Dr. Panna Kaji Amatya
Nepal is in the thick of strife, conflicts, clashes, crimes, corruption and lawlessness. The country is beset with so many problems that to try to stupidly solve any one of them without taking into account other factors may itself be another cause of further problems. The main reason is that the people at large have an aggrieved feeling. Unequal distribution of resources, comforts and luxuries lies at the root of this wounded psyche.Ever since the creation of modern Nepal, the rulers have been utterly ignoring the interests of the people, thereby abusing power and misusing national resources for their own sake.
As a result, Nepal has remained one of the poorest countries in the world, if not the poorest one. This brings about glaring socio-economic inequalities, with nearly half the population living in abject poverty. Today, Nepal?s economy bumps along the bottom. The poor become poorer. It is only the rulers, past and present, who have immensely enriched themselves and still live off the backs of the poor people.
Justice
The masses, on the other hand, live on the hope of securing justice and a fair deal through the courts and democratic institutions but face disappointment at every step. They remain deprived of even the basic necessities of life. The net result of all this is that the aggrieved parties start abhorring every established authority and, therefore, are overtaken by a mood of defiance of that authority. This intensifies struggle. Attacks and counter-attacks, massacres and revenge, accusations and counter-accusations accrue from them.
There are perpetual crises. Lawlessness has become the hallmark of Nepalese society. Shootings, stabbings and murders are now daily occurrences. Any group, if determined base-mindedly, can take the law unto its own hands. Small weapons are in the possession of many an unscrupulous group that indiscriminately uses them for the destruction of people?s lives and property. The number of such groups is mushrooming. This is a serious threat to the very existence of Nepal?s statehood.
Those who enjoy money power, political power, muscle power or even nuisance value go about committing high-handedness and atrocities at will. Even those who are supposed to provide security to the people and to maintain law and order are found demanding that they be given adequate security. What a great joke!The law and order situation has hit rock bottom. Hard-headed lawbreakers and criminals almost always make their gateway with impunity or get off lightly. Some law enforcement authorities are reportedly defending and siding with the criminals and harassing the victims. What is worse is that even the rulers themselves appear to have no will to strictly observe the law and rules they say they adhere to.
If the Seven Party Alliance and CPN-Maoist can shake the powerful monarchy to its foundation, why cannot their government control the law-breakers? Is destroying, not constructing, the only thing they know? Each of them must answer these questions.Amid all this disorderly state of affairs, the people take a fancy to the over-repeated slogan of ?new Nepal.? However, this term has different meanings for different persons. This expression is on the lip of everybody, particularly those politicians who aspire to lead their parties to victory in the elections to be held for the Constituent Assembly, but they have failed to spell it out clearly. The reason is obvious; they seem to be unable to make themselves clear. Still, they have made great strides towards establishing a new Nepal by declaring it secular and agreeing to the establishment of federalism there.
Surprisingly enough, some leaders, by way of describing a new Nepal, talk about reversing the positions of the rulers and the ruled, and the exploiters and the exploited. Such personal and emotional urge to wreck vengeance against each other may go endlessly to the detriment of the country. If it becomes a reality, they may not inherently differ from the erstwhile cruel, undemocratic rulers. Here, what Albert Camus says is worth pondering over: ?All modern revolutions have ended in a reinforcement of the State.? In fact, any highly centralised, unitary state typically makes all rulers alike. Under such a state, innocent people always suffer and get exploited again and again. Hence the necessity of transforming the old order into the new one - politically, economically and socially. This may pave the way for the new Nepal. There is no doubt that the old are notorious for their misrule in the past. When the present-day rulers, most of whom belong to the same old stock and who have already tasted power, purse and perks under the old order, talk about a new Nepal, it merely means a pie in the sky. Jam tomorrow! But tomorrow never comes; the troubles never end; and the ill luck does not desert the masses.
Indeed, most of them may not like tomorrow because they are uncertain of their returning to power tomorrow. They are comfortable with today. What can be expected from them? Their promise of better things may be merely a promise which is unlikely to be fulfilled and a promise to be in power and repeat what they did in the past - enriching and empowering themselves. That is their habit; old habits die hard.Building a new Nepal requires new visionary, national, honest leaders. Promising the moon to the people is not enough. There should be no room for the petty politicians with fissiparous tendencies who hanker after loaves and fishes, and do not have the welfare of the masses in mind. Sadly enough, there is a dearth of such leaders.
The so-called leaders of the political parties have already passed their sell-by date. The geriatric leaders cannot build the new Nepal; they can not cut the umbilical cord with the old. They always relapse into the old habit of joining traditional forces. In the first instance, those aspiring to a new Nepal must get rid of the good-for-nothing fellows whose numbers are legion in the political parties. If the old leaders are honest and owe a great deal to their supporters for their being in power for a long time, now it is high time that they transferred their responsibility to the new at once. The New Nepal will be a dream come true if it is characterised by peace, progress and stability. Excessive optimism cannot build a new Nepal. A New Nepal does not and can not mean instant rich, prosperous and abundant Nepal because it cannot be made so in the foreseeable future. Yet, this goal should not be lost sight of.
The only practical solution at this moment is the establishment of peace which is a pre-requisite for the solution of other national problems - economic, social and political. Peace, which lacks today, should be the immediate objective of the new Nepal, for without peace nothing better and finer can be achieved. Here, the people demand that the political leaders be serious and single-minded. Whether they succeed or not will be measured by the degrees of their achievement.Peace once established on secured foundation has to be strengthened and reinforced by good governance, fundamental and human rights, efficient administration, federalism, secularism, inclusive democracy, and equity in the distribution of the gains of development. Empowering women, educating the people and improving their economic conditions, providing employment opportunities particularly to the hitherto excluded and marginalised groups are the sinews of the new order.
Reform in onese
lfBesides, criminalisation of politics and politicisation of crimes must be done away with at any price. The perpetrators of corruption, crime, violence and lawlessness should not only be discouraged but also punished.In fine, a new Nepal implies a changed Nepal. A new Nepal means nothing more than a better and finer Nepal. In order to achieve this goal, every stakeholder, instead of talking about reforming others, must think about reforming themselves without waiting for others to start doing so. Everybody dreaming a dream of a better Nepal had better act wisely so that the newly restored hard-fought democracy remains secured.
