Nepal needs genuine democracy

It's alarming to see that the Himalayan country has no real economic roadmap in place. Industries are either being shut down or they are stagnating. Meanwhile, politics is being shamelessly played out.

In a recent quantum leap, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the constituents of United Democratic Madhesi Front and other Madhesi and Janjati parties came together to form a Federal Democratic Republican Alliance, with the professed aim of moving towards ‘a Constitution with federalism, and federalism with identity’. Unfortunately, this hardly presents any positive signal to end the political uncertainty in that country.

The FDRA’s aim is to put pressure on the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) to accept an identity-based restructuring of the state before the polls and then go in for an electoral partnership. Altogether, this alliance has done little more than angering the Opposition and preventing any potential thaw in relations.

The present state of Nepal’s politics allows for such an unusual condominium of parties that make little sense when it comes to resolving the greater political mess in the country. The overblown ambitions of the political class nullify the earlier efforts of democratic experiments. The current state of instability in Nepal seems to be more the result of the behavioural recklessness of politicians rather than the consequence of a celebrated political transition.

Undoubtedly, such pacts and agreements among politicians who are under pressure to survive have pushed governance issues to an all-time low. When the roads were not all rubble and 12-hour-long power cuts were not the norm, things were different. The people of Nepal had hope in the new generation of politicians and their brand of democratic politics.

For instance, the Maoists, until recently, were viewed differently as they focused on inland development and did not wish for Nepal to continue as a dumping ground of imported goods. However, their economic vision has been lost mid-way. Today, the work done by the present Maoist led-Government, headed by the once ideologically pure Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, is no less disappointing than any of his predecessors.

The wider connect among the people of India and Nepal has remained the cornerstone of ties between these two countries; the bond here is simply unmatchable. Still, the current level of engagement between these two countries is less satisfactory than it used to be in earlier times. From the Indian side, there is need to limit reliance on the diplomatic mission in Kathmandu for all negotiations, most of which should actually be carried out by Ministerial level delegations.

Also, the inadequate response from India in diplomatic engagement has kept Nepal on the margins; in this regard, there is need for course-correction. Greater people-to-people exchanges will help minimise anti-India feelings among a large section of the Nepali population. In the recent past, India has played the role of a cautious yet concerned neighbour, with respect to Nepal’s fluctuating political scenario. But to stop the vendetta of misguided radicals, India should deal with the situation in a proactive manner and without any biases.

Since 1996, Nepal has witnessed a series of troubling developments. Primary among them was the outbreak of the highly violent Maoist insurgency and later the royal massacre of 2001 which pushed the nation into an age of uncertainty. King Birendra had acceptability among the masses and political parties as well; and his willingness to lead Nepal to democracy was well known. It is true that had he still been alive, the credibility of the throne would not have been lost so early and without the emergence of any better substitute. Before 2001, Nepal was a nation in political transition. Now, it is a land ruled by leaders, who have no other plans except to walk with their erroneous ideas.

It’s alarming to see that Nepal really has no economic roadmap in place. Industries are either being shut down or they are stagnating. Janakpur, a remarkable city in the Terai region, has no other industry apart from a state commanded cigarette factory. As a result, the city is far worse today than it was twenty years ago.

This problem is contagious. The condition of Nepal’s other big cities is not very different. Nepali leaders visiting New Delhi have no will to execute the Memorandums of Understanding signed with the Indian Government or the Indian private sector in the areas of thermal power, telecommunications, tourism etc.

Until the political class reacts to economic impulses, things in Nepal will be hard to change. Nepal deserves a better deal than shrinking under the false promises of undeserving politicians. Democracy is indeed desirable but only if Nepal has chances of getting a real one, not something clownish in its place.
Atul Kumar Thakur
September 29, 2012, Saturday
Email: summertickets@gmail.com
(Published in The Pioneer, dated on September 20, 2012/ http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/item/52487-nepal-needs-genuine-democracy.html )

Girija Prasad Koirala: Architect of Democratic Nepal

A man who grew up under the visionary mentorship of father Krishna Prasad Koirala, and later elder brother Bishwesar Prasad Koirala {BPK}have played very pivotal role in the crucial political development of Nepal that’s span ranging almost for six long decades. Girija Prasad Koirala {GPK}, through his stout democratic vision and its execution, secured for himself a position that was never been a streamed precedence in Nepali politics-that towering stature in national politics also imparted him an inevitable crucial position in entire South Asian region.
Through his stellar performances, with maintaining steadfast attitude in his working style, he truly secured a position in Nepal’s politics that makes even his ardent critics unviable to completely staring him out from any political developments in last six decades.

This tallest figure of Nepalese politics was the youngest of the six children of Krishna Prasad Koirala and Divya Koirala-he was born in Birpur{Saharsa, North Bihar} in 1924 and later moved to Varanasi where his family was compelled to settle down and keep their struggle alive against the Rana regime in exile; city of Varanasi indeed appeared as a safe camouflage for them-there the Koirala’s grew up, studied and started sharing great bonds with the contemporary Indian politics which was entirely focused independence struggle.
The time was of ripe unrest in both the country that was sensed very well by visionary B.P.koirala and made endeavor for wider democratic activism in the region-it wouldn’t be an exaggeration, if his participation in Quit India Movement in 1942 and three years imprisonment for the cause of Indian independence may be regarded as peak of co-operation between two neighboring country. He succeeded enough here to mobiles Indian support to overthrow Rana regime {1846-1950} in 1950 and subsequently reached to a very comprehensive Delhi Agreement with the help of Indian interlocution led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Apart from many significant moves, this treaty made way forward for parliamentary democracy in Nepal-that was genesis of democracy as an idea in the Himalayan Kingdom and naturally pioneering have been started from the Koirala’s. Although Shah Regime didn’t resolute their pledge until 1958, when the first Parliamentary elections was convened under its patriarch, B.P.Koirala who further won the majority to rule-he became the first Prime Minister of Nepal albeit couldn’t prolong it in the wake of dissolution of democracy by the King Mahendra.
The next thirty years remained the struggle phase for democratic maneuverings-being the supreme rank of opposition, B.P.Koirala had to face the ire of Monarchy; he was imprisoned for eight years to contain the democratic move by Nepali Congress. This period of adverseness bestowed upon young brothers-Matrika Prasad Koirala and Girija Prasad Koirala to play key organizational leadership-death of B.P.Koirala in 1982, further maximized the potential for Girija Prasad Koirala in next order of politics in Nepal.

Indeed GPK shown his great capacity as successor of his family values-his father, a follower of Mahatma Gandhi, who died in imprisonment for his pro-democracy convictions and later elder brother, B.P Koirala’s life long commitment for socialism and non-alignment infused in him a great taste of democracy and relentless struggle for its materialization. Since the inception of Nepali Congress in 1947 {at Varanasi, India} by the exiled Nepali political activists, he remained a profound voice within the party and indulged himself even in illicit act like hijacking a Plane and printing of fake Indian currency to assist the violent revolution for democracy in 1970’s but on the twilight of the decade, Nepali Congress moved for peaceful means which also reduced the reason of illicitness.
He must be given maximum credit for endowing Nepali Congress, a principal for parliamentary democracy with place for constitutional Monarchy-probably, such shrewd tracts with mix of pragmatism empowered him to serve as Prime Minister for record five times albeit without completing the entire tenure.

Strong stuckness with power also led him for lot of criticism that especially derived from his autocratic manner in party line, corruption and in last phase of his overt nepotism to back his unpopular daughter Sujata Koirala who is now the deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in present government. For personnel rise too, he deftly sidelined the two measure force of Nepali Congress-Ganesh Man Singh and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai after the restoration of democracy in 1991; Nepali Congress won the majority and he as a top choice became the Prime Minister.
Though his tectonic shift from a rebellion and a Trade Union leader {In early phase of career, Birgunj}to top legislative representative didn’t happened without compromising on ideological and ethical front-throughout his stint, he maintained one-man domination in party by applying marginalization of senior leaders and promoting nepotism. Corruption was on all time high during his first three years in Prime Minister Office which fetched him stout criticism and condition of resignation; such initiation was indeed very unfortunate for the democratic foundation of Nepal.

Anyway, he remained unconvinced through all these developments and kept working as a maverick in Nepali politics-he played a well choreographed role during the decade long Maoist insurgency and transition of Royal rule; his next stint as PM between 1998 and 2000 was very crucial from contemporary perspective. His pragmatic role after the unfortunate Royal Massacre in 2001 and later in 2002, when King Gyanendra dismissed a democratic government, submitting power to loyal nominees couldn’t deter his systematic resoluteness for power. In2003, like a true leader, initiated contact with the underground Maoist rebels and further fall of the 2005 deadline given by the King for executive power led the seven parties to signing the 12-point agreement {In Delhi, November 2005, with the Indian help}that stroked the historic people’s movement of April2006.
After the peoples movement, 240 years old Royal rule was collapsed in2008; now Koirala again had to play a pivotal role to track the country’s back to peace and development as Prime Minister albeit it was not materialized in proper manner-indeed this phase was peak in his career except a single unfulfilled dream left, to be the first President of “Republic of Nepal” due to expected spat with Maoists. He drafted a mix fortune for Nepali Congress in his life time where he led Nepali Congress to the peak but couldn’t succeeded to prepare a second tier leadership which now haunting the party very dearly besides on many macro policies, he failed to led Nepal towards out of corruption, instability, economic and other social deprivations. Despite some odds, whenever this giant of Nepali politics stood in his Daura-Suruwal, he always appeared as a voice of nation and very much synonymous with the democracy. Indeed passing of Girija Prasad Koirala marks an end of era-both in Nepal and subcontinental politics.
Atul Kumar Thakur
March24th2010 {Wednesday}
atul_mdb@rediffmail.com
New Delhi