companies would be reined in by being required to register.

In reality, the aim was to censor all criticism.

On 8 September, a peaceful demonstration turned violent when the police started firing live ammunition, killing at least 19 people.

(This figure would later rise

to 72.)

With the earthquake still fresh in their minds, some people felt that social media had caused a 'youthquake'.

They compared it to the youth movements that occurred during the Arab Spring and in Hong Kong, Ceylon and Indonesia, but perhaps most notably in neighbouring Bangladesh.

However, there was more at stake, and this had been going on for some time.

Social media had acted as a telescope, bringing the corruption and decadence of the political elite in focus.

The complaint ‘and all that using our money’ comes across much more forcefully when interspersed with photos and videos of “nepo babies”  showing off their expensive watches, cars and trips abroad alongside images of starving street children and toiling rice planters.

After two days of arson and destruction, the old political guard had either been molested or had fled.

Some by dangling from a long rope under an army helicopter.

An elderly female chief justice was proposed as temporary administrator through social media.

As a fighter for democracy, she had an impressive track record.

It was widely known that her integrity had ultimately become her downfall.

This was mainly thanks to the efforts of Kathmandu's mayor, the as popular as controversial  former rapper Balen Shah, who is wise enough to always consult the army first.

It would be great if such a 'youthquake' could also do away with the age-old, pernicious hindu caste system. Unfortunately, it is not enshrined in law, but only in people's minds. For a moment in the 1990s, it seemed that this might happen with the conversion to maoism, but sadly it did not.

And yet, sometimes someone has a brilliant idea, social media or not. Consider Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (1891–1956).

He managed to liberate the Indian untouchables, at least mentally, from the oppressive, hierarchical social and Hindu caste system by simply bringing about a mass conversion to buddhism.

Meanwhile, young people are already cleaning up the streets around the burned-out buildings.

'They seem shocked themselves by all this sudden violence,' we tell ourselves, reassuringly.

'Besides, there are two family festivals coming up. People will be visiting each other and won't be out fighting on the streets, right?

By purchasing the book, many contributed to the distribution costs of two hundred free copies there.

Today, after a gestation of about two years, they finally flew the nest. The above gives a bit of an idea of where to.

Fingers crossed.

Filmpje

To be continued.

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