Realising the Gen Z Call for Change

After the Gen-Z movement began on September 8, the situation in the country changed dramatically. The young people — those born between 1997 and 2012 — had risen spontaneously against rampant corruption and for meaningful change in the country’s governance. Born into the digital age and raised alongside computers, this generation consumes and processes information differently. They are true citizens of a global village — easily inspired by achievements or movements taking place elsewhere in the world. It was this very sense of global awareness and shared purpose that first propelled them forward. However, on the very first day of the movement, infiltrators manipulated events to serve their own agendas, driving the situation to a breaking point that led to the tragic loss of 20 young lives. The aftermath of that manipulation was visible on September 9, when the country witnessed an unprecedented wave of destruction, arson and vandalism. Even in Nepal’s long history of political upheavals, such chaos and lawlessness had rarely been seen. Though the Gen-Z movement belonged to the youth, it lacked central leadership or an organised institution to guide it. What began as a movement of pure intentions — a collective call for change — turned violent. Behind that shift, the role of deliberate instigators is unmistakable. The extensive riots that followed brought nothing but pressure, pain and disillusionment for the very generation that had initiated the protest. There is little pride to be found in an agitation that ended up harming the nation’s own property, heritage and resources. In the political aftermath, a new government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki has taken charge, while the once-powerful administration of KP Sharma Oli — backed by a near two-thirds majority — has collapsed, and parliament stands dissolved.