Whenever Nepal faces political turmoil and bedlam in the elected ‘House of Representatives’, Nepali people see their future gloomy and uncertain. This is the prevalent mood not just among the residents of Nepal but also among the NRNs (Non-resident Nepalis) living all across the world. A feeling of despair afflicts them only to make them dispirited to stay back (or come back) to their own home country. The reason they cite are widespread corruption in institutions and political opportunism. This question raises up its head repeatedly and seek answers from society at large in every nook and corner of the country: Where is the government that can build and strengthen Nepal?
A hope of a politically stable Nepal and prosperous Nepali seems to be a distant dream for the common people of Nepal. Political upheaval has kept haunting them relentlessly. A state of despondency has settled down among many of the Nepali youths looking desperately for exodus and migration from the home country to distant foreign land. For how long it will continue is the question that keeps pricking the right thinking citizens of Nepal. They look up to politicians and try to find an answer. Alas and alack, nobody comes forward to answer them and their hope of ‘politically stable Nepal and prosperous Nepali’ crashes further and dashes down. They keep rummaging through all the political parties for icons to be their savior. However, they get seeped into frustration as the chosen icons get embroiled into cheap and breezy fame, money and power. Citizenry are left in the lurch repeatedly only to be ‘used’ as a voter by a political system under the framework of the constitution at the time of election. Again, they muster up courage to rearrange their hope and steady up themselves to realize their dream and refuses to give up on the hope of a stable Nepal and prosperous Nepali. Who all are obstructing their hope and killing their aspiration: Government, political parties, institutions or privileged few with access to power and money? This needs to be probed unabashedly and assiduously.
Right from the day Jung Bahadur Rana established himself as the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of Nepal in 1846 to the signing of the Delhi agreement in 1951, citizens of Nepal experienced widespread human rights violations. Hereditary rule, based on favoritism and nepotism, was the primary means to attain status, qualifications, and power. Others were just hapless subject to be ruled over. The renewed vigor of Shah rulers from King Tribhuvan in later half of the 20th century to Mahendra and then passed on to Birendra and Gyanendra till the onset of 21st century was no different either. Several historical accounts of oppression and brutalities on people are well recorded. Moreover, people’s movements are unflinching testimony to this startling fact of Nepal being politically unstable and citizens jostling around to live the respectful life with peace and prosperity. Hereditary rule, based on favoritism and nepotism, continued to oppress the Nepali people until King Birendra announced a return to multi-party democracy on April 8, 1990.
People get disheartened and disillusioned with the new breed of politicians too as they are all exploiting the loopholes of the latest Constitution of Nepal promulgated on September 20, 2015.
Has the Nepali people's aspiration for a stable and prosperous nation been fulfilled in the decades since 1990? Definitely not, hereditary rule at the top as a head of state went on to play ‘shenanigans’ and ‘foxing’ the common people continued shamelessly. People’s Movement-II is the point in this case when Nepali people decided to hit the streets on April 6, 2006 in order to establish ‘democratic and republican state’. The then king Gyanendra made an announcement on April 24, 2006 to return the state authority (sovereignty) to the people of Nepal. For the first time in the entire history of Nepal, the people became the source of sovereignty (the ultimate political power and authority). The formal and legal status of Nepal being a republic state apart from being a democratic country was given on May 28, 2008 in the very first sitting of the Constituent Assembly. It was also reiterated unequivocally in black and white on January 15, 2015 in the then ‘Interim Constitution of Nepal’. Nepali people, after making numerous sacrifices of all kinds, thought to have their hope and aspiration fulfilled. But, once again multi-party system in democratic and republic Nepal failed to bestow the most cherished dream of the people - a politically stable Nepal and Prosperous Nepali.
The government at federal (or central) level has changed 12 times in only last 16 years since 2008 - the year when Nepal was declared ‘Federal Democratic Republic’ country. No government headed by a Prime Minister completed the full term of five years in the last 16 years. Meanwhile, the country saw only three presidents as titular ceremonial head of ‘Democratic Republic of Nepal’, though. Where actually Nepal is heading for with 12 prime ministers in just 16 years? All the governments that lasted a little over a year on an average were a coalition government with a motley group of ‘always feuding political parties’ for plum positions and seats in political power irrespective of their political ideologies. Everyone goes with everyone to reach the magic number of majority of the Lower House of the Federal Parliament to form a government.
Renewed enthusiasm and recollected vigor of self-effacing politicians of democratic republic Nepal pinned down the unflinching hope of fulfilling the aspirations of common people through their services, but failed to do so as of now. A series of coalition government got formed by the political parties starting from Manmohan Adhikari (CPN-UML) on September 29, 1994 (that lasted only for five months) till the present. There is no respite and solace from the ‘burn’ of coalition government in the heart of the common people of Nepal. People get disheartened and disillusioned with the new breed of politicians too as they are all exploiting the loopholes of the latest Constitution of Nepal promulgated on September 20, 2015. To be part of coalition government has become the ‘new normal’ in Nepal instead of being ‘aberration’ in itself. People of Nepal and civil society are giving incessant clamorous call and pitching for amendment of the present constitution to arrest the trend of forming coalition government. Long term development plans of the country and policy decisions keep waiting as new government in offing or on the hot seat of power reverses the earlier plans and policies.
(Binod Kumar Pathak is an editor (of academic books), educator and academician)
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