Old guard’s trivialisation of Gen Z revolt

Nepal’s youth did not burn down the system; they exposed it.

The September 8 protest, organised by Gen Z-ers, received greater publicity and support compared to the previous calls for protests in Kathmandu, perhaps because it was called by youths whose frustrations mirrored those of ordinary citizens. The protest, which turned into a full-blown revolution the very next day, shook Nepal and stunned the world. What was initially ignited by the Oli government’s banning of social media also carried widespread corruption as another major cause for the revolution. The world watched as Nepali youths vehemently expressed anger against what they saw as curtailment of their fundamental freedoms, as well as against systemic corruption, nepotism, political cronyism and the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. The dissent was loud; it was angry, and it struck a chord with every ordinary citizen.