Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Who wants to be Kathmandu's Mayor?


Published on The Kathmandu Post on May 11, 2017:

Outburst of interests have become public for the position of Kathmandu’s mayor with a promise to bring glory into this otherwise chaotic metropolis.  After a hiatus of almost two decades, Kathmandu aims to appoint a sheriff that is accountable to its electoral public. 

The herculean responsibility of resurrecting Kathmandu as a civilized city cannot be bestowed to the fainthearted.  This is not an experiment confined within a laboratory to observe whether it succeeds on a “trial and error” basis.  There is too much at stake here for the voters to blindly toe the political ideology at the voting booth.  Some poignant and difficult questions need to be put forth to seek the candidates’ position on how they intend to address issues that have long overwhelmed the city.

It isn’t enough for the candidates to project themselves as fitting for the role of mayor because they belong to a younger generation that offers “different and fresh” air.  A brief reflection on what the young political leaders have achieved vis-à-vis their senior contemporaries is enough to deduce that “new” generation does not imply “smarter” generation.  It is also inadequate for candidates to announce their candidacy buoyed by their political network, past experience or a relevant academic qualification. 

What Kathmandu needs is a leader that possesses the wherewithal to challenge the status-quo. The city gasps for a personality that not only has a high-level vision, but specific plans on transforming the vision into reality.  Someone that does not succumb to the political pressure and operates independently at an arm’s length from Singhadurbar.

None of the candidates have unveiled their specific plans on how they intend on making Kathmandu the next Colombo, forget Singapore.  Under this backdrop, casting a vote will be akin to walking into an exam without an iota of preparations, while leaving the results to the grace of the Pashupatinath.
Below transpires a list of questions, which, if answered by candidates, would prepare the voters execute an appropriate verdict at the voting booth.

·         After 20 years of unaccountability, how do you plan to catch up with peer cities in the region?
·    You have witnessed functioning traffic lights on your visits abroad.  How will you spearhead installation of such lights in Kathmandu?
·  Will you campaign for subsidized air masks for Dustmandu’s residents to combat lethal air pollution or do you have a more tangible intervention planned?
·      Do you believe that animal rights extend to stray dogs and cattle freely roaming the streets?  If not, what is your plan to eradicate such menace?
·    Will you continue the legacy of publicity stunts as a regulatory instrument against misdemeanors such as public disposal of trash, not wearing seatbelts, carrying passengers on the roof of public transport, honking horns, only to see them fizzle at the end?  Do you have a more effective measure against such misdemeanors?
·      Do you believe that shops setup on footpaths provide income opportunities to the shop owners and convenience to the consumers and therefore should be continued?  If not, how do you intend on returning footpaths to the pedestrians?
·   To demonstrate how poor Kathmandu’s roads are, a foreign diplomat once suggested advising pregnant women that they avoid the roads for the risk of miscarriage.  A mayoral aspirant cannot dismiss the road despair today solely on the Melamchi project.  The voting public deserves to understand whether Kathmandu’s roads will ever enhance mobility rather than continue to restrict it.
·   The snowballing number of vehicles compound traffic gridlock across the city.  Kathmandu witnesses traffic congestions throughout the day, whereas even 2-3 years ago, such congestions were limited to peak hours only.  It is no secret that the Government policy encourages vehicle import as the tax revenues provide a mainstay to Government finance.  The generosity of kickbacks from auto dealers also ensures that their business continues to thrive.  Cities such as Stockholm, Singapore and London have implemented congestion fees to discourage driving during peak hours.  What does the mayor suggest is the solution for Kathmandu?
·     Studies have been conducted on the feasibility of a mass transport such as metro, monorail and urban rail, as a meaningful substitute to private vehicles and an effective alternate to the dysfunctional public transport; however, such studies have remained only on paper.  The public transport system run by transport mafias, contravene all regulations by paying off the police.  How does the mayor plan to penetrate this nexus?
·    It is demoralizing to read about new construction springing up, dishonoring the building codes introduced after the 2015 earthquakes.  Such blatant violation to safety protocols, while the wounds from the disaster remain unforgotten, let alone healed.  What is the mayor’s plan to reprimand such violation?
·         Kathmandu has a sports stadium that is in a state of despair.  Similar to everything else that seems to have fallen apart, the stadium desperately pleads for a responsible caretaker.  It is regrettable that the city is unable to host international sporting events as the level of infrastructure provided by Dashrath stadium is inadequate.  Nepal has been a laughing stock in the international arena for exemplifying the worst, and sports is no different.  Does the mayor propose any remedy?
·      Finally, Kathmandu’s airport continues to grab headlines in international media for being ranked as one of the worst in the world. The main gateway airport is often seen as emblematic of a city in which it is located. At the moment, TIA as a gateway resembles a poor picture of the state of the city.  Its poor infrastructure is no longer able to cater to growth in air-traffic and deliver quality service.  News of monkeys spotted inside terminals and animals on runways are common sources of public ridicule.  How does the mayor unravel this disorder?


The convenient answer is that most issues fall outside of the city’s municipal jurisdiction and without support from other Government agencies, they cannot be solved.  The candidates need to rise above the situation and introspect whether they will opt for convenient excuses.  Subsequently, the perennial question resurfaces: who wants to be Kathmandu’s mayor?

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