Democracy Flourishes In A Live Conversation

New flashes of emancipation and participation of Nepalis beyond electoral and street politics and ideological whitewashing are becoming a subject of intense conversation now. The conversation presents up to date interpretation and commentaries on the questions affecting Nepali people, civic institutions and the nation. The concept of emancipation has brought politics to the existential necessity of public good. The politics of emancipation is a fight for recognition, the self-chosen beings beyond the concern for personal rights. Information-fed consciousness has made Nepalis an inquiring subject about the operation of political power, institutions and constitution. They often summon the principle of affected and exercise their right to participate as a requirement of democratic legitimacy of the system, the lifting ethos of participatory politics.  

The ability of Nepali media to inform about the value change of democracy on this principle, however, is higher than the art of Nepali leaders to respond and adapt beyond self-preservation. The conversation about the health of democracy in Nepal is empowering. Peaceful exchange of ideas in the public sphere is re-educating leaders on caring about future generations from crime, corruption, arbitrariness and institutional rut they traverse. Rescuing democracy from its erosion is vital to arouse people from deep snooze and cynicism, frustrated efforts of leaders to expose each other and fear from its consequences to them and the political system.

People’s participation

Consciousness makes people’s participation vigorous. It elevates them to the completeness of public life, not reduced to fatalism, determinism, lack of choice and self-indulgence. Rational reflection on what constitutes public good and upward mobility of people enables informed conversation to flourish and build trust in politics. If the centre of politics -- the state power -- is distributed to the political establishment, leaving the scope of opposition to de-institutionalised societal forces and free riders, it does not rear the feeling of civic competence of people and their ability to organise solidarity for collective action. 

In Nepal, the emancipators' content of ideological utopia has proved deceptive. It has failed to deliver democratic dividend Nepalis have hoped for and assume responsibility to give maximum opportunity for justice for everyone to prosper. Concept of justice is very vital to regulate the society and the state and manage the fortune of the level playing field. Knowledge, not rooted in justice, does not peel away the pyramid of ignorance. Through the cultivation of live conversation about a full range of issues, virtues and duties beyond the linear mind of discipline enables Nepali leaders to reflect the total reality of the human condition of people. 

Nepali society as a whole has not lost the breadth of spirit essential to stir against their conditions of disadvantages. What is still necessary is to converse about the moralisation and idealisation of public life of leaders as a measure of democratic disposition. The people too have to guard themselves from freewheeling hypocrisy, illusion and false promises while the practice of biological selection of life is beefed up by the nation’s collusive economics and politics. The rage of geopolitics too gnaws the spreading flames of restiveness of Nepalis.  

The ideological cynicism has resurrected the traditional faith in the reconciliation of belief and reason for human existence. Soren Kirkegaard rightly says, “Faith is a marvel, and yet no human being is excluded from it; for that in which all human life is united is passion, and faith in a passion.” The meaning of existence in democracy is to be found in the attunement of uplifting standards of society towards certain values that elevates people to higher order of freedom, justice, morality and peace, not only self-showing of leaders resembling acrobatic politics. This infuses their resolute confidence in conversations to refine its contents, conduct and institutions of democracy and abolishes the rule by fiat, whip and whim that makes democracy a charade. 

Creation of self as good citizens and dissemination of its virtues and character in the entire Nepali society can set the robust edifice of good polity Nepalis aspired for long to alleviate scarcity and amorality as the latter has crafted an order for flawed life, devoid of dignity and disdain for egalitarian impulse. A political culture of consumerism and ruthless envy of each other failed to solve the nation’s ecological and economic ills. Nepal's adoption of a free market economy has nudged the economy into abyss and unlocked the primacy of finance over public good. 

The sense of guilt is infecting the cavalier manner of leadership. It is both pull factors and the traumatic conditions on the ground of Nepali politics that are set by waves of emigration of labour, student and business persons. They sense little hope to legislate reform of Nepali politics, economy, polity and geopolitics spurring the nation’s leverage abroad and create equal opportunity for all Nepalis.  It is absurd to argue that the idealism of democracy once set and shaped various struggles of Nepalis can find eloquent resonance now. Time has come to arrest the growing drift of politics to disorder and unmet essential human needs. It can enable Nepalis to evade explosive social sentiments for peaceful existence. Democracy is a living system and its ideals and values will continue to stay alive at the core of human existence, freedom and destiny.

 Its true practice offers great insight as to how to make it compatible with people’s aspirations for emancipation and participation. Nepali leaders, in this sense, entail mutual release from blame culture and act for something good for the nation and people as political power demands accountability to its source of legitimacy - the people. This helps to acquire an ability to nullify the causes of ills, enlarge economic pie and cast an active reflection of human condition to steer democracy in a positive path. The crisis of socialisation of Nepalis by independent media has a valid point as they daily monitor the decline of human development indicators. It is vital to make the leaders accountable to the failing condition of the nation by their wrong action, little positive action or inaction stifling people’s preference. 

The existing political order cannot contain itself so long as Nepali constitution is challenged by the radical left, the right and the populists by a show of crowd power without being accountable to its action. The success of the present order depends on the unity of Nepali state, economy and people. It should be an order that can affirm the fulfilment of people’s legitimate expectation, implement their rights and ensure their dignity. The retention of the veneer of democracy demands substantive progress. Nepali leaders must be able to discern the causes and ameliorate them rather than only tinkering with the effects which may produce an unmanageable set of travails thus posing problems to effective rule.   

  Dynamic democracy rooted into the national culture of tolerance offers people to live a life of voice, choice and conversation, not imposition. The caricature of borrowed ideas in every sphere cares neither the genealogy of Nepal’s historical insight, knowledge and wisdom nor the long-term survival of people within its political space, the Nepali state. The political tolerance to the problems of poverty, inequality, unemployment, injustice and exploitation has left no one respectable. It has only exposed the emptiness of the ideological goal of emancipation and its inverse practices. The creation of an impartial constitutional system for the conduct of leaders and people, however, suffered the biases of special interest groups concealed in the veil of impunity.  

The stream of life in democracy flows according to one’s own potential, not ego, arrogance and carelessness, according to own pursuits conforming constitutional standards and according to the laws of consistency with justice, not backsliding of constitutional spirit. Many powerful nations of the world who rode the civilised end-point of human progress are in a state of strife against each other now and suffer from Hobbesian disarray whose effects such as deaths, refugees, arms race, inflation, living cost and geopolitics -- have set the world in convulsion and made the life of Nepalis onerous.

Undistorted communication

Democracy is based on undistorted communication, conversation and popular control of political power, not monetary calculation as utilitarians believe. The later is alien to the purpose of Nepali politics as it subjects to moral suicide. The task today is a new mode of affinity of leaders and scholars to the people, not their growing detachment in the name of objectivity and science. Reducing politics to science turns it into an instrument devoid of compassion and feeling. Democracy cannot escape from the judgment of its people while science can do so. Its misuse in politics turns people out of tune, upsets the politeness of heart and soul and enervates life preserving policies. It requires creating a space for participation where no Nepali is excluded or mauled, not even the poor.

  Lively conversation enables democracy to be owned by all, conjuring up an upland of sublime tranquillity. Poverty does not ease the flow of life according to desire when basic needs remain unmet and suffering Nepalis are bound to leave with multiple destinations and destinies. Education and economy enable people to choose a life of the free conscience, capacity for speech and action in the public sphere and a will to balance personal liberty for the sake of Nepali state’s security.  It hones the ability of people to judge and leaders to make prudent decisions. 

(Former Reader at the Department of Political Science, TU, Dahal writes on political and social issues.)