April 5, 2008
While American newspapers scour and dissect every phrase our presidential candidates speak or “misspeak”, Nepalese journalists concern themselves with more fundamental issues surrounding their upcoming national elections, to be held in four days.
From today’s Kathmandu papers:
“An agreement has been reached
to deploy the army during the polls if killings and abductions
continue,” said Shyam Sundar Gupta, Minister for Industry, Commerce and
Supplies.
“Four bomb blasts in Kathmandu Valley.”
“At
least 10 persons were injured when UML cadres clashed with
Maoists…Police fired bullets in the air to take the situation under
control.”
“25 hurt in Maoists attacks in Dhading.”
“Six blasts in Kapilvastu.
“The
election Commission has decided to disqualify 299 candidates on five
grounds: First 66 candidates from 28 political parties were underage.
Second, over 184 candidates from 21 parties had failed to submit their
citizenship certificates. Third…”
The chaotic, hopeful, dread-ridden, excited atmosphere was evident
immediately upon my arrival in the nation’s capital yesterday
afternoon. My first stop after the airport was the office of the
National Elections Observation Committee (NEOC), not far from
Nagpokhari (Snake Pond) and the Nepalese Police Headquarters. I met the
Secretary General of NEOC, Dr. Gopal Krishna Siwakoti, who has been
working around the clock to help set stage for national and
international observers of the elections. “We have had only 34 days to
put all of this in order. Not much advance warning. Usually these
things take months to organize. But we’ve somehow managed – even with
eight-hour power cutoffs per day. Apart from approximately 13,000
national observers, 20 international observers have already been
trained and deployed in the field. And 50 more international observers
will go out to various districts on the 8th and 9th of April.”
I
will be a member of the latter group. As an observer, I will travel to
Biratnagar, the second largest city in Nepal in the far southeast,
abutting the Indian border where much of the agitation in the last year
has taken place. Last week, for instance, the Choti Jame mosque in
Biratnagar was bombed by an insurgent group called the Defense Army
Nepal, reported to be a Hindu fundamentalist organization.
………………...
Nepal
has always been an imaginative country that, under the shadow of the
Himalayan range, sustains itself, at least partially, on its own
gossip. In the 24 hours since my arrival, here’s a sample of the rumors
I’ve heard:
“The Maoists know how you will vote. They have such
powerful binoculars that they can see where you mark on the ballot
paper from the hills above the poll.”
“The Maoists have inserted
computer chips within the ballot paper so that they will know who you
voted for; later they will come and chop off your heads.”
“The
king is laughing out loud from inside the palace walls because of the
way the parties are fighting one another. He’s going to buy the elected
representatives so that he can save the monarchy.”
“50% of the elected Nepali Congress representatives will back some form of the monarchy.”
“25% of the elected United Marxist Party representatives will back some form of the monarchy.”
“All the regional Madesh parties will vote to support the monarchy under pressure from the Hindu fundamentalists in India.”
“All
the regional Madesh parties are the brainchild of the current Prime
Minister, G.P. Koirala (Nepali Congress Party). Why did he create them?
So that they can eliminate the Maoist presence in southern Nepal.”
………………
If
all of this sounds confusing, it should be pointed out that there are
54 registered parties vying for seats in the Constituent Assembly that
will write a new constitution for the country. To further confound
understanding, there are two electoral systems to be used
simultaneously: “First Pass the Poll” (whoever gets the most votes is
the winner,) and the “Proportional Representation” system.
……………..
Nepal
has gone through tremendous upheaval since the 1950s when its borders
were opened to the outside world. The beginnings of democratic
ambitions were evident even as Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Nepal’s most
famous landmark, Mt. Everest. But democracy doesn’t happen over night.
It didn’t happen over night in the United States and it’s not happening
here in Nepal, one of the ten poorest countries in the world. If Nepal
has anything going for it, it’s the amazing resilience of its people.
In
a few generations, Nepalis have broken the chains of a feudal monarchy,
have experienced fleeting flirtations with free elections, stumbled
through parliamentarian corruption and ineptitude, been forced to
return to autocratic rule, survived a 10 year civil war between
monarchists and Maoists, and now, finally, created for itself – some
might say against all odds – an opportunity to pen a constitution that
will pave the way for a society that truly represents the people’s
aspirations and fundamental rights.
No matter what happens in
the next few weeks, Nepal is at a starting point. Even if the elections
prove to be fair, it may not be enough to create a democracy that works
for Nepal’s unique multi-cultural, religious and political traits, at
least in the near future. The struggle will be long, sustainable only
if the spirit of democracy prevails.
I’ve been instructed that,
in the next few days, my primary duty as an international observer is
to keep an open mind. It will be interesting to see if my upcoming
postings reflect that.
