Our real heroes

 The government of Nepal can heave a sigh of relief following a supreme order in response to a six-year-old petition seeking a mandamus order with regard to encroachment upon Nepali territories, which, by the way, has been going on unabated for decades.

This relief from a division bench of the Supreme Court could not have come at a better time for a beleaguered government stewing in its own juice due to corruption scandals galore, one of which has prompted the resignation of the Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration. A swift resignation from a Nepali politician from the southern plains of the country has triggered at least a mini-debate on social media, with many wondering aloud if tainted Brahmin and Chhetri politicians can stick to positions of power while rules of morality apply only to Madheshi and Janjati leaders.

It’s a valid question and sooner than later, voices like these will get louder and louder and, hopefully, tainted politicians will find it quite hard to continue, regardless of their caste and creed.

At the same time, one should not forget the fact that the latest scandal involving the never-ending issue of Bhumi sudhar (land reforms) has turned into Bhundi sudhar (belly reforms) over the decades in Nepal. The fact that political leaderships, including those holding the mantle at the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management, have used the issue of land reforms to expand their voter bases in a country that allows free movement of all peoples into her territories from the restive neighbourhood and beyond through an open border should not be lost on the citizenry.   

Back to the court order. While the full text of the order, issued in response to a writ from petitioners Kanchan Krishna Neupane, Gyanendra Raj Aran and Phanindra Nepal is yet to come, one wonders what kind of a precedent will this order set, given that a giant neighbour has been violating thinly-drawn lines defining the territories of a country dismembered (following the Anglo-Nepal war of 1814-16) for years even as a fledgling state continues to look the other way. This undeclared forward policy of capturing thinly-populated and unmanned territories of Nepal makes a conscious citizenry wonder if the 1814-16 war has been continuing by other means.  

Should the laity not read the judgment as some high order absolving the government of its supreme responsibility of maintaining the territorial integrity of the country?

Has the Constitution of Nepal envisaged such an executive?

The top court, which is the ultimate interpreter of the charter,  knows better.

At a time when such supreme orders are settling such and such important issues, what are we racking our brains over?

On whether a former president should return to active politics.

Let’s look into this issue from a climber’s perspective. Suppose she climbs the world’s highest mountain, the Sagarmatha (8848.86 metres), first. Does it mean that the climber in question should not attempt to scale the second highest peak, the 8,611-metre K2 and other eight-thousanders?

One may argue that climbing and politics are different ballgames altogether.

Fine. In that case, who has stopped the Nepali electorate from rejecting the fresh political ambitions of the former head of state? Or who has stopped a people from organizing a decisive protest throwing cold water on the former president’s ambition to return to active politics if they think it goes against norms and values of politics?

Who has stopped the electorate from voting the old guard with their feet in the elections that are just two years away? 

And who has stopped the electorate from voting the old guard with their feet in the elections that are just two years away?

When a person turns 80 in our society, a ritual is conducted to absolve the person of his worldly responsibilities.

Who is stopping the electorate from turning the elections slated for Vikram Sambat 2084 (2027 AD) as the Chaurasi puja for
politicians, who have been at the helm of affairs of this fledgling state for decades?
While hope springs eternal, whether our young politicians are capable enough to steer the country ahead is a matter worthy of serious consideration.  
If we have issues with the polity as a whole, who has stopped us from voting for all great parties and candidates on every ballot paper, given that this ‘democratic system’ of governance does not recognize the voters’ right to reject one and all in the fray.

 

But what after that?

 

In our country of barely 30 million people, there is no dearth of experts par excellence, who can find answer to this question.

So, it will be quite fitting for yours truly to leave such an important question to competent experts and pin high hopes on our squad at the SAFF U20 Women’s Championship that’s been putting up a wonderful performance, far away from the bedlam we are in, along with other national squads sweating it out on the alien turf.

Here’s hoping that you guys won’t let us down. 

 Devendra Gautam