A Nation’s
Third Eye The peace-building process in Nepal is inching one step forward and two steps backward. Those who had hoped the Maoist government would bring a miraculous panacea were disillusioned from the very outset. Even those who had realistic expectations about a steady recovery from a decade of violence and disruption seem to have resigned now to embrace pessimism. As the country dooms in the darkness of load shedding, one evening after another, it is perhaps a good thing to ponder upon how other countries have managed to make it through similar miseries. Sadly enough, soon one begins to realize that peace-building is a slow process encompassing several years, and requiring a series of contradictory forces to come together and hold onto a balance that could indeed look very fragile at times.
No post-conflict countries have been able to achieve long-lasting peace and sustainable economic growth without developing a solid State mechanism that is committed, forward-looking, transparent and accountable. The most important thing is that the new leadership has unconditional and undivided support from the local population. Without solid credibility among its local constituency and a generic trust among the international community, post-conflict State mechanisms can become a dangerous obsession, promising easy answers to complex problems. In the meantime, it is also important that the strong message that had echoed the movement must not be lost while moderating its stance for the sake of being mainstreamed and operationalizable.
Peace-building is treading on a tight rope. Safe landing requires a seasoned and skillful operator. But peace-building is also an opportunity to right the historic wrongs. It is important that this opportunity is used for unleashing Nepal’s potentials that have historically been controlled by a handful of dynasties. Nepal is a nation of 26 million people, and it’s got to stop acting as if a handful of political and economic dynasties have the keys to solve all its problems.
Nepalis have long learned to distrust anybody whose father is not well-known; but now is the time to begin to realize that parental acquaintance alone has not fulfilled the dexterity and talent demanded by the job. Economic turmoil in the United States has made it possible for a black man to be a president. Economic turmoil in Iceland has made history by making the issue of one’s sexual orientation irrelevant while seeking a national head office. Important female leadership has emerged in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh at the time of crises. The political and economic stagnation Nepal is facing today may as well bring home the much-yearned point that belonging to one political dynasty or the other is not the sufficient criteria for holding any job. From constitution-building headquarters to labour union activisms, a new State mechanism should open its third eye and begin to trust and give chances to those unknown individuals who may just happen to have the potential to hold the country from falling apart.
