Where to, madam?

Published On: May 10, 2017 12:45 AM NPT By: Republica  | @RepublicaNepal


President’s Lanka trip 
In 1998, the then-President of India, K.R. Narayanan, wowed his countrymen when he queued up with ordinary voters to cast his vote in the 12th Lok Sabha election. Narayanan believed that his gesture would inspire many other Indians who were still undecided about voting to go and cast their ballots. Just like the office of the president in Nepal, the role of the office of the Indian president is largely ceremonial. An effort is made, in both India and Nepal, to keep the office above political fray, so that it represents all the people, not just those belonging to particular political faiths. For that reason, the symbolic gestures of these heads of state carry a lot of weight. We believe President Bidya Devi Bhandari should have voted in the May 14 election, at a time when a big section of the population, especially the youth, is skeptical about the importance of their vote. The government’s role right now should be to inspire maximum number of Nepalis to go vote. But instead, on the voting day, the head of the state will be in Sri Lanka, attending an international Buddhist conference. 

We are aware that not all ceremonial heads of state vote. For instance the current Indian President, Pranab Mukherjee, refused to vote in the 16th Lok Sabha election in 2014, saying that he wanted to revive the tradition of the Indian head of state maintaining absolutely ‘neutrality’ by not voting. The British monarch does not vote for the same reason. But, again, there are no hard and fast rules. A lot of it is contextual. Narayanan decided to vote because he understood the symbolic value of the president of the country standing in a queue to vote. A similar gesture on Bhandari’s part would have carried huge symbolic value and done a lot to dispel the growing public perception that our ceremonial presidents are but reincarnation of the former monarchs, with their countless unearned privileges. The president’s cavalcade certainly matches those of former monarchs. The roads are completely cleared of vehicles, well in advance of its arrival and you are harshly reprimanded by the police even for crossing the road on foot. If the roads are not cleared for our prime minister, why do it for our ceremonial president? Why can’t the president clearly say that she does not need such elaborate security arrangements that greatly hinder people’s movement? 

It is also a matter of concern that the head of the state is leaving the country on the eve of the once-in-a-generation event: local election is taking place in Nepal after a gap of two decades. The office of the president is surely aware that bilateral visits do not take place at such crucial times. The unintended message the office is giving to the rest of the country is that it simply is not bothered about local election, as important as it may be for the country right now. President Bidya Devi Bhandari’s activities ever since she assumed office in October 2015, we are afraid, smack of elitism and show a breathtaking lack of ability to feel public pulse.   


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