Professor Ram Kumar Dahal

(Retd) Tribhuwan University, Nepal

Political challenges and problems:

The ruling elites and political leadership in Nepal, in spite of their flowery slogans of inclusive and participatory democracy, have terribly failed to promote political stability, institutionalize democracy.
The deteriorating law and order situation in different parts of the country, particularly in the south of East –West highway, where a number of terrorist groups of nonpolitical nature are very active, the absence of state mechanism in many parts of the country, the political protection of crime, the criminalization of politics, and politicization of crime, and the absence of good governance have raised the serious issues regarding the successes of leadership in Nepal.

The encouragement to militant tendency among the principal political parties and their trust on bullet, than ballot as the ladder to political power, the feeling of political intolerance among them have raised serious issues regarding the successes of democracy in Nepal.

The absence of inner party democracy and the attitude of the first generation leader to disrespect and trust the emerging youth leadership have further raised the issue of credibility of leadership in Nepal. As the political leaders are mostly above the retiring age in Nepal (e.g. 58, 61, 63), the country is virtually governed by dead leadership.

The ruling elites and political leadership in Nepal have practically failed to respect the voices of the weak, marginalized, minorities, powerless and voiceless groups.

The destructive activities conducted by the terrorist groups in different parts of the country in different political slogans, the political and governmental instability, the growing activities if the foreigners in Nepal in different names, elitist, aristocratic and impractical thinking of political parties, and leadership, their failure to honestly implement the provisions of peace agreements, the rampant political and administrative corruption,, favoritism and nepotism,( preferring afno/hamro manche than ramro manche), failure to honestly implement the provisions of international covenants of human rights, double standard of leadership, the absence of democratic political culture among the leadership, the rising expectations of the people turning into roaring frustrations, and similar other issues have questioned the capability of Nepalese leadership.

Due to interparty and intra party conflicts, and unhealthy competition among them, and the destructive nature of oppositional politics have also created many issues in this direction.

The political leadership has failed to minimize the weaknesses of representative democracy, and due to the wrong and impractical activities of the political drivers, many people express suspicion that Nepalese democracy may not reach the actual and correct destination.

The political leadership has no fixed goals and has remained silent on most crucial issues of border violations, national interests, and territorial sovereignty.

The political leadership in Nepal, under the influence of globalization, has lost its decision making power, leaving such power in the hands of the regional and global powers.

The feelings of patriotism and nationalism have become outmoded factors, causing the deterioration of the feeling of dedication towards the people and the nation.

The political protections of crime, criminalization of politics and politicization of crime, increasing alienation/frustration towards politics have further weakened the Nepalese leadership and democracy. Under the influence of globalization, the youngsters have no love and affection to the nation and run after money, visit foreign countries.

The political and administrative corruption in Nepal has weakened the Nepalese state and leadership.

It is said that a dog, with a bone in its mouth, cannot do two things-it can neither bite nor bark.

The people have also stated questioning of what use in keeping such dogs which can neither bite nor bark.

Some people believe that if the whole politics is corrupt, the political leaders cannot be free from corruption.

If the whole body is affected by cancer, the head cannot be expected to be free from it. The leadership has also failed to address the demands of the teen agers and change their attitudes towards politics, who regard “politics as the dirty game played by the idiots.

”The indirect colonization of the Nepalese leadership has resulted in the losing of their decision making power virtually making them the puppets of regional and global powers serving their interests in Nepal. The small boundary created by parochial loyalties (language, ethnicity, culture, race, region, religion) inside the country has further created challenges in this direction.

The lack of farsightedness and the failure of the political leadership in addressing the real grievances of the common people in time have led to the emergence of critical problems in Nepal.

The political leadership has failed to improve the law and order situation; control political and administration corruption in the country to discourage favouritism, nepotism, “rajnitik bhagbhnda” and promote, Afnomanche instead of Ramromanche.

It has also shown its incapability in minimizing the weakness of democracy and the negative impact of globalization.and implement the international conventions on human right.

It has also failed to develop proper image in national and international politics; demonstrate democratic culture; erase the image of failed state and develop independent international personality.

The bureaucratic and authoritarian leadership and such political culture still prevail in the country in different forms and nature.

Under such critical situation, the political leadership in Nepal has to play very significant role in making the democracy the government truly “by the people for the people and of the people” instead of the “government by the fool for the fool and of the fool” or “government by the cattle for the cattle and of the cattle”.

Economic weaknesses challenges and problems: the deteriorating economic growth of the nation, the growing rate of poverty, unemployment and the government’s less concern towards these problems has raised serious issues regarding the success of leadership in Nepal.

The brain drain and labour and youth drain from Nepal to the countries of the world, including gulf countries has posed problems to the political leadership in Nepal.

Under the impact of globalization, the capable/qualified youths have preferred to seek job opportunities in developed countries of the west, including the US, Australia and Canada and in the gulf countries.

In pre 1990 period, there were few Lahures but in post April 2006 days almost all the youths and educated and capable persons have turned into new Lahures.

The failure of political and ruling elites to protect their economic interests in those countries has further questions their capability in Nepal. The high misuse of foreign aid has further created problems in this direction.

Socio-cultural weaknesses challenges and problems: The political leadership has also failed to promote social harmony cooperation, cohesion and the concept of tolerance among the existing socio-cultural groups, contributing to integration of the nation.

Cultural and information imperialism and the emergence of a number of small boundaries created by parochial loyalties, including caste, ethnicity, religion and region have also created challenges in this direction.

Administrative weaknesses challenges and problems:

The polarization of Nepalese administration on the grounds of political ideologies, formation of similar groups have seriously questioned the reliability and integrity of the entire administrative system.

Constitutional weaknesses challenges and problems: As the constitution has not been drafted by the CA in time, it has also raised the issue of democratic accountability of the legislative leadership in Nepal.

Educational weaknesses challenges and problems:

It is the prime duty of leadership to remain well-informed and to update regarding the crucial issues of national interests, and national and global events, so that the events could not be manipulated against the nation’s interests.

The reading- habits make them farsighted, liberal and informative about national, regional and global events, and also help them in learning lessons from history and also in not repeating the past mistakes.

But the political leadership in Nepal has no habit of studying, and updating themselves about such issues and events have no habit of consulting and interacting with the academics/ experts on such issues of national interests and also have no habit and culture of listening the criticisms from opposition.

They have to develop the habit of reading and analyzing those events on the basis of national interests and third world perspective.

The issue of the educational qualifications for the legislative and executive leadership has also been raised in post 2006 days under the current constitutional provisions; the leaders are the only persons in Nepal who need no academic qualifications to hold posts of legislative and executive leadership.

Many view that the provision of such educational qualification has to be compulsorily prescribed for the members of the proposed legislature and executive in the new constitution.

Currently, nearly 60 out of total 601(nearly 10%) are believed to be illiterate, though they have now learnt to write their names and can read simple letters. Many leaders in many political, however, are educated and well informed.

Most of the orthodox or radical communists have spent much of their time in studying the political ideologies of communist philosophers ,including Marx, Lenin, Mao, Stalin, to mention a few).The communist leaders are found comparatively better informed.

Strategic weaknesses of Nepalese leadership: The Nepalese political leadership has failed to understand Nepal’s geo strategic significance in the present day regional and global politics, and take proper advantage and serve nation’s interests out of the competition among the regional and global powers.

The ruling and political leadership has to properly understand the competition of regional and global powers in Nepal, maintain balanced relationship with its immediate neighbors (without any tilt to any side) and take advantage of the existing situation in favour of Nepal’s national interests.

Psychological weaknesses of Nepalese leadership: The personal factors in ruling and political elites including their selfishness, greediness have also played significant role in politics.

The political leaders are strictly guided by personal factors, vested interests.

They have failed to oppose the foreign domination in Nepal, and border encroachment due to these factors .

In order to come into power, and remain in power for longer duration, they are ready to compromise with their political ideology, oppose his/her party leadership, make secret alliances with other political parties if their interests are served, and cross the floor in the House and, in general, ready to become immoral forgetting their democratic values, norms and culture.

From the telegraph Nepal archives: Ed. Upadhyaya.