While I am hopeful about the new government, one word is stuck in my brain, that word, or mantra even, is inclusion. With the top leadership of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) mostly men, women were already woefully excluded, with only 16 female candidates fielded in the election. Of them, 13 won in their constituencies. The upcoming Cabinet also looks to be short of women.

The RSP has appointed 48 women to its 57 Proportional Representation (PR) seats; 24 of these women are of Khas Arya or Newa origin, leaving only the remaining half for other marginalised and indigenous groups. This election, 96 women have become Members of Parliament (MPs), making up 35 percent of Parliament, which is the highest so far in Nepal’s history.

However, as has rightly been pointed out by women within the party and without, RSP has blatantly favoured some women for are not quite up to scratch for PR slots. They do not have the depth of contributions to civil society with which to gain such leadership positions, which ought to be hard-won.

Ironically, the Gen Z backlash against shallowness on social media has not hindered a superficial selection pool in the party of choice, where people have been selected just because they ‘look good’. This must seem egregious to those who have contributed to the good of others in this country for decades, without any kind of quid pro quo in mind.

What is most remarkable is that some of these newcomers elbowed their way in to be placed higher on the PR list, callously breezing through longer standing female party members with more votes, showing an unscrupulous ethic that does not bode well for their future behaviour. Public service does not involve pushing private ambitions.

The PR list was designed as a quota system or an affirmative action in our new constitution to include those who have been historically marginalised and desperately need a voice. To draw a blunt comparison, taking a spot on this kind of list as a person of privilege is like a wealthy, white American woman with education and agency taking a place reserved for a disempowered Native woman because those who make the rules have turned a blind eye, or blatantly favoured the elite candidate. This kind of unprincipled behaviour effectively negates the possibility of future parity for those who have long been shunted aside by existing hegemonies.

There is no excuse for people who already have the social capital and means to fight an election to be on the list and therefore in Parliament. This is a travesty that has been repeatedly committed by the parties of old; to see it being perpetuated by the new one is particularly distressing, compounded by the unapologetic way these elite women are using their privilege, money and connections to supersede other, more experienced and deserving women, something to note on the heels of Women’s Day, and at the end of Women’s month.

Inclusion means embracing real change; it means doing the homework to find the people who need voices and need the space to develop their voices. It means stepping back and giving a chance to other hardworking people who really need that space.

Plenty of privileged, educated people have no clue about real inequality outside of their elevated milieu. Most know even less about the byzantine complications of the Nepali law and language, which is a must for any would-be MPs.

There are highly educated, entitled people who would rather give a swanky reception than contribute to a scholarship fund. There are also compassionate, low-income, blue-collar workers who give whatever they can whenever there is an appeal on the radio or social media. Take a guess who might make better decisions for the greater good.

Balendra Shah, an enigma so far as to his real character, is certainly the man to keep an eye on. He had the guts and the nerve to fight KP Oli on his home ground and win. But chutzpah does not always translate into good leadership.

Air pollution in the Kathmandu Valley, along with public transportation, garbage segregation and management and access to water, all within the purview of the mayor’s office, were, and still are, far more important than (violently) removing hand-to-mouth street vendors. Shah’s priorities certainly need re-ordering as the prime minister of Nepal. He cannot allow his likes and dislikes to dictate his actions and his priorities.

In today’s world, the money-power complex leaves out those most disenfranchised and neglected. A much-needed shift away from conventional capitalism to a circular economy with sustainable, satisfying jobs is urgent and vital.

Creating meaningful, long-term employment and devising proper training for a population where 49 percent are under 25 will be a gargantuan challenge. Will we continue to emphasise and only reward those who excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)? Will there finally be a place for artists and artisans of all kinds to have a voice and be valued for their skills and opinions, instead of elevating only doctors, engineers and economists to leadership positions?

Very few of the parties addressed climate change as a top priority in a country often referred to as the ‘Third Pole’, so dire is the imminent melt of our watershed glaciers. Without a serious and urgent climate plan, Nepal’s immense agricultural potential, with huge prospects for geopolitical leverage by way of food security, will never be realised as rivers run dry. All that talked-about hydropower potential will also come to nought. The gap between the rich and the poor will widen even further with the havoc that climate change is bringing.

Most parties, including the RSP, have made claims that are quite frankly unattainable with their current election manifestos. Seven percent annual growth in GDP requires the establishment of dynamic, successful industries, which takes years. If these are indeed the plans, they need to be changed, strategically, honestly, with the good of all the stakeholders in this country, young, old, across genders and ethnicities in mind.

In film, screenwriting has a few hallowed tenets, one of which says that character is action. This means that onscreen or in life, what you do says a lot about who you are. Eventually, your repeated actions become your character.

As the coming year unfolds and the new RSP leaders take their place, carried into victory by the wave of support for Shah, we will be watching to see what they will do. Their actions will define who they really are, not what they pretend to be. Their goodwill towards their fellow Nepali citizens will determine their rise or downfall. We will and must hold them all accountable for their actions.