Woe and Nepalese Politics

By: Prem Prasad Sigdel

I have read a story of Anton Chekhov, i.e. Woe, which I think is equal to the Nepalese politics these days. In our politics also there is woe that can’t be removed anyway. The main persons are the political leaders who have created woe in politics. I have found the similarity of these two incidents in real practice. The woe that happened to the drunkard would be same to the Nepalese politics.

We have the habit of praising some persons when s/he is dead or they have been stripped from any position. We don’t have the habit of getting benefit of him/her when they are in position rather we praise them when they have been dropped down. It means we have some defect in our thinking and in doing. We have created woe ourselves for the sake of petty benefit. We can’t think for the welfare of the people and are left behind all the time.

According to the story, a drunkard, Grigory’s wife was sick. He had taken her to hospital. He had a monologue while he had been carrying his wife to the doctor, Ivanich. Unfortunately, the wife, Matryona was dead on the way and then only the turner, Grigory had felt sad though he hadn’t cared her throughout his life.

The story is about woe from two sides: on the one hand, woe started to Grigory; on the other hand, his wife had died of woe in her life. Grigory had remembered his wife as “young, pretty, gay, and prosperous” when she was dead. He remembered her virtues only she had passed away.

Its 2016 July, the political dirty game has been going on in Nepal. Prime Minister K. P. Oli didn’t resign from his position till the discussion of no-vote of confident proposal in Legislature. He was regarded as a dictator, selfish, cruel, dacoits, gangster who tried to lengthen his tenure only. The opponents had taken him as one of the dictators who had wanted to take power himself only. The lawyers had also been divided into two factions. Favorites argued that he couldn’t be thrown out of the chair; whereas opponents reacted that he should have resigned when no-vote proposal was filed against him.

He resigned when the discussion of no-vote of confident proposal was on progress; then opponents would praise him as one of the dedicated ‘royal leader’. He was a good fellow of democracy who obeyed the norms and values of democracy. Some of them would regard him as one of the dignified persons. They also added that he was the only Prime Minister who would be guard of National Sovereignty etc. 

The main character of the story Grigory also did the same thing to his wife. He was a drunkard. Matryona’s family had married them as Grigory was a skillful man. The situation turned opposite as he became drunkard. He used to treat her badly and was forced her to beg at the street corner. Unfortunately she was sick and died on the carriage while he had been carrying to the doctor’s clinic. When she was dead he praised her as one of the pretty, gay and young woman. She was a kind woman for him then when she had passed away. Till she was in the carriage, he hadn’t known her death; he would threaten and curse her. When he found her dead he praised her with all his might.

The same context can be found in these two incidents. Chekhov had written such story in the 1940s taking the Russian context and it came to true in Nepal in 2016 also. The political leaders have been doing the same. They have been treating their friends in the same way as mentioned. They take their opponents as one of the selfish, dictator, cruel, adamant and so on. When they quit from their position they would start praising them.

They would always pronounce a phrase that “there is no permanent enemy or friend in politics”. Those who haven’t known ethics in their life would argue in such a way. Like Grigory, they have also the same problem. Till the life of her wife, he had taken her as a witch; when she died and his sorrowful days have started he praised her. The political leaders of our country have also generated the same feelings. They tried to hide their shame saying that there is neither enemy nor friend in politics. So they are no more different than drunkard, Grigory.