The Change Doctrine

(Courtesy: Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani)

Mahatma Gandhi once said "Be the change that you want to be". This famous dictum by the great leader is a piece of advice that would be in our interest to follow. We are a nation in transition towards transformation in the political power relations that we hope to institutionalize in the future. In the terminology of the theory of change, the country is in the process of unfreezing its ideas about the values and structures characteristic of the present. The logic of unfreezing defines the state of transition ultimately leading to a new stage of refreezing that goes on to outline the new normative conditions of stability consistent with a new political order. Logic of change

The idea of unfreeze, transition and refreeze as a theory of change was first outlined by Kurt Lewin considered as the father of modern social psychology in the first half of the 20th century. Conceptually it is a powerful framework that has been used to study a variety of social situations involving the change process both in individuals and organizational systems. At the individual level change can be profoundly destabilizing for it involves coming face to face with one's image and ego and the reorganization of closely held belief and feelings that may no longer be relevant.

Following Lewin the equilibrium in the person is maintained when the driving forces in the individual is balanced by restraining forces. Once there is an imbalance in the relative strength of these two forces there could emerge the problem of what is known as "survival anxiety" as well as "learning anxiety "since all the belief and convictions that have been held so far as the basis of action need an evaluation. It is something that can be painful and the person has a tendency to avoid it as long as possible. New defenses are created to deny the existence of the problem that tend to be expressed both by a sense of frustration as well as aggression.

In Nepal we have unfrozen our mind in many ways. Janaandolan I and II, the Maoist struggle and the experiences of running a parliamentary system for over 12 years have brought us to the point where old assumptions about social stability and development are no longer viewed as sacrosanct. In this process old terminologies are being redefined and their scope expanded so as to accommodate new ideas and perceptions which are essentially an important part of the unfreezing process.

Let us just take a look at the meaning of two important words that are now in vogue, Loktantra and New Nepal. These two words are frequently used by politicians, intellectuals and all others who are eager to register themselves as the members of the aggragaman (progressive) bandwagon. And yet in actual life how many of us really care about what it implies?

This may seem like a provocative question but our actual behavior indicates at times a schizophrenic mind set that oscillates from complete anarchy in the name of democracy to an authoritarian value system that will make the likes of Jung Bahadur very happy indeed. We have leaders in Nepal who declare boldly in the name of Loktantra that the authority of the SPA (seven party alliance) is absolute to the extent that it can declare a man as a woman and vice versa. Hearing this outburst of unbridled ego it seems that The Almighty in the heaven has finally found a mortal challenger!

Similarly, it is argued that what the country needs is a man like Jung Bahadur, a feudal despot who plunged the country in the darkness of an absolute family rule for over a century with the blessings and support of the then British colonialists, to march towards the "shining city on top of the hill" - The New Nepal. The contradictions are everywhere. In the name of Loktantra some leaders are desperately busy consolidating familytantra and the message is that a new contribution to political science -- the theory of an illiberal and feudal democracy in the name of the supremacy of the people -- is in the offing. Similarly, the rule of law is the new mantra of the political elite and yet the ordinary citizen feels clearly that the country is sliding towards anarchy with the leadership tacitly accepting the logic that it is the highway towards a New Nepal.

As for good governance, the promoters of New Nepal project a value structure that stinks of deceit and corruption to a level never reached before. It is amazing to observe the fact that the economic czars of the SPA, including the Maoists feel proud to go to the donors with their begging bowls for budgetary support and yet these same people who never tire of preaching for austerity and efficiency feel no qualms in providing each nominated member of the parliament Rs 1 million, (a total over Rs 320 million) and that also just a day before the Election Commission declared the rules of conduct for election. This indicates the distinct possibility that the commitment of the SPA to economic discipline and free and fair election is nothing more than a big farce designed to hoodwink the people. No wonder Nepal is emerging prominently not only in the corruption index published by the Transparency International but also as a new fragile and dysfunctional authoritarian state in the region.

Difficult path ahead

The political elite have paid only lip service to reframing or refreezing towards a new value structure relevant to the socio-economic development of the country. Taking a cue from Lewin's theory of change it seems clear that the leadership of the SPA is caught in a vicious circle of survival as well as learning anxiety in any new reframing of the political system. Survival anxiety makes its impact when people feel that their previous held convictions are, after all, not relevant to the present and future without modifications in core assumptions. It is a stage when one starts to swing from one extreme to another as exemplified in the venal attitude of leaders like Prachanda towards the Chief of Nepal Army while feeling cozy and comfortable with former ministers and functionaries of the royal government.

Survival anxiety, on the other hand, normally leads to learning anxiety since the need to search for a new perspective can be painful for the simple reason that it could possibly demolish the ideological base that has been effective so far. The behavior of the Maoists that seems to swing from one extreme to another is a sure indication of survival anxiety of the leadership as it faces the turbulent waters of multiparty democracy in the form of the upcoming election for the constituent assembly if it is held as planned.

Shouting for the demise of the institution of monarchy or the Nepal Army that has consistently reaffirmed its commitment to multi party democracy and civilian leadership in a language that speaks of a great deal of latent sadism while embracing excitedly the torch bearers of the king's regime could be taken as an indication of the fact that there is a new effort towards a cognitive redefinition of ideological rigidities without giving up the revolutionary rhetoric.

But this is likely to fail for the simple reason that a liberal democratic order cannot accommodate a political ideology and a revolutionary posturing that denies the very core of a competitive multi party democratic system, including the notion of constitutional checks and balances. From this perspective the election to the constituent assembly that is reasonably free and fair promises to be a psychological Waterloo for the Maoists unless all the other parties help them to overcome their learning anxieties in a future democratic order.

Ultimately if the Maoists believe in democracy and not a one party dictatorship, they will have to project the change that they want to be both in their speech and action. The people are watching and they can distinguish between fact and fiction.

(The writer is the Co chairman of the Rastriya Janasakti Party)

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Young, Confused and Lost (YCL) – The Hammer of the Maoist “Party” of Nepal
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