Over two days last week, young people in the Himalayan nation of Nepal took to the streets in protest against corrupt politicians. Their initial complaint was aimed at the adult children of the elite flaunting their lavish wealth in online posts. When the government then banned most social media, the outrage escalated. For Generation Z, or people born between 1997 and 2012, you don’t mess with their online access and connectivity.
When the demonstrations caused the government to fall, Nepal’s Gen Z was forced to switch from condemning others to championing their ideals, namely honesty in government. Like the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes, they searched the public square for a few honest leaders, or those without any self-interested motives.
True to their digital savvy and egalitarian spirit, the leading youth group, Hami Nepal, used ChatGPT and an online poll to latch on to two names: Balendra Shah, the young mayor of the capital Kathmandu who is an independent as well as a former rap star; and Sushila Karki, a former Supreme Court chief justice and the first woman to hold that post.
In a country ranked as one of the most corrupt in Asia, these two are seen as not only exemplars of integrity but also leaders who try to bring out honesty in others. During the protests, for example, Mr. Shah, who is only 35, praised Gen Z for their “fire, vision and honesty.” Ms. Karki has been called Nepal’s Lady Justice after her court stood up to the government in choosing the national police chief in 2017.
As mayor, Mr. Shah has urged police to not take bribes. “If you remember that honesty is the best policy, you will advance a lot in life,” he said. Last year, after a constitutional lawyer won a case in the Supreme Court stopping a corrupt land deal, the mayor said the result was “a prime example of the power of honesty.”
In the end, artificial intelligence leaned toward picking Ms. Karki as the caretaker prime minister. Already retired, she says she will bow out after elections in March. The youth and their ideals are “the engine” of reform in Nepal, she said, while her longtime experience is only a “guardrail.”
Mr. Shah praised the choice and, in a country where more than half the people are younger than age 30, he still has plenty of time and support to show others “the power of honesty.”
