Nefin's Banda

Ever since the indefinite strike called by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist in early May, which the party later withdrew, the country was relishing the absence of bandas. Though political crises showed no sign of subsiding during this period, ordinary Nepalis felt much relieved that their lives were at least not burdened by senseless bandas called by one or another of the ever-bickering political parties. Unfortunately this week, the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (Nefin) stepped in to fill in this much welcome void left by the political parties. Nefin announced a nation-wide banda on Sunday, which people loathed but had no choice but to submit to, for bandas are forced affairs in Nepal. Just an indication of what people thought of Sunday´s banda, this is what a former Miss Nepal wrote in her facebook: I am a person of indigenous origin, but the next time you tell me or any other indigenous person not affiliated to any political party, that "we" did the banda, repeat this to yourself-- "I AM AN EDUCATED FOOL." Maybe, a little too harsh in her language, but she captured the sentiments of ordinary Nepalis.



Nefin´s justification for the banda and its timing make it even more senseless. The federation has said that it acted to pressure the political parties to conclude the peace process and write a constitution on time. We are still ten months from the deadline for writing the constitution and political leaders are struggling to form a government to replace the caretaker one led by Madhav Kumar Nepal. Agreed, the parties have shown less responsibility and more recklessness in their actions but we must acknowledge the complications of the transition. We may feel frustrated with them but we must give them some time to sort out their differences and chart a common course. Nefin, or any NGOs or INGOs for that matter, trying to rush the parties is not going to make any difference. What does Nefin think about the outcome of Sunday´s banda other than the hassles faced by ordinary people?



Banda itself is a problem so it cannot contribute toward a solution to the current political crisis. When political parties themselves are gradually shunning bandas, it´s deplorable that Nefin has chosen that option. If Nefin was honestly concerned about possible delay in writing the constitution and truly wanted to display people´s support for its cause, it could have called a mass protest at Tundikhel. That could have been a more constructive way of protesting and also an effective one (provided people showed up). But Nefin opted for something easy, totally ignoring the fact that it happened to be a day for administering polio vaccines to children and also coincided with the supplementary SLC exam. Since Nefin is not a political party and operates under an NGO-format people cannot hold it to account. But donors can, and it seems they are doing so.

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