Font size: 
Life in the army does offer the opportunity to make an honest living. But more than the financial rewards, it is the love of one’s land that prompts many to take the decision to offer their services and enlist in the armed forces.
My father served in the Nepalese Army for many years before retiring in 1995. His service to the country did not earn him enough to afford a fancy relaxed life, but he is still proud of it.
Needless to say, military personnel have a special place in my heart. I understand the debt a country owes to them. Therefore, it is especially painful to see the way the British have treated the Gurkha soldiers, who served them for nearly 200 years.
These Gurkhas are known for their fearless spirit, strength and loyalty. One regiment is presently stationed in Kent, Britain, which serves under the Brigade of Gurkhas. Most of them hail from the Rai, Magar or Gurung ethnic groups and are recruited from Nepal.
Due to Nepal’s poor economy, to be able to join the Brigade of Gurkhas is the opportunity of a lifetime for these brave young men. It gives them the chance to escape poverty, political turmoil and lack of opportunity in Nepal. They are pushed by economic hardship to serve Britain, not by patriotism. This makes them different from the “regular” soldiers that serve in their own country’s army.
Unfortunately, Britain has exploited the misery of these soldiers for almost two centuries. It never occurred to the highbrows of democracy and freedom in London that it is wrong to treat the Gurkhas differently from other soldiers in the British army.
They may not be British but they have proven their loyalty to Britain and its people. Yet until September of this year, Gurkhas had no right to automatically retire in Britain. They were discharged back to Nepal and had to go through immigration processes to re-enter the United Kingdom. Their pensions and benefits were almost six times less than those of a British soldier.
Finally, in 2007, Defense Minister Derek Twigg announced that Gurkhas who retired after July, 1997, would get the same pension as their British counterparts.
This is not sufficient. It is clear that the British government is still practicing its discriminatory ways. Why should only those who retired after July, 1997, deserve the same pensions as their British counterparts? What about all those who retired earlier? Were they less loyal to the Queen?
If the British government had practiced this kind of blatant humiliation on any other group, there would be a big hue and cry. But since these are Gurkhas, not many seem to be interested.
In spite of 200 years of service and loyalty and thousands of lost lives and limbs, the Gurkhas continue to be put down by Britain. As they are not British and because they are pushed by financial hardship to serve a country other than their own, the British establishment thinks it is acceptable to exploit them. This is very telling of their democratic system.
However, it is not fair to blame only the British. The Nepalese government and the entire Nepalese community are also to blame. How can a sovereign government allow its citizens to serve in another country’s army when it knows that they are being exploited there? Is it not clear that Britain sees the Gurkhas as cheap but high-quality labor that it can abuse to safeguard its interests?
Young men who flock to Gurkha recruitment centers in Nepal need an opportunity to make a decent living within the country. If they wish to go abroad for employment, the least that the Nepalese government can do is to ensure that a foreign government does not exploit them.
These brave men do not deserve to be abused by the British system, which is shameless enough to import poor young men to safeguard its interests, but lacks the decency to treat them fairly.
--
(Bhumika Ghimire is a freelance reporter. Her articles have been published at OhMyNews, NepalNews, Toward Freedom, Telegraph Nepal, Himal South Asian and ACM Ubiquity. She is also a regular contributor to News Front Weekly, in Kathmandu, and Nepal Abroad, in Washington D.C. She can be reached at bhumika_g@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Bhumika Ghimire.)
