What's so funny

It has come to the notice of Nepal’s higher-up authoritarians that there is still a lot of uncontrolled and spontaneous laughter in the country despite the fact that the Nepal Commission Party has attained a two-third majority. Such unrestrained mirth could spread, and the contagion will be detrimental to national security. This is no Lafing matter.

The Laughter and Satire Act 2017 BS categorically states that in times of grave national crisis the state can for a limited and stipulated period temporarily suspend an individual’s natural urge to guffaw, giggle, snigger, chuckle, chortle, twitter, or all of the above. Hence all emojis, LOLs, ROFLs, LMAOs are henceforth banned on social media.

Given that laughter can go viral, the state is now invoking Article 27 to ban all unauthorised mirth until further notice. Guards! Take away that chap who has fallen off his chair to the dungeons, gag him, and tickle his armpits.

However, we in Nepal live in a civilised democracy, and since this is not DPRK, the grumblement has made some exemptions. For example, those of unsound mind who need to laugh at regular intervals for medical reasons can do so in designated sound-proof areas of public buildings. Patients must carry a valid permit from the Provincial Government attesting that they need to chuckle gustily for no particular reason. These strict regulations are required to thwart abuse, and to prevent the entire country from pretending that it has gone insane.

Non-Nepali Residents (NNR) and diplomats are also exempt from the laughter ban since their conduct in the host country is governed by the Vienna Convention and its Annexe 13 (d) which states: ‘In cases where the recipient state has suspended its national sense of humour, consular missions and their resident staff may on occasion enjoy diplomatic impunity and be allowed to vent off a little steam as long as they don’t indulge in boisterous jocularity in public.’

Despite such a draconian crackdown it is inexplicable that some miscreants still insist on staging laugh-ins at Maiti Ghar Mandala. In all seriousness, what is there to laugh about? Don’t they know that those who laugh best laugh last?

The Ass

writer

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