The Gauntlet

As sanity returns the memories will fade increasing the danger of recurrence: of leadership fiasco and public apathy. Leaving a legacy and sustaining the memories as a caveat is the challenge.

By John Narayan Parajuli

Sanity is finally returning to the corridors of power in Nepal. But as the memories of people power fades, our leaders would be tempted more than ever before to slack and fall back to the old modus operandi. The public will take shelter in self-built cocoon of indifference.
So far the revolutionary fervor has pushed the conventional limits beyond conventional imagination. But there is a difference between visible cosmetic changes and substantial changes. Whether or not the Ministers take oath of office in the Palace is good to write in the press; it ceases its utility beyond that point. The public outpouring during the movement wasn’t simply for constitutional niceties. It was for real change.

Breaking some wishy-washy protocols therefore shouldn’t be the preoccupation of this new government. The King has expressed his conviction that the source of power lies in the people; it’s time we swiftly and quickly test his verbal commitment clipping his wings for good. Let’s not get fooled by his verbal assertion again. It’s high time we institutionalize the achievements of the people power—before oblivion becomes the order of the day.

At the risk of sounding jingoist, let me say that people of Nepal haven’t lost the sense of freedom that the forefathers so dearly protected from outsiders. Those days of explicit outside control are long gone. In this new era nations have more internal enemies than those from outside their territorial boundaries.

People of Nepal of have overthrown one tyrant after another since 1950s. But they keep coming back in different guise: Ranas, Paches, and rajabadis. (The Maoists are an offshoot of that free Nepali spirit which unfortunately has resorted to violence as a means.)The resilience of these negative forces reflects badly upon our collective memory—as to how quickly we forget the atrocities and injustices. We leave job half done and leave the rest to the leaders who are at best a mediocre bunch—whose track records are dismal, whose commitment level zero, whose zeal for a legacy shockingly non-existent. Freedom is a process, rather than an act. It is a sustained war, rather than a decisive single battle.

The new Koirala government has performed relatively well so far. But it is far from what is needed to attain the goals of the people’s movement. But any government’s performance boils down to one thing only: Leadership quality. Prime Minister Koirala’s stature as a father figure of democratic movement is beyond comparison in Nepal, although his own personal democratic credential contradicts that standing. Many were stunned to hear his appointment to that coveted office for the fifth time. Wasn’t there anyone better?

Despite his horrible record in the past, he is known for standing up to his conviction. But Koirala has to do better than that. He should be able to brush aside the sycophants that surround him. A person who claims to believe in the voice of reason should not find it difficult in making logical decisions. He had famously called on Baburam Bhattarai to convince him about the righteousness of Maoists movement. If Bhattarai did, Koirala said, he would enter the jungle with a gun on the shoulder to join the Maoists. If on the other hand, Koirala were to convince Bhattarai otherwise, his condition was that Bhattarai should abandon the Maoists movement and join the mainstream. Although that epic debate never took place, Koirala made it clear where he stood.

He’s defiant, intrepid and consistent. The hope is that he wouldn’t compromise or undermine the achievements of the people’s movement. Although Koirala personally prefers constitutional monarchy, he hasn’t winked his eye in going for the constituent assembly which he knows can seal the fate of monarchy. He seems to understand very well that his personal preference cannot foreshadow people’s mandate.
But he’s sun over the hill from all angles. Nothing but legacy should be in his mind. A legacy that’s above petty family or party interest and that will keep him alive in memories.

There has never been a dearth of energy and ideas in Nepali politics, but not a passion to itch one’s name in the coveted tablets of legacy. Ideas lived the life of a moth—dying the minute they were born. There has never been one in Nepal who seems to have envisioned leaving a legacy—at least in politics. Legacy is all about leaving beyond one’s life; sadly we Nepalese seem to have no appetite for that kind of immortality. May be our faith in reincarnation militates against such imported concept. Lack of opportunity may be an alternative explanation—as legacies are product of difficult times when human spirit is put to test. So here’s the perfect timing.

Let you become the pioneer Mr. Prime Minister. One legacy entails another. That wish cum challenge is extended to anyone willing and able to—namely Prachanda.