KATHMANDU: Home Minister Sudan Gurung has defended his hands-on approach to disaster response, saying he does not believe in the traditional practice of running state affairs by sitting behind a desk in a ministry office.
Gurung was at the scene this morning as two people were rescued from the Trishuli-3A tunnel. A video showing Gurung helping the rescued employees of the hydropower project from the site to a helicopter drew criticism from some quarters, with questions raised over his presence and role at the scene.
Responding to the criticism on social media, Gurung said he should not be expected to follow the leadership style of traditional politicians who remain in their offices with documents in hand.
“If you associate old-style leadership with sitting in a chair in a ministry and holding documents, you are in the wrong era. It is a generation gap,” he wrote. “The Disaster Response Command Center is fully operational in the presence of high-ranking officials from the concerned ministry, so there is no need to worry.”
Gurung said he has been overseeing command operations and holding strategic meetings online every four hours. “For years, we have been suffering the consequences of leading from a chair without understanding the real situation on the ground,” he wrote. “I am surprised to see some people still pressuring us to adopt the same old style, expecting different and better results from the same old system.”
He argued that digital tools allow government operations to be conducted more quickly and effectively without requiring ministers to remain behind their desks.
“Work is being done much faster and more effectively through digital means than by sitting behind a table,” he said. “Therefore, I would like to request you to focus on the results rather than worrying about where you are sitting.”
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