In view of the prevailing controversy over the results of recently concluded NRN USA election and the investigation initiated by ICC NRN following the appeal of the candidates (who apparently lost the election), over alleged voting fraud and illegality and the upcoming town hall assembly meeting in Baltimore Maryland, it is highly imperative that all members of the NRN community in general and the NRN USA in particular ponder into the very raison d’etre of NRN USA and its future direction. It is unwarranted and is happening in the most unfortunate time. It is generally perceived had the concerned election authority tried to amicably resolve this issue (the issue of transparency and alleged illegal voting) raised by the candidates who ultimately had to appeal to ICC NRN for such investigation, the issue would not have gone this far, nevertheless, it is not too late if the past and the present leaders of NRN USA, NRN ICC and the reasonable minds of the NRN community intervene for the greater cause of NRN and its very raison d’etre.

Let us all be mindful of and rationally reason with the following facts:

NRN as our collective identity:

NRN is the only institution through which we can express our collective identity. As NRN, our most important and number one action priority is to strive for the continuation of Nepali citizenship under the banner of “once a Nepali, always a Nepali”. We have to come up with the appropriate approach and strategy that not only command the absolute support of all NRN members but also earn the respect and the confidence of Nepal government and political leadership of major political parties. This is the most critical time as Nepal is entering into the phase of constitutional write up. Without the unanimous support of major political parties in Nepal, this agendum, which is so important to us, does not stand any chance. Unless a provision for the continuation of Nepali citizenship in the ‘New Constitution’ is included, this can’t be realized. Now the moot question is: how can a controversial and divided NRN USA project and present its personality to pursue and advance such cause? NRN USA must not be the victim of ego tussle between few self-aggrandized individuals.

NRN ICC and NRN USA:

When organizations grow, new opportunities, new challenges and problems also evolve in the due course of time. Similar organizations come in conflict with each other in terms of their interests, modus operandi and the motives. Sometimes the personality and ego of the individuals within the organization can be a big problem and can undermine the success of the well intended cause. The management of intra and inter organizational conflicts and issues is another area members of NRN USA should ponder into. For example, what should be the working and legal relationship between NRN USA and ICC NRN?

Should NRN USA comply with ICC NRN’s directives or not? Is NRN USA obliged to comply with ICC NRN’s directive or not? What is the appropriate modus operandi these organizations should follow? In what ways and through what mechanism, can they complement each other without coming into the direct conflict? Is there a clear definition of their roles and responsibilities in the in the bylaws? There may be a well defined relationship between NRN USA and ICC NRN but sometimes idiosyncratic behavior of certain individuals create unwarranted problems. These are some of the issues that certainly require a due diligence on the part of executive leadership of NRN USA and ICC NRN in resolving such issues and channelize their energy and resources that can complement each other’s roles and accomplish their goals.

NRN USA and Motherland:

Following the devastating aftermath effects of Earth Quake catastrophe in Nepal, a long term national reconstruction plan is evolving with the possible formation of an independent authority to implement national reconstruction plans and programs. The technical and professional inputs from the well accomplished professionals especially in the area of urban regional planning, engineering, environmental planning, natural resource management and Earth Quake engineering is highly imperative.

NRN USA can pro-actively paly a very significant role in contributing towards this end by creating an institutional mechanism that can facilitate the interactive process among experts, academicians, specialists and the scientists here in USA and also in Nepal. NRN USA should evolve the most effective strategy to get involved in the national reconstruction of Nepal and be a part of this process. I can see a tremendous potential of NRN USA to contribute in this endeavor given the considerable number of well accomplished professionals and academicians of Nepali origin in various sectors of American society. NRN USA should envision developing some special projects in Nepal and should work in collaboration with other organizations. The objective of such Foundation should be to collect development fund from NRN members and organizations to specifically implement such projects that can uniquely define and popularize NRN USA’s contribution efforts in Nepal. But again, can it be done without unified and concerted efforts of all NRN USA members?

Empowerment and integration of Nepali community into American society:

As we all know, Nepali community in USA has been growing substantially bigger and bigger every day. This is the appropriate time for NRN USA to think about creating an institutional mechanism and programs that can empower and help integrate Nepali community into American society. The empowerment and integration of Nepali community is a necessary precondition in the participation of the political dynamics of American society. It is high time for us to think about how best Nepali community can influence the local political process here in USA. We can learn from Korian Americans, Vietnameese and Phillipino American about how they were able to consolidate resources from various sectors of American society to empower their own communities. Once upon a time, they were also going through exactly the same process as Nepali community is going through today. AS an organized force, NRN USA and ANA can lobby American government, agencies and INGOS to facilitate and consolidate resources for community empowerment but we need to develop some sort of institutional mechanism to carry on such lobbying activities.

NRN USA and cultural change:

I as a life member of NRN, strongly believe that NRN, as an institution, is the only vehicle that can express our collective identity and, therefore, NRN must be kept outside the sphere of political domain whatsoever. We should always ask this question to ourselves; Are we capable of making some cultural changes in our attitude, behavior and mindset? Can we free ourselves from political and ideological cages and do not mimic the “garbage politics” that is so rampant in Nepal? Once we let the garbage enter into our heads, we have the burden of justifying and rationalizing such garbage that we bear in our heads. Only a dynamic and visionary leadership can think outside of the box and bring some tangible cultural changes in the organization. An objectively open and skeptical mind can far outweigh the politically tainted mind for a simple reason that objectively skeptical mind always stand for correction whereas politically tainted minds are incorrigible. Let us all be mindful of this fact.