Communist Party Candidate Ashesh Ghimire Argues True Change Requires Systemic Overhaul, Not Just New Faces

As the elections on Falgun 21 approach, narratives advocating for 'changing the faces of old leaders' are strongly emerging as an alternative politics. While many candidates are facing criticism in the public sphere due to their claims, Ashesh Ghimire, the candidate from the Communist Party of Nepal in Jhapa-1, appears to be campaigning in a calmer and more composed manner than them.

He argues that populism leads society towards disintegration rather than transformation. Here is an edited excerpt from the conversation Ratopati had with the young candidate, imbued with socialist ideological thought, regarding the election:

• How do you view the narrative that youth are necessary for change?

Political change is not just a matter of age; for us Marxists, it is a matter of social consciousness, and even more so, class consciousness and perspective. Many parties feature young faces as candidates today, but a youth who does not challenge the capitalist relations of production is not transformative. For us, youth means the awakened, class-conscious force engaged in pro-people politics. It is not merely a neatly dressed new face.

• How do you understand the debate between new and old in politics?

The debate of 'new' and 'old' in politics is superficial. Merely a new name, flag, or face does not bring about any change. Real change is the struggle to alter the relations of production, the class character of the state—the system and policy structures where heaven remains for the wealthy and the suffering of the poor persists unchanged.

Today's necessities include planning in favor of the working class, budget formulation, security for small and medium agriculture and all forms of entrepreneurial efforts, increased investment in the public sector, and promotion of employment. These are subjects like the revision of all laws against poverty.

• So, what is change?

Political change is not a game of individual power and faces. The criterion for change is bringing fundamental transformation to the relations of production, the economic structure, and the balance of class power. If the system remains the same even when individuals change, politics remains the same. There will be no change in the daily problems of the common people.

Therefore, the main focus for youth like us is the effort to bring about change in politics by altering the balance of class power entrenched in the status quo. We must unite and strive for that.

• Corruption has severely plagued the country; what is your perspective on eradicating it?

Corruption is not caused by any single individual. Inequality and the profit-oriented system are its root causes. As the capitalist system centralizes power and wealth, corruption becomes essential for this system to survive. Therefore, it is impossible to solve it by keeping the exploitative economic system intact and blaming individual persons.

Thus, our main goal should be to implement a socialist state system as an alternative to this exploitative system. The capitalist system breeds corrupt leaders, greedy employees, and citizens who revel in exploitation. Therefore, if we put all our efforts into building a socialist state system, it will help in building a corruption-free society. This teaches us that the eradication of corruption must be sought in the system, not in individuals.

• What do you see as the role of youth in the transformation of society and politics?

Societal transformation is not the responsibility of just the youth or one individual. History has shown that change is possible only through intergenerational cooperation and class struggle. Criticism of mistakes is justified, but politics that spreads division and hatred is not our path. We must find the method of transformation through ideological discussion and interaction with the people.

I believe that the leaders and workers of the Communist Party of Nepal across the country are planning and executing their actions to institutionalize this work in an organized manner. Accusations, anger, impulse, and opportunistic populism are leading society towards disintegration, not transformation.

• How do you plan to prioritize development work in your constituency?

What is development? It is said that development is happening in the country today, but is it human-centered development or profit-centered development that benefits a handful? This is the crux of the debate. We want to understand all citizens of this country as Nepali citizens. There are no 'special citizens' and 'lesser citizens.' All citizens residing within the boundaries of this country are equal, so why the discrimination in education, health, housing, and opportunity?

We overthrew the two-and-a-half-century-long Shah dynasty's family legacy, but we failed to provide equal opportunities and equal access to citizens. Therefore, my role will be to bring all citizens residing in my constituency, the deprived in this area, and the marginalized of this geography into the mainstream of the state, making them feel equal self-respect.

I will struggle to establish a system where all citizens in my constituency can enjoy services and facilities with equality and self-respect, and I will cooperate with them. I have full confidence that we will succeed in this.