KATHMANDU, Sept 4: Following the government’s decision to block unregistered social media platforms, Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Mayor Balen Shah responded with a symbolic and satirical poem.
Posting on his official Facebook page, Shah expressed discontent over the move, highlighting the obstruction to citizens’ freedom of expression.
The poem begins: “We’ll meet only in dreams, if roads are blocked.” Through this line, Shah wittily comments that open interaction and dialogue may now be limited to mere imagination due to the shutdown.
Don’t Get Distracted, Mayor Balen!
Shah further described the government’s decision as arrogance while encouraging citizens to remain united: “Stepping out from home, let’s stay one at heart, even amidst arrogance.” He reassured people that no restrictions could break his connection with the public: “The world cannot come between us; I’ll hold your hand.”
A translated version of the full poem reads:
We’ll meet only in dreams,
if roads are blocked.
Stepping out from home, let’s stay one at heart,
even amidst arrogance.
Just remember me,
I’ll come at night.
The world cannot come between us,
I’ll hold your hand.
The poem appeared immediately after Minister for Information and Communications Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung announced the closure of unregistered social media platforms, sparking widespread criticism across online platforms.
