In Nepal, it’s not really our economy that has so far been shaping people’s attitude toward a government or any political party. Neither it is the ideological, racial, religious or nationalistic line that the party or government toes. So what is it that drives people the most, at least, in the short run? It’s the money, stupid.
Obviously, the party with the maximum financial prowess attracts most number of heads in any rally. And we all know which party managed to do that on May Day.
On May Day, this scribe witnessed negotiations going on between cadres of political parties and construction workers near the Bagmati Bridge in Old Baneshwar. The cadres wanted all laborers to take part in the Labor Day rally but the laborers were neither interested in them nor their ideology. They were only interested on being compensated for their daily wage if they decided to join the rally. They were least bothered about who would be addressing the mass meeting and how important the day was going to be. These people were ready to walk behind any banner as long as they were provided transportation facilities to reach the venue and reimbursement at the end of the day. Obviously, this tells us that the party with the maximum financial prowess attracts most number of heads in any rally. And we all know which party managed to do that on May Day.
On an average, it takes around 200 to 300 rupees to bring one person on the street. Some parties manage this at about half the price. These numbers suggest that when a party claims a mass gathering of over 50 thousand people, it has to spend at least 10 million rupees (at the rate of 200 per person). Even if 50 percent of the crowd are non-paid volunteers, it will still need to spend a huge sum for the preparation process and on posters, pamphlets, announcements, banners, stage decoration, transportation, guest relations and what not. The Joint Action Committee for Newa Autonomous State (JACNAS) that organized the valley banda on June 1 might know how much it costs exactly to execute such a program effectively.
As long as money reigns supreme, the parties that believe in eliminating the opposition and snatching the hard-earned property of the people in the name of social justice will always remain the most powerful. As the state machinery has become invalid, the money and muscle of such parties will also prevail in elections. Until and unless we develop a system of making the spending of political parties transparent, money will prevail over ethics, morality, honesty and ideology.
Unfortunately, NC gets the first credit in failing the people in this account. If Koirala and his followers had not institutionalized corruption in the name of strengthening the party, the situation would not have gone haywire like it has. When they were out of the government, the CPN-UML adopted the strategy of enriching the party and its leaders through NGOs and local bodies. When in the government, its leaders set a precedent by consolidating corrupt behavior initiated by the NC. Both the parties considered it their right to demand huge donations in the name of picnics, meetings, conventions and party operations.
In such a backdrop, the Maoists went a few steps ahead of the NC and CPN-UML. Instead of applying indirect techniques, the Maoists directly threatened businessmen for donations. Instead of cheating on revenue, they imposed their own taxation mechanism. They banked on their guns to force people to listen to their orders. Obviously, they had to kill a few to make others understand that they meant business.
After joining the peace process, the Maoists seem to have trouble fulfilling their greed because they cannot loot banks at will like before, and extortions too have become difficult to carry out. Hence, as admitted by Pushpa Kamal Dahal in the recently-leaked video, they misused millions of rupees that was meant for their combatants. In the video, the Maoist supremo was seen talking about how the party intended to use the money meant for the martyrs’ families. Now, as they are not in the government anymore, they will probably resort to their old tricks again.
As long as political parties can collect money and disburse it solely at their own discretion, without any mechanism for accountability, then parties with financial clout will always reign supreme. The CPN-UML and the NC have once again received an opportunity to reverse the public’s existing perception about them regarding their financial misconduct. It is high time they brought clean and efficient leaders in the cabinet. These parties should make their accounts transparent and give up the age old tradition of nepotism, favoritism and cronyism. Only then will they have the moral authority to take action against any wrongdoings of the Maoists or, for that matter, any other party.
prateek@myrepublica.com
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