SANS FEDERATION NEPAL TO GROPE THROUGH DARK TUNNELS DEEP INTO THE FUTURE

[The present multi-party system in Nepal, fraught with inter and intra-party wrangling, mud slinging, horse-trading and sometimes outright 'physical attacks' also manifests greater risk - a greater threat to federation rather than simple ethnic aspiration for representation of the marginalized folks to the governance. Should the perceived federation, ethnic or otherwise endorsed or not and, if adopted and failed in no time will end up in a general civil disorder. In both cases, the actual fault will lie with indiscipline within political parties and disfavour of multi-party system but the blame will be squarely loaded onto the ethnically spirited relatively weaker Janjatis and other marginalized groups, of course, by those who have strong grip on country's power nexus today.]

By Artha Tuladhar

Nepal, in terms of geography and economic viability is a "wholesome" country - it sustains in its "wholesomeness". Just as the high Himalayas, the middle hills and the Tarai synchronise in its diversity of resources to form a "wholesome region" or "wholesome federal unit" on the longitudinal plane, so also the diversity of resources in the latitudinal plane within the Mechi-Mahakali borders synchronize to form a "wholesome" country. Therefore, federalizing Nepal must not mean dividing the country into self-determining autonomous "states" that can neither sustain on its own nor tap into resources lying within the borders of the nation.

Recent history has yet to instil the true values and practices of democracy into the psyche of Nepalese society as a whole and the present crop of leaders in particular birth of feudal yolks. In real life Nepal, the rulers and the ruled are still very much segregated along ethnic lines. Good governance and strict adherence to the rule of law could have very much erased the lines between the rulers and those ruled but with the type of multi-party system we have chosen in the name of freedom; good governance is still a crying in the jungle. The ruling communities still brag around and nepotism flourishes within family relationships and their ethnic links. The ruled and the marginalized have little or no access to the decision level or are simply shooed away. The gulf between the individual and the ‘decision makers’ that affects a person’s role and participation is still very far and therefore there is a need and call for federation.

Not that federation will wipe out all owes and corruption and feudal mentalities in one swipe but learning from community based undertakings (forestry, foot trail bridges, local community infrastructures, agricultural initiatives) where the target communities themselves get to make decisions in a forum show a marked improvement in social interactions among all ethnic groups as well as successful development achievements. If federation in Nepal is not for infighting among multi-party politicians and people whom they entice and incense, then federation in Nepal ought to be a "loose", little more "interdependent" in nature and one that does not create solid "states" with multi-party "netas" and their followers manning all structures of the bureaucracy. Federation in Nepal must give the decision forum to the people and let them man and operate the procedural planning steps, organisation and administration – or in other words, the management of resources and finances for development initiatives within the federal units. There is no need to "politicise" development issues, rather the need is to "manage" available and potential resources for balanced development, distribution and welfare.

For federation to succeed in Nepal, the present multi-party system hinged onto capitalist, socialist, communist and all other types of in-between ideologies and philosophies must be scraped. Verily, development and welfare must replace all those talking heads’ ideological and philosophical jargons that simply antagonise one  against another with none truly understanding the head or tail of it, and more importantly, the consequences thereafter. Nepalese society and social behaviours are nowhere close to being a well lubricated machinery that functions and falls in line with the theorists' - theories, assumptions or forecasts or the twist and turns of their vocal tools – right or left.

The alternative to it is not going back to the one party system that has landed Nepal in the present imbroglio. There shall be multiple parties but the number will be limited to four parties representing the organs of the state. The formation of the parties shall be based on their aspiration and ability to represent and execute a particular set of duties of the state and not on ideologies and "isms". The electoral procedures and representation parameters will need to be finely and strictly balanced in a manner that will ensure optimum representation from all ethnic communities within a federal unit. Elected representatives from the four shall form a "nuclei" that will oversee their functions and workings. A totally new development and welfare engraved political framework needs to be conceived with adequate and easy provisions to immediately recall and impeach guilty representatives. Federation then will make good sense and lead Nepal on to peace, progress and prosperity.

The present multi-party system is not bringing on able and genuine leaders to the forefront in adequate numbers and the chances that it will in future are bleak simply because of the lack of discipline not just among politicians and their cadres but also among voters in general. As a system of politics, rather than unifying Nepalese society, it is playing negative, a destructive and divisive force. So, if we are to continue with the present type of multi-party hocus pocus with accompanying cacophony of hundreds of irresponsible parties and thousands of irresponsible netas, with or without federation, Nepal and Nepalese will continue to grope through dark tunnels deep into the future.

The present multi-party system in Nepal, fraught with inter and intra-party wrangling, mud slinging, horse-trading and sometimes outright 'physical attacks' also manifests greater risk - a greater threat to federation rather than simple ethnic aspiration for representation of the marginalized folks to the governance. Should the perceived federation, ethnic or otherwise endorsed or not and, if adopted and failed in no time will end up in a general civil disorder. In both cases, the actual fault will lie with indiscipline within political parties and disfavour of multi-party system but the blame will be squarely loaded onto the ethnically spirited relatively weaker Janjatis and other marginalized groups, of course, by those who have strong grip on country's power nexus today.