Upholding Republican Ethos In Practice

In 1990, multiparty democracy was restored in Nepal, making an end to the 30-year long despotic Panchayat rule with absolute monarchy. In 1951, the Nepali people had established democracy by abolishing the 104-year of Rana oligarchy. Institutionalising process of democracy in the country has not been a smooth. The struggle is continuing.

The 1st of June 2001 was marked as a black day in Nepal’s history when the then King Birendra’s family was wiped out in a massacre. Five years later, after a series of protests and people’s movements, a massive people’s power was demonstrated by staging a protest at the open space in Tundikhel and capturing the spot where the King’s functions used to be staged at the Army Pavilion. This day has been marked in Nepal as a very important historical movement as it led towards the establishment of Nepal as a republic. 

The vision of the people capturing the Sainik Manch waving Nepal’s flags has been etched in the minds of the Nepali people who witnessed the event.  In its first meeting held on Jestha 15, 2065 B.S., the Constituent Assembly declared Nepal a Federal Republic. Since then, this day is celebrated as the Republic Day. 

Revolutionary change

On Monday (15th of Jestha), the nation celebrated the 15th Republic Day. However, this celebration had no reflection of fanfare that was witnessed 15 years ago when the people’s rule was established. Those very leaders who were key to bringing about this revolutionary change and making Nepal a Federal Republic are now mired in several cases of corruption. The latest expose relates to the issue that during repatriation of Bhutanese refugees to the western countries several high ranking officials including former deputy prime minister, home minister and home secretary are accused of having been party in turning Nepali citizens into Bhutanese refugees, by making them non-Nepalis and sending them to western countries. Juxtaposed with the values and with which Nepal was declared a republic currently, the Nepali people are raising their voices in the streets and parliament on how all of this happened.

A federal republic is a federation of states with a republic form of government. A republic is a country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader such as the President, not a monarch. In a republic, the supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives and the country is people's sovereignty, not the property of rulers. A republic state is different from a democracy in the sense that the government is not led by a hereditary leader but by an elected leader. 

Historically in Nepal, revolutions were prevented from happening by the forces both within and outside the country. We now have to be very careful in not reversing our historical gains. The current cases of corruption and human trafficking have shaken the country from inside and have created mistrust against Nepali politicians globally. The government should now restore the dignity of the country by probing this scandal thoroughly and punish the guilty.   

There are several positive aspects that the Federal Republic system has brought to Nepal. There is freedom of press and several laws have been promulgated and amended to address the needs of the people who were discriminated over the years. Laws are now being promulgated and amended with an aim to eradicate the discrimination faced by women, elderly, people with disabilities, marginalised communities, sexual minorities, and those deprived of their entitlements and rights.  Nepalis who have been deprived of their rights can now take these laws as stepping stones to fight for their rights.  There are now reservations in all the government entitlements and official positions in different departments to address gender and social inclusion. 

Nepal’s constitution has an electoral system which addresses the inclusion of all Nepalis in the political positions. The First-past-the-post (FPTP) and the Proportional Representation (PR) system have provisions to ensure that at least 33 per cent women and people from different communities and gender get representation in both houses of the parliament. The constitution also ensures that top two positions of the local representation give space for both men and women. Based on this provision, two elections have been held in the Federal Republic Nepal. There has definitely been an increase in diverse representation in the parliament.  These are all positive aspects brought by the People’s Movement and as per the principles of the republican system. However, there are still problems with the implementation of this system. 

Inclusive provision

In both FPTP and PR electoral systems, the political parties have found ways to manipulate the system to favour their own petty interests. While men get the prized seats in FPTP electoral system, women who are either spouses of powerful male leaders or are close to them mainly get included in the PR closed list. Similarly, in the local elections, top two positions need to be one man and one woman. But when there is political coalition, different parties can field either men or women for both positions. As a result, both the top two positions can land up to be men or women. The former is probably more likely the case.  Therefore, although the Constitution of Nepal has an inclusive provision, the lawmakers have figured out how to make this system work for their own desires. It is important to run the country based on the true principles of the republican system and end all forms of impunity by bringing the corrupt to justice.  

(Sharma is a journalist and women rights activist.namrata1964@yahoo.com; Twitter handle: @NamrataSharmaP)