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Nepal: Do UDMF & FRNF Demands Threat CA Elections?

Prakash Bom - 2/18/2008

One of the most crucial challenges that the national CA elections have confronted at this point is from the demands of both United Democratic Madheshi Front (UDMF) and Federal Republic National Front (FRNF). If the crisis is not dealt with mutual understanding for the national unity the demands might turn themselves into violent threats against people's right to vote in CA elections. The principal demands are clear and forward – establishment of federal democratic republic, full proportional representation electoral system for CA elections based on population, and guarantee of federal republican state on the basis of regional and historical background of ethnicity and linguistics with the right to self-determination.

However, the fundamental political approach the agitation is lacking is the understanding for solidarity with people of all ethnicities including Indo-Khash communities of Nepal instead of intimations, violence, destruction and death only for autonomous ethnocentric state-hoods. Perhaps the Maoist Round Table Conference approach could have served the purpose if SPA leaderships had considered it earlier. It seems as if we are becoming our own enemies because we have failed to listen to our own voices. Such blame SPA leaderships cannot escape. It is due to their lack of vision SPA leaderships have failed to address these demands in due time earnestly.

The change is inevitable because demands are genuine. Nevertheless, the resistance that has been coming against the demands is due to the self-ignorance of leaderships who are not enthusiastic enough to address the issues with mutual understanding. Therefore, the space for mutual understanding has collapsed with the agitators' strikes against authorities. Consequently, both the parties have turned bitter and ruthless in the face of common people because they are the ones who have to bear the load of all misfortune. If again their voting right is to be derailed from CA elections then it could be utterly disturbing. People can only hope that the both parties take responsibilities and reach to make mutual understanding before it gets too late.

The fear of national disintegration is less real than the anticipation of how these federal republic autonomous states are going to be governed – "Would there be state supremacy under the control of one or more dominant political parties' leaderships or will there be units of local governments that are formed by the representatives elected with the votes of the electorates of all local government constituencies (a local government unit is composed of one or more electoral constituencies)?" If these states govern without the units of local governments then states will have the supremacy with centrally controlled bodies of the state government. In that aspect, the state will seize the power of the unitary government, similar to the state governments of India. As a result, people will be, in such political process of a state, denied of their electoral right to form bodies of their local governments to govern their own home communities with their right to self-determination.

In my opinion the federal democratic republic of Nepal must have local units of governments in every federal state in order to process socio-political and economic developments from the most local level in regards to nation's varieties of geographical regions and historically allocated localities of diverse ethnic and linguistics group. Unfortunately, such distinction has not been put forward by both UDMF and FRNF in their demands. In my understanding if their right to self-determination demand guarantees the proportional representation electoral process for establishing local units of government with the right to self-governance by the electorates of constituencies of local government, then SPA leaderships must not hesitate to include their demands under the provision of interim constitution through the peaceful negotiations.

However, neither the SPA leaderships nor the Prime Minister can have authority to declare Teria an autonomous federal Madhesh state prior to CA elections without ratifying the structure of the rest of other federal states of the federal democratic republic of Nepal. Any thoughtful politician can figure this out as the constitutional procedure, which is fundamental to legitimate such democratic political process. Political leaderships could stop hounding democracy by simply complying with the fundamental procedure of electoral democracy, which CA elections as the gateway can legitimate.

One of the concepts of the demand that UDMF has insisted upon most aggressively is the demand of an autonomous Madheshi state with a republican order and right to self-determination, which I think that it is ethnocentrically exclusive. My argument is that why UDMF leaderships demand only Madheshi statehood and ignore other forty-one ethnic and linguistic groups. Why don't they demand such an autonomous statehood for the whole nation? My concern is that such an exclusive drive has generated unnecessary doubts and regressive forces have taken therefore unnecessary advantages of the movement. But if this is a political agenda and such demands can only be achieved this way then obviously people will have to fight again for their electoral right to self-determination to form their autonomous local government with UDMF and FRNF leaderships once their states are formed. How ridiculous!

I would say down to such multi-tier political culture – first you knock down the dictator, then SPA leaderships, in the end ethnocentric UDMF and FRNF leaderships for people to have electoral right to self-determination to manage their home communities on their own! What is happening here is that different political party, and their leaderships and cadres are trying to grab the power in the name of people! Yet people have to bear the consequences of their agitations – strikes, bomb blasts, and vandalism and so on. How cruel and unjust!

On the contrary, if the interim constitution has provisions that guarantee the federal democratic republic establishment after the completion of national CA elections with considerable amount of proportional representation then only obvious thing for any responsible political leadership is left is to think about the most suitable federal structure that can address these demands. If the federal structure sets provisions for local right to self-determination to the electorates of the constituencies of a local government to form bodies of the local government within the state government, for example, then population of the constituencies of a local unit of government will represent the bodies of the local government. This means no central or state appointees stepping in to govern the local people as their subjects untrustworthy of self-governance from the perspective of their political authorities – SPA, UDMF and FRNF and so on. Then and there only people's struggle for right to self-determination literally will get address if not all this will be proved to be just political gimmicks to make people fool as pathetically as in the northern boarder states of India.

Legislatively, the representatives that form the bodies of a state and a local government in a federal democratic republic establishment should be elected from within the state and local residency of the constituencies and if it is based on the proportional representation electoral system then Madheshi will obviously be representing, for instance, the government bodies of the Terai state and its local units of the government. What is the big deal to set the provisions that can fulfill the demands of UDMF and FRNF if the interim constitution has guaranteed the federal democratic republic establishment after CA elections?

Obviously, fulfillment of demand of proportional representation of ethnic and indigenous groups, dalits, women and other marginalized communities in all state organs including the police, army and civil service can make national unity much stronger. All Nepali with their ability to serve nation, particularly in a multi-ethnic nation like ours, must have proportional representational opportunity to serve the nation. Therefore, Madheshi youth must have proportional right to serve the national army of Nepal. This is how Nepal can be united. It is the most legitimate demand of the time of global consciousness for socio-political and economic opportunity and SPA must fulfill it with the mandate of the inclusive democracy. SPA leaderships must act if they are serious about the CA elections. It is appreciating that SPA leaderships are finally opening their eyes by demanding interim government to recognize all deceased individuals of Madhes movement as martyrs with due honor and provide financial assistance to their families immediately.

However, demands of armed rebels such as of Madheshi Mukti Tiger – "Termination of all forms of publicity of CA elections for the April 10 polls", for example, are anti-democratic thus they are outcome of the underground works of regressive elements and reactionary forces prompted from both northern Indian states and Terai in order to thwart CA elections. Any demand that is anti CA elections, which intends to provoke separatist intimidation against Nepali-national-wood is against people's aspiration for democracy and overall national interest. Moreover, such demands tend to create national crisis against the will of people of forty-two ethnicities who aspire for peace and democracy. If such element ignites fully it can be the gravest political crisis in entire south Asia for decades. The urgency is immediate for prevention that can only be achieved with national solidarity if the cure could not be sought both politically and diplomatically.