Democracy, Democracies and Democracy Discourses in Nepal: An Anthropologist’s Engagement (original) (raw)
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The literal meaning of `democracy' is `rule by the people', or, in other words, a political system in which ultimate authority is shared equally by all members of the community. In Nepal as elsewhere such a system is widely endorsed as a desirable state of affairs but there is no precise, shared understanding of what it implies in practice. In Nepal, even more than in most other places, there is also a sense of deep disillusionment with what a system describing itself as democratic has actually achieved. This paper aims to look briefly at the problem of definition , then to examine some of the reasons for disillusionment since the heady days of 1990, and finally to make some tentative suggestions on how the system could be made more responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Nepalese people as a whole. My perspective is limited by the fact that I have never lived or worked for an extended period in the countryside where the majority of the population live. I have to rely on the reports of those who do have rural experience, on my own experience of life in the Kathmandu Valley, on discussions with politicians, journalists and academics and on the study of the documents produced by such people. Mine is thus one view from the centre but it may perhaps complement contributions from others with deeper knowledge of particular sections of rural Nepal.
Developing and Maintaining democracy in Nepal
Nepal has reentered into a transitional phase of democracy from April 2006 movement. Overthrow of monarchy, entry of rebellion to democratic politics and power sharing in governance have raised the new challenges of adjustment for abiding the democratic ideas and virtues. Democratization of democracy is however, depends upon economic prosperity of the state, interest of elites, conscious civic society and structure of governance. Despite the vigorous involvement of actors in developing and maintaining democracy, the country is still in the threshold level in the process of democratization. But, it became failure to appreciate equity, social justice, competitiveness and freedom in the process of stabilizing efforts of democracy. Analysis from actors and structure perspectives shows that conflict amid ideology, identity & legitimacy, power sharing, resource distribution, equity and social justice, and appreciation of democratic norms and values are the crucial issues in the developing and maintaining democracy in the country. The identity issue has surpassed the ideological persuasion. Politics is focused on acquiring power rather than formation of democratic institutions. Gender and marginalized section of populations are still excluded from the mainstream of politics. Monopoly on power has undermined the voices of minorities. Inequality, exploitation, hegemony and insecurity have been the characteristics of Nepalese polity. So, remedial action must be taken for the safety of democratization of democracy in a right direction.
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in South Asia carried out a survey on the state of democracy in Nepal. Three years later, they conducted another survey to determine how much the Nepali people’s understanding of democracy and other issues had changed after the April 2006 Jana Andolan (People’s Movement), which put an end to the armed confl ict and ushered in the process of confl ict transformation. This publication presents the major fi ndings of the survey, which was comple-mented by interviews with the representatives of Nepali elites and an additional survey among members of the legislature. These fi ndings, which herald a shift in the people’s perspective, a perspective that will shape Nepal’s new political course, include: o The people’s remarkable adherence to democracy is in conformity with the building up of social capital. o The envisioning of a new Nepali state in which three major transforma-tions will have taken place—the kingdom transformed into a republic, the milieu of armed confl ict transformed int...
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Democratization of Nepal: Towards Consolidation?Perspectives on Rule of Law & Civil Liberties
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After popular uprisings that started in 1989, Nepal declassed the 200-year old absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in 1990 and entered into an era of parliamentary democracy. The road to democratization was to be proven tumultuous when the Maoists launched an insurgency in 1996. In 2003, citing democratic government's inability to end the bloody insurgency and political parties' utter ineptitude in governance, King Gyanendra dismissed the parliament and retook the reign in an attempt to re-establish absolute monarchy. Just three years after, the Maoists and an alliance of seven political parties reached an agreement to end the insurgency, abolish monarchy and rewrite the country's constitution declaring Nepal a Federal Republic, and launched yet another peaceful movement against the monarchy. In the face of formidable protests against which the military refused to use lethal force, the king relented and Nepal was declared a democratic republic in 2016. The process of democratization in one of the poorest countries in the world has proven to be an arduous task. The lingering feudal social mindset from the era of absolute monarchy, initial absence of proper institutions to foster democracy, rampant corruption, lack of order, to name a v few factors, have raised questions about Nepal's prospects for democratic consolidation. This thesis will apply theories on democracy, democratization, and democratic consolidation to explore Nepali democratization and assess where Nepal stands in the process. In particular, this thesis will delve into rule of law and civil libertiestwo critical indicators of democracy-in the current Nepali context to see how strong the case for democratic consolidation in that country can be made. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ………………………………………………………………………………………. viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………………………………… 1 Democracy, democratization, & democratic consolidation …………………………………………………. 2 Three waves of democratization ……………………………………………………………………………. 4 Structuralist & institutionalist: Two approaches to study democratization …………………………………. 5 Is Nepali democracy on the path to consolidation? …………………………………………………………. 6
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Journal of Political Science, 2017
The article analyzes the nature of perversion at local level in the absence of poll, controversy and conflict in local transition of Nepal at the present context. It also argues that the absence of elections at micro democratic institutions, right to vote and elect own representatives remain on paper, poor service delivery and no service delivery, the relation between the state and the citizens have further widened due to legacy of exclusionary politics. At the end, political parties are the creator of democracy; they lack a common vision to lead the society and how to live together. Federalism a new political order, is going to start; the coming days will show whether it will bring stability or instability in such society.Journal of Political Science. Vol. 17, 2017, Page: 63-81