Nepal on Reverse Gear Ephemerally

Govinda Neupane

The recent developments have derailed several progressive political, social and economic processes, which could have played significant roles in shaping the nation's future. The most critical processes included social inclusion, state restructuring, building local democracy and strengthening economic capacities. 

Social Inclusion

The important issue here is to develop common understanding about the groups, sections and nationalities that are excluded and marginalized. Since the mass movement of April 2006, the process of identification of such groups had been accelerated. During the last days of the dissolved Constituent Assembly, the discussion had picked up. However, a planned or unplanned Khas-led conspiracy that resulted to the demise of the Constituent Assembly without drafting a new constitution aborted this hugely important process that had been in full swing. The Khas leaders particularly who were running the government succeeded in sidelining one of the most critical issue of inclusion, which is multiculturalism. Together with multiculturalism, they derailed other attempts that were basically addressing the issues of social justice in relation to gender, marginalized sections including the status of Dalits. These issues could have very well addressed by accelerating the process of social inclusion. But that did not move that way.
State Restricting

Federalism certainly will function as an accommodative model of governance. It could provide the framework to decentralize power and could make the grassroots level empowered. The unitary Khas-led polity that was introduced during the early years of Nepal's emergence as a unified nation got serious challenge from the supporters and advocates of federalism. The Khas elites, who were either overtly favouring unitary polity or covertly helping such idea brought the issue of differing state modules and started quarrelling on numbers of states to be carved out rather than going for devolving power to lower structurEs of state functions. The Unified Maoists were at the centre stage from where thick confusion ruled out the idea, processes and actions and made the issue of vital importance redundant.

Building Local Democracy

The local level institutions including Village Development Committees (VDCs) and municipalities bear such sign boards but neither they are VDCs nor municipalities. They are simple extensions of the occupiers of the seat of power at Kathmandu. They are being run by bureaucrats for years. Rather than making such grassroots level institutions responsive to people's needs and forming them through people's participation by organizing local elections, the big parties used them as instruments to collaborate and share the booty. Instead of building local democracy, the politicians at the helm made local democracy a joke.

Strengthening Economic Capacities

Nepal has become virtually a labor supplier. The highly educated professionals are running out of the country as opportunities are shrinking here. The unskilled or semi-skilled labourers are also going out in thousands in number every year. Remittance has become the life-support-system of Nepalese economy. The industries have been closing down due to no power supply, never ending labour unrest and sky-high rate and range of corruption. Talking loud of water resource and making it a tool to hang in power by pleasing the benefactors has been practised. In the name of expanding roads and beautifying cities and towns, billions of Rupees have gone out of government coffer whereas people in remote and rural areas are dying due to no availability of Paracitamol or due to lack of purchasing power of the people of the most economically weaker sections. This way, the hope of strengthening economic capacities has been dashed out.

Why All This Happened?

It is one of the most difficult questions to answer. Till a few years ago, I had been tirelessly sharing with friends that a leader like Baburam Bhattarai, a party like Maoist and a country like Nepal when come together, there could be magic. The synergy would be unthinkable. Nepal would be free of corruption, the tempo of national development would be unparallel and justice would prevail everywhere. In justice, I used to include the issue of social inclusion through mainstreaming marginalized sections and incorporating multiculturalism and federalism. Now, all three are together but the country is marching to opposite direction using all the power of a reverse gear. Is this Bhattarai's personal failure? Is this the failure of the Unified Maoist Party? Is this the failure of Nepal as a nation as we failed to produce better leaders and better parties? In retrospection, I realized that I underestimated the influence of governing social and political values on an individual or on a party. When time came, not the external hero but the internal villain came out of Baburam Bhattarai and in company with other upper class Khas elites he played the decisive role in killing the Constituent Assembly. This act alone derailed the progressive processes mentioned earlier. The same happened to corruption. Those who are at the helm of the state affairs, both in the government or in the opposition, spent their time and energy to accumulate wealth by all means – legitimate or illegitimate, retail or wholesale. Making the state bankrupt and making themselves lavishly rich is what all are busy with except a small number of leaders and cadres.

Then What?

When nation weeps, people weep together. When nation fails, people also fail accordingly. The water starts boiling, when it reaches 100 degree Celsius.

The power struggle that too to occupy the chairs of the ministers or prime minister has angered people immensly. The temperature has reached close to the boiling point. The scale and intensity of corruption, ever weakening law and order situation resulting to higher crime graph, unprecedented price rise and weakening patriotism to its low are creating motivational infrastructure for people's rebellion. People as individuals are powerless. However, as collectives, they are the most powerful lot.  The signals are clear now. Beware leaders and parties!