We have now proven to the world that when it comes to us there is no event big enough which will force to mend our ways
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Waiting for Godot!
It's perhaps time we raised our hands, in surrender, and declared that we are no different from Vladimir and Estragon, the protagonists of the famous play by Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot. The play has been heralded as 'absurdist' for the kind of absurdity played out in it. The plot of the play is nothing more that these two characters waiting for something called "Godot". However, Godot never comes. What makes the plot interesting is the fact that Godot never arrives and therefore nor those two characters nor the audiences watching the play can ever make out what Godot is. They just wait. I feel like it's a play about present day Nepal.
The country today is in more ridiculous state than ever before. The reason could be many but just focusing on two seems adequate. To start off, we as a nation have successfully made a grand mockery of the mega-earthquake. We have just passed some hundred plus days since the mega quake and there is un-eerie calmness in the air. There was a time when we thought that our lives will never be the same again. There was a period when we were not sure of our very survival. We strongly felt that if at all we manage to survive, outlive the non-stop shocks and aftershocks, we will concentrate all our thus far wasted motivation and resources to rebuild the nation. It was a period when everyone felt that this was one final opportunity to make amends. Politicians promised not to loot, citizens promised not to cheat.If you try recalling some of the passionate things that were said then I am sure this one stands out. One of the leaders had suggested, on record, that Nepal should follow what they practice in European countries and demolish private houses and public buildings every thirty years. I remember wondering what a fool he was and then suddenly realized that such things can only be said in Nepal and got away with. Nonetheless, every soul that survived the quake had something or other to say regarding nation building or rebuilding. The government seemed charged. We had a mega donor's meet. We gave them a seemingly detailed picture of what had happened and how, once we get their money, we would use the money to heal broken souls.
Apparently we knew much less about ourselves than what donors knew about us. Remember although the meet was hailed as successful one, much of the money we had asked for was not given to us but 'promised'. Next up, the promised amount was not a fresh amount but money siphoned off from already promised projects. We were left red-faced for we realized that the country of Buddha and Everest did not even have friends in the planet to provide us with who could donate/lend us mere seven billion dollars.
The reason why nations stopped short of lending their unconditional support back then suddenly looked plausible. In these hundred days, we have not been able to form a high powered committee to oversee and monitor the reconstruction work. In the name of consensus we have reached a point that for every task done or every committee formed, we need four representatives of the awesome foursome. Thus, in the process, we have now proven to the world that when it comes to us there is no event big enough which will force to mend our ways. This is how we slowly crawled back to something we so love, leaving aside the entire process of rehabilitation and reconstruction behind.
The earthquake, as it now seems, did not make more than just a brief interference in way too long process of constitution building. Again, there was a time when people were talking about lives being more important than the Godot like constitution. Constitution affected entire nation whereas the earthquake affected only a certain percentage of the country. Therefore it was foolish of some people to suggest that country should channelize all its effort to reconstruction.
To begin with, the constitution apparently seems to be positioned in a weird predicament. It can see life but only when it's devoid of key major issues like federation of states. The constitution by its virtue is supposed to be a document that doesn't address each and every little detail. We are in no mood to resolve major issues. Hence, it would still be like waiting for the godot for one can hardly think of any miracle that can catalyze the process. It's worth remembering that we now have a process which has now outlived one of the mega disasters.
Nepal today must be a laughing stock. I am sure if not for those donors, at least for places where they do study on Nepal, may be foreign varsities, they must be wondering as to what a Nepali mindset must be like. The way the feedback on the draft of the constitution was sought was one act of stupidity we will never forget. I am not complaining about the process of seeking feedback as such but more about the way it was done. It literally not only gave each citizen a right to suggest on the draft amendment but also to come out with their own interpretation of how a constitution draft ought to be. This paved way for everyone to become a constitutional expert.
Each citizen started to feel that his/her idea of the constitution was the best. There is not much to complain about it except for that fact that many such people had no idea as to what actually is 'constitution'. No wonder we have come across such suggestions which perhaps do not feature in the two hundred plus constitutions that are in action today throughout the world. I strongly feel that it's not common people who made ridiculous suggestion but rather it's the government which created such an environment for such ridiculous comments.
In a nation which has forced itself into politically charged environment for quite some time now, the huge participation of people in such process like providing feedback and suggestions should not be surprising. It's comprehensible to one and all when a blind man from Rukum demands that the new constitution must ensure special rights for people without sight but not when some high profile businessman wants special privileges for his business to be mentioned in constitution.
With each passing day, there will be one more absurd demand. We will not tell as to what will be there in the constitution and give a willing nod to every demand no matter how stupid it is. And by doing so, we are making it even more Godot like. Perhaps one answer every Nepali is seeking is if making of a Godot is by design or default.
hiteshkarki@gmail.com
