Politics comes as an appendage to almost everything in Nepal. Either we almost never tried to separate it from the rest, or it is just the way politics runs in a country inflicted with poverty, illiteracy and corruption, which every decade is witness to a revolution. Looking back at the revolutions, it seems the Nepali citizens’ or revolutionaries’ mandates for the revolution were always obscure. Many people blindly supported a few people who rose to the ranks of leaders, and those few people fed their power hungry strategies through the masses’ blood and toil. As a citizen, I thought it was a matter of national shame that Chairman of UCPN(Maoist), the largest political party of the country, Pushpa Kamal Dahal—confessed on a program on May 8, 2013 in Kathmandu that the destructive methods and definitions of patriotism his party had followed and preached during the revolution was the wrong way to go. Coming after 16 years since the start of the armed-insurgency, the death of about 15,000 people, and the toppling of almost a dozen governments, the statement only serves to illustrate the perfunctory politics, without any solid agenda and vision, which runs in our country. Ever since I became aware of Nepal’s politics, members and leaders of every party have been continuously changing their statements about their party’s mission and vision. Conflicting statements and behaviors from different members of the same political party have become old news in Nepal. [break]
Such conflicting and questionable acts were again evident in and after the appointment of Lokman Singh Karki as chief Commissioner of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). He was appointed based on the recommendations of some leaders of the major parties. To appoint a man who doesn’t meet the required qualifications for a post, and who was, moreover, accused of carrying out unlawful activities several times in the past, to such a respectable and responsible post signifies the failure of our legal, political, democratic and bureaucratic system.
In Nepal, this isn’t the first instance of people being appointed to responsible posts in constitutional bodies based on mere political recommendations. It has become a kind of norm for any newly formed government to fire existing employees from their high-held-posts and appoint its henchmen in their place. This political puppetry is condemnable in many ways, but mainly so because it has almost killed the notion of meritocracy in Nepal. When meritocracy is questioned, it shakes the very foundations of bureaucracy. Not only does it appoint inappropriate fits for the post, but also kills people’s faith in the institution.
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When political institutions of the country lack competition, or get involved in a tug of power-war, or lack a visionary lead, or form a political syndicate (to avoid objections to political influence over bureaucracy), then political patronage begins to flourish in bureaucracy. Since bureaucracy is a public body which should function independent of political powers, it is also an institution that indicates the level of good governance in a country. Due to the lack of meritocracy in bureaucracy, and the increasing influence of extractive political institutions, Nepal has lost its credibility as a well-functioning government. If such unhealthy practices are not pruned from the roots, Nepal will lose face in the International Community.
Politicians’ and political institutions’ rent-seeking in bureaucracy is also a serious problem to democracy. In representative democracy, people have voting rights to chose a few men/women whom they trust with running the government or keeping the government on track from the opposition. Basically, whoever wins the election and enters the legislative and executive body of the country is accountable and responsible towards the whole of the country’s population. We see such accountability in the elected representatives of many countries. But that is when good, ethical and moral people are elected. When demons run (read ruin) the election and win it, the picture changes.
When people vote and elect any particular leader in representative democracy, they also transform their rights and duties to those elected. It is the duty of elected ones to work for the causes of the whole voting mass. Democracy requires any bill/ law/ decision to be put to vote before being implemented by the government. Nepal currently is devoid of a Parliament, which would have given the provision of public hearing before nominating people to important posts. When political institutions form a syndicate to take any decision, the provision of putting things to vote loses its significance. With such failures of elected leaders’ performances, staged acts by the government, or misuse of concentrated powers by certain minorities, the ethos of democracy is killed. The institutionalization of such acts transforms into demon-cracy instead.
The recent examples of bureau-craziness in Nepal are the results of sheltering and fostering demon-cracy practices in the country. While the limbo state of the country explains some aspects of such practices, it can’t be an excuse to let them run wild. Fighting such practices is challenging in a representative democracy.
One of the best ways to fight such tumors is installing public watch dog approaches in society. Rather than just talking about problems in a tea shop, the public must voice their opinions and dissatisfaction to a wider, and possibly global audience. There is also a need to prepare a report card of politicians and bureaucrats regarding their activities, speeches, involvements among other things so that the public gets to know their motives, beliefs, goals and their overall professional character. The media can be extremely helpful in maintaining such report cards. One example is the PolitiFact-Truth-O-Meter program run by American news channel CNN. These are exemplary approaches that media houses (and other aware citizens) can undertake to warn and awake the politicians and public likewise. Such approaches give vital information about the people who are or will be in prominent positions in the country, which will be critical while making hard choices. These awareness practices increase the practical wisdom of the citizens, and in the long run, increase the accountability and credibility of the politicians. So, until and unless our politics and bureaucracy cleanse themselves, these approaches could be the best bets to fight the existing demon-cracy and bureau-crazy.
The author is an Economics graduate with an interest in Public Policy
barshaaa@gmail.com
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