KATHMANDU, Sept 20: CPN-UML leader Suhang Nembang, 35, and lawmaker of the dissolved House of Representatives (HoR), on Friday issued a statement taking moral responsibility for the country’s current situation and for failing to understand the demands of the September 8–9 Gen Z protests.
Similarly, Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary Gagan Thapa, regarded as a next-generation leader within his party, released a video message seeking forgiveness for ignoring the protesters and for inaction that allowed the unrest to escalate.
While some young leaders of major parties appear ready to adapt to the changing political context, analysts have expressed concern over the lack of empathy among the senior leadership of the three major political parties for the sacrifices of the younger generation. Hundreds of thousands of young demonstrators, frustrated by decades-long cycle of power-sharing among a handful of political elites, took to the streets demanding accountability and stronger action against corruption.
Apologies
The protests, which claimed 74 lives, toppled the government, led to the dissolution of the HoR, and paved the way for a people-led interim government. Yet the top leaders of the three major parties—who have collectively dominated Nepal’s politics for decades and bear responsibility for the police shooting of 19 people on the first day of protests—have neither accepted responsibility nor apologized for the deadly crackdown.
Political analysts warn that the elderly leaders, accused of treating politics as a “musical chair,” are again maneuvering for power, potentially pushing the country toward another political crisis. At its Central Committee meeting on Friday, NC decided to oppose the dissolution of the HoR while also resolving to retain its current leadership, with no immediate general convention to determine the party’s future.
Similar patterns are evident in CPN-UML. Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who led the government during the protests, has issued two statements since the events but has neither formally apologized nor accepted moral responsibility. Instead, he has blamed “infiltrators” for violence carried out in the name of young protesters and refused to acknowledge any moral accountability.
Meanwhile, CPN (Maoist Center) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal has attempted to take credit for the uprising, claiming the system itself was corrupt and that Gen Z demands aligned with his party’s agenda.
Analysts and observers argue that the leaders have failed to recognize that the protests were not about the system, political parties, or individuals, but a call to end corruption and address government inaction.
Professor of Political Science Krishna Pokharel said the protests should have been an opportunity for the old guards to step aside. “The greed of these supreme leaders is beyond explanation. Even more saddening is the inability of second-generation leaders to form a faction strong enough to oust them,” he said.
