On the sixth Republic Day, the majority of Nepalis would be forgiven for feeling a little despondent. The declaration of a ‘federal democratic republic’ by the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly on this day in 2008 sparked unbridled hope. In retrospect, it is hard to say whether such hope was justified. Transition politics is seldom pretty, and after a decade-long conflict, the country is expectedly taking some time to find its footing in the uncharted terrain. The sweeping, overnight changes seemed to have left the people a little unprepared for the arduous road ahead: The long-awaited CA was finally in place and Nepalis would, for the very first time in history, get to write a constitution solely through their chosen representatives. The stellar rise of the then CPN (Maoist) and Madhesi forces suggested that a wind of change was sweeping across the country. It was hoped that the humbled Nepali Congress and CPN-UML too would have learned their lessons and would try to reestablish themselves as progressive forces in tune with changing aspirations of Nepalis. [break]
It would be a huge understatement to say that things didn’t go exactly as planned. The whole democratic process and concomitant post-2006 changes are in serious jeopardy after the unceremonious demise of the CA. In fact, May 27 last year could easily be labeled the darkest day in the history of democratic Nepal. But as gloomy as the political picture might appear, there is no need to despair either. So much has been achieved in last six years. For one, people’s political consciousness has increased dramatically. If they had only tentative ideas about republicanism and federalism when they went to the ballot in 2008, after closely following the political debate surrounding the new constitution for five long years, they are more likely to vote with their heads rather than hearts next time. Nepal is a more equal society today than it was six years ago as the marginalized groups have begun to assert themselves and demand their rightful place at all levels. And although the CA is gone, its invaluable (albeit incomplete) work will be a gold mine when lawmakers sit for deliberations in the new CA.
Yet this Republic Day should also be a time of sober reminder of the enormous challenges ahead. Although we celebrate a republic, a republican Nepal without a viable federal model is meaningless. The question is: How can the enormous gulf that still exists on federalism be bridged when the two sides to the debate still seem diametrically opposed? There are no easy answers. To begin with, both the sides should sit down for talks in a spirit of compromise. Too often it has seemed that the two sides talk past one another, neither willing to give the other a serious hearing. We believe a middle way can still be worked out if the traditional forces are willing to acknowledge that mistakes have been made and commit themselves to the creation of a truly equitable society. But it is also upon the new progressive forces to take the old forces into confidence that creation of such a society is also in their best interest. We would like to wish all our valued readers a very happy Republic Day with the hope that although the road ahead might look long and dark, we still see light at the end of the tunnel. The question is: does our political leadership see that glimmer of hope, and is it willing to invest its energy to take the country there?
Related story
Silent period' is time for voters, candidates and EC to reflect...
