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Nepal: How long will the aftershock last?

Bhuwan Thapaliya - 2/19/2007

As I watched in horror the burning Terai, and the path of communal strife and ethnic polarity, Nepal is taking after a decade of Maoist’s conflict, I wonder if the sectarian violence can be resolved by the fundamental restructuring of constitution only, before it grows into a catastrophe.

The situation in Terai, which has fortunately soothed now, went from bad to worse. The movement which was started to voice the legitimate demands of the Madhesi people through legitimate means, clearly headed toward communalism and vandalization.

Nepal, it is said, is being torn apart by ethical interests. In desperation, I ask myself, “How long will the aftershock last as by global standards it has been a model of instability for years.”

Like all Nepalese, I am frustrated by the condition of Nepal . But this is yet not a crisis in the dire terms to which the world is accustomed. But if some major issues, such as the issues raised by the people of Terai, remained unanswered, Nepal will be forever like this. So instead of ignoring the problems and pretending all is well, we must confront the reality.

As we know, Nepal is going on through the transition phase and there are numerous vacuums in our political landscape, so the ongoing ethnic wrangle, no matter which name we give them has been, originated from the power politics- the power to rule. And this is natural, as shown by the transitional phases of the deferent nations during the various stages of their existence.

So, what is the solution? The state should address their issues though the legitimate means in such a way that no ethnic groups, no matter how small they are in numbers, remain suppressed in Nepal from the majority groups out lagging them in sheer numbers, from now onwards. Let our society be built on the motto of, “Equal opportunity for every Nepalese.”

Yeah, majority of Nepal ’s problems are political, and there must be a political solution, but some of them can be mended by economic incentives too. Nepal is poor, but I don’t agree blindly to this fallacy. On the other hand it is equally as fallacious to argue that Nepal is not poor. Nepal is poor, but it is not so much a poor country as they think it is.

It is true; we lag behind in health, education, employment opportunities, and in peace building, but we are certainly not poor as they think we are. So considering this, more than money, what is needed in Nepal , if it is to move forward is a political will backed up by rural based economic incentives.

Privileges in Nepal is limited to its tiny super class of millionaires, which tickles down to the middle classes but below them are the vast majorities of them, who have nothing to call their own. And they are the exploited class. Until and unless, we come out with proper plan for them, the situation in Nepal will be forever like this, no matter how hard we preach peace in the piece of papers.

Rural Nepal and the Terai region are is in dire needs of investment that can spur economic activities. But without peace, economic recovery may continue to suffer. In the absence of economic growth and recovery, the significant increase in revenue is not possible. And without enough revenue there would be no investment, and without investment no economic activities. Such is the vicious circle of the Nepalese economy now. Considering this, we must focus both in peace building and in rural development.

A large segment of our economy is still rural, agricultural and without basic development amenities. A large section of the population is still illiterate and living below the poverty line. In this context, the state has a major role to play, especially in rural areas. The state has to support the poor, women, socially marginalized groups and regions, especially in the areas of education, health and economic opportunities.

However, due to the nature and the structure of our society and the limitations of liberal socio- economic policies, the process of communal revolution has opened up many challenges before Nepal . But nonetheless, the promotion of the social system and exposure of a community to the mainstream is essential for bringing efficiency and competitive spirit in the society.

On the other hand it is futile to argue that Nepal can move forward without addressing the core issues that has led to the Terai revolt. These issues must be addressed promptly because Nepal can longer afford to have anarchy and chaos times and again in future.

I often say to myself, we have won back our democracy. Now it is time to end the violence that has so long stained our lives. Can we end the violence? Of course we can. But for that to happen, we, all of us Nepalese- should stop berating the government for everything, and examine ourselves.

Let’s make the best we can from the situation. Let’s tell ourselves, “This is going to take time.” Let’s tell ourselves, “We are all responsible. Lets not blame all our miseries on the government. Corrupt politicians are the culprit but is anyone in Nepal innocent?