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Nepal: No one knows what tomorrow shall beckon

Bhuwan Thapaliya - 1/30/2008

Summer has hardly begun, and yet Nepal is already enveloped in an impenetrable heat. Most people simply don’t have a clue where the nation is heading, and the few who do are not telling.

The truth, however, is this: The vultures are circling over the Nepalese sky. The carcasses are uglier than ever. No one knows, what tomorrow shall beckon. But yet fortunately for Nepal , some of the clouds are beginning to clear with unexpected speed. Smiles are returning to faces that were distorted by anger and fear.

Meanwhile, where is Nepal heading? Is it in the right direction? Will Nepal be Republic? Will the political crisis phase-out slowly but surely? What about its hydropower, is it just a myth? Will Nepal be able to generate enough economic pace to lift its masses from the clutch of poverty? Is there any way for Nepalese to bind their different peoples together within government to avert the sort of grievances that drive secessionists’ demands? Questions such as these are in every Nepalese mouth, and they are looking for a way out- and for better news.

However, to their greatest dismay, many of the commitments made in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the other peace accords have yet to be implemented. The transformation process is not going smoothly. Common masses are in more of a panic than the politicians and most Nepalese today are confused.

But at least two things are clear amid the general confusion. 1) Nepal is going through one of the most spectacular periods of its social development and political maturing, and 2) Nepal is witnessing the most dramatic expansion in people’s power for a generation as the recent upheavals have created a rare, historic opportunity for positive change in a country that, until recently, was mired in anachronistic ways.

These are all good signs, but, however, it appears very important for all Nepal ’s political actors to display common sense and objectively reassess all “assets and liabilities” of the remaining political system in order to preserve and more effectively utilize all its good points. Sadly, things, however, are not going in Nepal as the people have expected them to be after the overthrow of the monarch. It seems that as of today Nepalese leaders have not grasped this opening to push ahead with the political , economic, social reforms that nations needs to rise, transfigures, from the ashes.

And what has this done. This has raised the frustration level of People. People are frustrated and if this frustration is not tamed in time, then it may bring yet another catastrophic tremor in Nepal . But the good thing about Nepalese is that they have not lost hope and they are confident that their leaders have sufficient good will and political wisdom to overcome all the challenges standing presently in their way so that long lasting peace and prosperity would ultimately prevail in the country.

Nepalese want their leaders to solve their political crisis. For them it would seem arrogant enough to hand out prescriptions as to what to do or not to do in their particular situation from outsiders. And they are right because hardly anyone except for the Nepalese themselves will be able to find feasible solutions to Nepal ’s current unresolved issues.

What needs to be done? The solution lies on the people itself. First of all to build a successful nation we need a national commitment to transform our dreams into reality. Here, pops in a million dollar question. Are we committed as a citizen of Nepal to build a New Nepal we all claim to be building?

There are many like me who don’t think so judging by the recent racial warfare going in various parts of Nepal , especially in Terai. Have we gone mad? Have we forgotten our unity? Have we forgotten that we all are Nepalese? Have we forgotten to realize that whole of Nepal is the common heritage of every Nepali?

Yes, no part of Nepal is the private preserve of any race or clan. There is only one Nepal , of which all of us are inheritors. The whole of Nepal is the common mother of every Nepali. Let us realize this first and then let us build from this realism a process that slowly but slowly transforms the dreams of every Nepalese, regardless of gender, ethnicity, caste, religion or economic status into a lasting and pure reality.

The job is not easy but it is not impossible. Nepal ’s immediate task is to stabilize the economic situation. Nepal must renovate economic growth that is both inclusive and equitable in character. And how to have a robust growth in a country like Nepal is often subjected to technical debate. But the country must find a way out to end donor dependency sooner or later before donor fatigue lurks in. Hence, to achieve economic growth for self reliance Nepal needs to focus on foreign employment, hydropower, tourism, herbs export and explore other potential avenues if there are any.

Reform needs time; hence, setting a timetable is not easy, given the complexity of the tasks ahead. But Nepalese policy makers need to restore confidence quickly. To do so, they must lose no time specifying what they will do when they will do it and how they will do it. They must be seen to be actually implementing their plans into concrete actions all over the rugged terrains of Nepal . Then only common Nepalese would breathe a sigh of relief.

Furthermore, as the CA election process gathers momentum in the days ahead, it is even more important that the ground rules remain intact. Otherwise, political parties could start grabbing for power, triggering violence. And most importantly, as a precautionary measure, it would be unwise to touch certain hot- button issues, at lest for the moment.

Nepalese Army is still too important to national stability to be sidelined or antagonized though some question their royalty toward the king citing that the notion may not be compatible with modern democratic practice. Nor would be it prudent for authorities quickly to pursue retribution against the King, his family and his sympathizers.

While justice is likely to demand an accounting one day, and that day is coming after the CA election, an express attack now could prove dangerously divisive within the Military, where the King still commands some loyalty, and perhaps society as a whole.

Today’s priority is to fix the political system and conduct the Constituent Assembly election in time. Thereafter let the CA verdict handle the future of the King. For now, Nepal should seize its chance for historic reforms because we have an agenda for change or else our future generation would curse us.

Fortunately the reforms has already begun, power has slipped from the hands of one man, whether it be the King or Prachanda, and is already being shared by many. And this is what we call a first step towards the democracy because in a truly democratic system, the voice of the majority will prevail.