Amidst the buzz right now surrounding upcoming CA elections we often forget an important aspect of Nepali political milieu: local elections. Local election is as important as CA elections (if not more), for the stability of a country. Since the end of the term of local-level office bearers in 2005, the government has tried many mechanisms to fill the void, but all of them have failed to serve the purpose. Absence of local elections has severely affected the lives of those living in villages where local representatives are sought for various purposes. In rural areas, they are the ones who solve disputes, from big ones like religious fights to minor ones like theft of livestock. They are the ones who mediate between the VDC and local people.
As I talk to my friends about the upcoming CA elections, I hear most of them say that election is useless, as the same old leaders will run again, and we will never get to choose new people. Despite parties having so many members, why is it that the same people contest elections every time?
When a student passes SLC examination, he /she gets to attend college, advancing to a higher level on the educational hierarchy. Local elections are similar to SLC for village level political leaders; the one who wins in local elections and performs his duties gets to represent the VDC in district level committees of his/her party. But in the absence of local elections, and consequently, no appointments, there is no mechanism to assess the popularity and efficiency of an individual or party. In these cases, a leader who might have done wonders for a village might never get to be part of district level politics. Instead, those with good links with central level party leaders will be promoted up the party hierarchy.
I came across many such cases during my visit to mid-Tarai last month. Leaders who have been loyal to their parties for a long time did not get an opportunity to be a part of district level politics. Instead, leaders who were either related to some central committee leaders or had maintained close contacts with them were the ones who were selected by the party to represent the VDC at the district level. Had there been local elections, the party would have had no option but to give the ticket to the person who is more popular in the VDC rather than the one with better links. A deserving person would have the opportunity to go to phase II, that is, district level politics. The selection of undeserving candidates to represent the VDC at the district level ultimately affects the governance system of the whole VDC, as the needs and demands of people aren’t properly reflected, and people feel less connected to the one who has been chosen to mediate between them and district level politicians.
khabarsouthasia.com
Generally, there are three ways to start political career in Nepal. The first is through institutional politics. You first become a part of an institution i.e. a college or industry, and then become affiliated with one of the parties active in the institution. Secondly, you know somebody who is already in politics, and follow in their footsteps. You can call it nepotism-based politics. The last way is via local level politics. You start doing politics at the local level, gradually enter district level, then zonal level, and finally you get to enter the central level.
In case of the first two scenarios, there are certain requirements. For instance, to start on institutional politics, you need to be a part of an institution. For example, if you want to be a student leader, you have to get admitted to a college first. Similarly, if you want to be a trade union leader, you have to be working in certain industries or trade institutions. You also need to know some leaders beforehand in this case. The only scenario without any initial requirement is local level politics. Anybody who thinks he/she can be a leader can join politics this way. The role of local election is very significant in this scenario, as a candidate’s performance in election determines whether or not he/she is eligible for the next level.
Right now, in the absence of local elections, one source of new leaders has been completely blocked off. Now we are getting new leaders only via institutional politics or nepotism-based politics. There might be some good and popular leaders who might not be eligible for an institution, or may not have good links with any political leader. In the absence of local elections, such leaders will never get to be part of the bigger picture. Thus, if we want to improve the political situation of our country, local elections are a must. It will bring new leaders to the scene and will remove the hindrance that has been confining good leaders to village level politics.
The author is an MDeVs graduate from Kathmandu University
bijay.kumar.shahi@gmail.com
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