Nepal's Climate of Pre-Election Fear

(Courtesy: Roop Joshi)

As they waited for the bus to take them home, perhaps their mind wandered to the future. They wanted to make something of themselves. College, professional training, maybe marriage when the right person came along…they were determined not to be just traditional ‘housewives’, making babies and servicing the home. Then they heard only the beginning of the thunderous blast before blackness engulfed them. In one cowardly act of vicious terrorism, their life seeped away in that crowded bus stand…the tapering monsoon gave way to a climate of fear.

Terrorism has raised its macabre head amidst us again. It is not the first time; alas, it probably will not be for the last time either. We now struggle to come to terms with the Kathmandu bombings of 2 September 2007. Do we accept them as just another symptom of the making of a “New Nepal”? Or do we label them for what they are – attempts to achieve political ends by unacceptable methods of violence against innocent Nepalis?

A few days have passed since the bombings. A few obscure organizations have allegedly taken responsibility for them. The police allegedly have some suspects. Meanwhile we, the general public, try and go about our lives with the impermanence of life haunting our sub-conscious. The words of Shelly in his poem The Mask of Anarchy ring in our ears, “And each dweller, panic-stricken/Felt his heart with terror sicken....” The news says that the target of these bombs are the Constituent Assembly polls, now less than 80 days away. Maybe so, in fact most likely so. But who gives the perpetrators the right to use innocent civilians as fodder for their objectives?

It is unfortunate that the sanctity of human life and the traditional peace-loving nature of Nepalis have been violated repeatedly over the past 11 years. The gun culture popularized say by American western films or the incessant modern jihads is now no stranger to this Land of the Buddha. The current lack of security and the incapacity of the security forces to do anything about it have driven many a Nepali to arm himself in order to defend his life, his family and his property. We are turning fast into an armed nation, even though the national army is ironically confined to its barracks.

The other troubling phenomenon is the rise of communalism. Is there anyone anymore who considers himself/herself a “Nepali”? We now comprise an ethnic mosaic with pointed classifications such as Madhises, Pahadis, Bahuns, Chettris, Limbus, Kirats, Newars, Thakalis, Janjatis, Dalits and on and on – each fighting for that last pound of flesh from an emerging democratic polity. Somewhere down the line, the “unity” of this country has been placed in the back burner. While, for example, the European Community is increasingly united by its monetary unit and international perspective, we Nepalis are fragmenting ourselves, stapling ethnic and communal labels on one another. Our new national anthem that speaks of a united Nepal, likening it to a garland of 100 flowers, pays but lip service to today’s reality.

Coming back to the apparent purpose of the 2 September bombings, on the surface everyone appears to be supporting the CA polls. Lip service again! Any keen observer of contemporary Nepali politics is fully aware that there are those who would benefit from the postponement or even cancellation of the 22 November polls. There has been the recent alarming proposition to convert the current interim parliament to a constituent assembly, as if by a magic wand. Other preposterous proposals have been put forward by different political parties. There seems to be an ongoing competition on who can come up with more demands. The futility of this demand-based politics is obvious when the supply of goods and services to be provided by the government is so scarce.

The necessity of the CA Elections is sacrosanct. If Nepal is to be a multi-party democracy with a legitimate elected government, there is no way around these elections. While politics is certainly the art of compromise, political decisions will never please everyone equally. The 1990 Constitution was hailed at the time as one of the best in the world. Today that same constitution is being shredded by haphazard amendments and on its way to being defunct. One wonders about the fate of the new post-CA constitution given the political fickleness of our leaders. Case in point is the shunting aside, by his own party, of the core philosophy of that “most charismatic and visionary leader” (NewsFront #32), B.P. Koirala, and his emphasis on national reconciliation and national sovereignty cemented by democratic forces and the monarchy.

No matter who planted those bombs on 2 September, the fact remains that it was wrong – morally, socially as well as politically. Unless we want to make Nepal mirror Baghdad, this has to stop. Those who believe that they are achieving political ends must ask themselves whether the means they are using are justified. The question is whether the entire Nepali population is to be held hostage to selfish political goals. As long as this climate of fear persists, the future of Nepali democracy is bleak. Let there be no doubt about this. It is time we, the common Nepali citizens, speak out against mindless terrorism with meaningful actions. We have seen how guns can achieve political power, how bandhs and ‘chakka jams’ can debilitate society. Why let these tactics be the monopoly of the few? Let us remember that we all have the democratic right to protest this invasion of our personal security – and we, the real “People” are the majority.

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