By Surendra R Devkota, Sanjaya Parajuli, and Pramod Aryal
Historically, Nepalis have not been completely sovereign and empowered. Even though, the 1991 Constitution was landmark of democratic devolution of power from monarchy to people of Nepal and coexistence of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, the royal actions in 2002 and 2005 not only violated the 1991 Constitution of Nepal, but subsequent activities of the King proved that a reconciliatory approach for coexistence was a failure. Maoists’ people’s war raged against the Nepali nationhood had also destabilized the democratization process. The sudden emergence of undemocratic forces in the Nepali polity has created a major challenge to the democratic system and socio-economic development.
Since inception, political parties in Nepal are struggling for democracy and people’s sovereignty. In today’s changed political environment, parties should focus and elaborate the concept of full democracy to empower people for strengthening democratic institutions. In a country like Nepal with diverse language, culture, ethnicity in diverse geography, the focus should be in empowering different nationalities, minorities, and women, too. It is a well-established fact that a complete empowerment of people will promote cohabitation between diverging interests, ideologies, languages, cultures, heritages within the Nepali nationhood. It can be achieved only through political and economic devolution with sovereignty of nationalities.
The alliance of seven political parties’ determination to establish people’s sovereignty also reflected in the recent House of Representatives’ Proclamation of May 18 and will be materialized by holding the election of constitutional assembly and inclusion of Maoists in due process.
First tenet of sustained democracy is empowered people. The sovereignty of the country should be vested in people and they should be the ultimate decision makers for the fate of their community, locality, region, and nation in true nationhood. One of the strongest pillars of nation building is empowered people involved in decision-making. Sustained democracy and civil rights can only guarantee improved development indicators when the people are part of it. Democratization only without authority to local community is bound to be unsuccessful (can lead Oct 4th 2002 and Feb1 2005 type actions) because it does not truly understand the definition of people’s empowerment and subsequent actions required to sustain it. Thus, people’s empowerment is the delegation of authority, accountability, and responsibility to people at different levels, and their representatives, without imposition from higher-ups, for functioning of the community in developing “ownership” under their control. Lack of empowerment has always been a stumbling block for democratic evolution of Nepal and has not been able to address underlying root causes of poverty, alienation, self-determination. Nepalis should be empowered in the truest sense for comprehensive development of all respective communities within Nepal who share different socio-linguistic culture and heritage for sustained democratic institutions and rights of every citizen.
Political devolution:
“Devolution” essentially means the flow of governmental control, financing services, and programs to the local bodies for functioning with autonomy. Contrary to unification under one language, religion, and central governance, political devolution with sovereignty would truly unite the country and move ahead towards comprehensive prosperity of nationalities, minorities, women and population at large.
Further more, devolution will also increase innovation among local governments as they can develop as “laboratories of democracy.” Such innovations will find new solutions to problems, some of them old problems that a remote central government could not solve. Local leadership would be more responsive, accountable, and sincere towards its constituencies. The greater discretion among local leadership would result in variation across regions, which would demonstrate what program works and what does not under specific internal political, administrative, and socio-economic conditions. Unsuccessful programs can emulate successful programs where as successful programs can be duplicated.
Yet, devolution would increase confidence in governance, which would further enhance democracy and any disturbance at central level would not jeopardize local governance thus preserving democratic ideals. Citizens’ direct participation in policy making increases awareness, reduces danger of tyranny and improves quality of government. With increasing participation of local leadership, they can transform their governing institutions, administrative and revenue systems, and service delivery arrangements. Structural, functional, and fiscal reforms can be accompanied by the replacement of sagging bureaucracy with executives, leaders, and visionaries.
Feeling of alienation of local population, minorities, women, Dalits and Janjatis in decision-making and implementation of programs has created a lack of trust in government. The political devolution with local autonomy will directly involve these groups and they will “vote with feet” for the programs that directly address their socio-economic prosperity. This increases entrepreneurship and “ownership” resonating from different nationalities’ sovereignty will build confidence in nationhood and governance.
For example, the Dhimal community of Jhapa; Chepang community of Chitwan; Tharus of Chitwan area, Dang, Deukhuri, Banke and Bardiya; Rai-Limbu community of Eastern Nepal hills; Sherpa’s around Everest region; Maithali speaking Terai Bashi between Bagmati and Koshi basin; people of Terai origin between Koshi and Mechi basin, or between Bagmati basin and Thori jungle or between Narayani and Rapti basin; Newar community in and around Kathmandu valley; Gurung community around Annapurna Range; Magar community in the hills of Kaligandaki basin; Manang people in Manang valley; Muslim community of Rautahat, parts of Rupandehi/Kapilbastu, Banke and Bardiya; people of Terai origin of Nawalparasi, Rupandehi and Kapilbastu; and Humli of Karnali basin; Dotyal, Acchamis and Aitwal of far western region; and the Dalits who are scattered throughout the country but are destitute, would be more efficient in addressing their issues and help in building ownership.
Why people’s empowerment?
It should be understood that people empowerment is not only means for broadening the choices along with expanding the options and alternatives available. Most importantly, it is creating an atmosphere to independently asses the course of their lives and to determine their destinies. It means enabling to participate fully in decision-making processes for the development of their community, locality, region and nation. Empowered sovereign local communities can resolve the disparity among the population and address the social issues. Delegation of authority, responsibility, and accountability to them and their representatives for functioning of the community under their control, without imposition from higher-ups, will institutionalize democracy and development. Yet, it will provide full autonomy, without centralized “Command and Control” structure and the need of permission of a higher authority, to develop local “ownership”. This ultimately makes people aligned to guard democratic institutionalization.
Moreover, participation of empowered local community in addressing their issues would prevent the central authority to assume they have a “blank check” for addressing, attacking any issues or problems, and run around like “loose cannons” trying to solve every problems. This is evident from different interpretation of Maoists insurgency by political parties, King, Nepali Army, international communities in vain that prevented people to unite for resolving it amicably for defending democracy. They would have identified, interpreted the insurgency, its subsequent threat to democracy and would have devised mechanism of cohabitation at local level.
Since democracy is prone to attacks from undemocratic forces without empowered community, empowered local people should have authoritative rights in identifying their problems and respective leaders to resolve. This will give rise to focused leaders with direction and leadership in tandem to local aspirations. Further more, it will prevent the local community from falling prey to remote central authority marred with the syndrome of “Paralysis by Analysis” that can hardly take any decisions and substantial actions on local needs. To have successful democracy there should be clear understanding of key elements & prerequisites required to empower people, sustaining an empowered community, the authority of empowered community and how the empowered community would support national objectives. This can prevent emergence of future insurgencies or tyrannical governments.
How empowerment can sustain democracy ?
Participatory Inclusiveness
Local community enjoying autonomy and authority can include minorities, different nationalities and passive individuals or communities for participatory decision making with respect to their languages, cultures, heritages, and respective needs. An empowering approach of participation will treat the members as authoritative “co- owners” having control over decisions and resources devolved to the lowest appropriate levels. This will protect the institution to be dismantled any form of tyrannical government.
Information flow
Information flow from local community to respective representative governments (regional and central) will address the core issue of community need. Whereas, information from governments regarding limitations and priorities could help the community to understand and devise priority accordingly. Two-way flow of information will develop responsible citizenship and responsive and accountable governance.
Accountability
Access to information and autonomy with authority allows easy access to law, impartial justice and pressures for improved transparent and accountable governance. Service providers (governments and agencies) will be more accountable to the community exercising rights of information and control over the decision-making. People will protect these institutions and sustain democracy.
Local organizational capacity
Different interest groups for their collective interest will form a system of cohabitation to protect the rights and autonomy. When groups connect with each other across communities they can influence government decision-making and gain collective bargaining power. This prevents “divide and rule” policy.
Empowerment process:
The empowerment process is to institutionalize the democratic values and institutions for the betterment of Nepal. Greater participation of people in governance helps in improving service delivery of public sector organization not only by better aligning scarce resources with citizens’ preferences but also increasing citizens’ vigilance against corruption, leakages and strengthening democracy. Factors to consider for empowerment are:
Recognizing each member of the community
In a country like Nepal, with different communities, languages, cultures, and heritages in diverse geography, recognition of each citizen as the integral part of the community and nation would allow each citizen to enjoy equal rights. For example, a common person of remote village of Karnali or far-west can enjoy equal rights as that enjoyed by a member of a civic society. When this is clearly communicated, the local community will protect their rights through consensual awareness, honesty, openness, and will treat every member as an adult.
(To be contd.)
Part of this paper will be presented in the Association of Nepalis in the Americas (ANA) convention, July 1-2 2006, in New York—Ed.
En route to People’s Supremacy in Nepal: Empowerment of people and Devolution of power-II
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