Reforming Administrative System
Depoliticisation Essential

By Khilendra Basnyat

THE government machinery has touched almost every sector of life in Nepal. Overtime the size of the civil service has increased manifold compared to its initial days in 1956.

Despite repeated efforts to modernise the old system, our public administration system in a blend of both traditionalism and modernity.

Past experiences have shown that several government programmes could not yield desired benefits to the people on account of poor implementation aspect.

The acts of open defiance with impunity of the country’s rules and regulations by organised groups, associations and even institutions depict the miserable conditions of the government. The authority of the elected government is eroding, and everybody hardly believes the government any more.

The ad hoc decisions and actions regarding matters of great national importance have alleviated the faith of the government to an all time low in the nation’s history.

The feeling of our man rather than experienced and efficient persons in the concerned spheres seems to have developed among the political decision-makers. Consequently, the utilisation of the experience and talent of civil servants toward active party politics is inconsistent with the rule of civil servants in the parliament system of governance.

Since the bureaucracy is the vehicle to implement the decision and programmes of the government, it has emphasised on administrative and institutional reforms to render people better and efficient services. However, the significant role of the government in addition to its regulatory functions still remains.

In fact, our bureaucracy is overstaffed because of the tendency of the political officials to create new posts in order to accommodate their friends and relatives and empire building attributes of the bureaucrat. Actually, the restructing exercising of/for civil service is essential to make it efficient and effective.

After the restoration of democracy, politicisation has led an adverse impact on the administration system of our country. For example, the trend of appointing political figures to head the public corporations has caused an unfair impact in the minds of the officials of the respective corporations. In the past, leadership in these corporations kept changing with the change of government.

The present low performance of corporations is attributable to factors such as conflicting corporate culture characterised by corrupt, unethical behaviours and indifferent attitudes towards both services and productivity improvement. It has been observed that an incompetent chief executive is one of the chief factors responsible for the low corporate performance.

The government should not think that the performance of public corporations can be revamped simply by changing the chief executive or chairman. However, it should comprehend well that many managers of these corporations have reached senior positions by completing minimum years of service for promotion and lack the type of vision, professional cometency, dynamism, creativity and feeling of ownership.

As a citizen of an open society with a multi-party system, a civil servant can cast his/her vote in the election. However as a civil servant paid from the public coffer, his/her main duty is to provide service to the public without any discrimination. In other words, a civil servant should be committed to fulfilling the policy of the government, keeping away from politics.

No doubt, the civil servants also played a vital role in the popular movement of 1990. After the restoration of democracy, they are mainly divided into two groups such as the Civil Service Organisation and the Civil Service Association which are both the sympathisers of the main political parties.

Although the government has decided it illegal for officers to become members of either of the associations, this has not proved to be effective. Actually, the civil service is divided into groups. This happens because the civil servants have wished so and politicians preferred it. Aside from this, the so-called politicians protect, encourage and use them to meet their needs.

Until now a number of commissions were formed by the government in order to bring about administrative reforms. However, the goal of overall development is still a problem.

Administration, which is also a natural corollary of the doctrine of development, has been acclaimed as an ideal of the present age. Reformers of administration are never tired of proclaiming their faith on democracy. However, the emphasis of the managerial turn in public administration is likely to be away from widening the area of democratic participation. Untidy political negotiations are observed as a possible source of corrutpion and a diversion of economic rationally.

In order to streamline public administration, reformers, advocate the incorporation, wherever possible, of some of the values and techniques of corporate management, the profitability criterion, cost-benefit analysis and economic rationally. In reality, the emphasis is not so much on achieving an egalitarian society but on developing individual capacities.

Time and again, one encounters with criticism that it is possible to carry on administration by keeping it always within the purview of law, more so in case of a developing country determined to make steady progress.

In our country, what is desirable is to have a civil service, which is neutral to party politics but committed to government policies, democratic values and the norms inherent in the constitution of the kingdom of Nepal of 1990. If this were not the case, the problem of natural confidence between the government and civil servants would always remain.

Dashain: Portrayal Of Rich Culture

By Dhurba K. Deep

BADA Dashain is the biggest and most important national festival of Nepal which begins on the first day of the bright fornight of Ashwin. It falls on 17 October this year. This festival is generally celebrated for ten days. We call main this festive event Dashain which means a ten day long celebration. However, the main celebration of this festivity will be only for three days that are on the 8th days, (Mahastami) 9th days (Nawami puja) and 10th day (Dashami or Vajayadashami).

The main diety to be worshiped during the entire period of Dashain is Devi Durga, the universal mother goddess. In other words, she is the one who presides over the entire ceremonial rituals of Dashain. The first nine days of Dashain are called Navaratri meaning the nine holy nights. According to the very old Hindu text Devi Puran,—Durga is said to have assumed nine different forms—each day a new form for all nine days. A holy Hindu scripture says that those who go and take a holy morning bath in the river for nine consecutive days without a break will never suffer from any skin disease. This religious practice is locally known as Navaratri vrata. The nine different forms of the mother goddess whom the age old Hindu traditional recommends to worship during this holy period are Kumari, Trimurti, Kalyani, Mohini, Kalika, Chandika, Sambhavi, Durga and Subhadra.

These goddesses are believed to bestow on their devotess the boons they desire. Bada Dashain begins with the Ghatasthapana. The term Ghatasthapana literally means the ceremonial setting up of a holy water jar, locally known as Kalash, at a place purified for the purpose in the family prayer room. This room lies usually on the top most floor of the Neapli family house. The locals calls this room Agam Ghar so to say a sacred place for prayer in the family. This takes place on the first day of the bright fornight. The marks the advent of Bada Dashain. The main feature of the ten days long celebration is the worship of Devi Durga, in Kalash form-the holy water jar. The Kalash represents Durga, the Hindu goddess of supreme creative energy. The Kalash consecrated with mantras by the family priests is believed to evoke the mother goddess and make her reside in it throughout the entire period of Dashain. This is the reason why the Kalash is so widely used for this occasion in Nepal.

Some of the important puja materials required for the Ghatasthapana rites are barely seeds, fresh water and wet sand from the holy river. The seed rituals and installation ceremony of Kalash must be performed either by the family priest or the eldest person in the family. First of all, the priest spreads out the sand at the place chosen for the purpose and then he proceeds with the chanting of hymns to Devi Durga. It is interesting to note that the sand bed fixed for the jar to be set on represents the virgin soil and the sprinkling of seeds over it represents the creative energy in action.

The Kalash set up the middle of the sand bed symbolises the original sources of creative energy. After the seed riruals are done the ritual performer carefully covers up the silt by the huge clay pot or a basket. Seeds will grow long enough in 5/6 days time and so. However this ceremonial seedling locally known as Jamara will be used only on the eighth day for the worship of Durga. This particular day is called Maha-Astami Day.

The Jamara adds a lot of colour to the celebration of Dashain. The celebration of Dashain without these seedlings and rich red tika would be like celebrating Christimas without pines and poinsettia. These seedlings in many ways, seem to occupy a very important place in the observance of Bada Dashain. Despite so much significance attached to these seedlings it is quite interesting to note that after the Bada Dashain day (the 10th day celebration) is over, the jamara does not seem to make any appeal to any body no matter how fresh and fine they may look. This explains a lot about the Hindu Philosophy which tells us how everything enjoyable on earth must eventually come to an end.

The Nepali tradition of Shakti or Mother goddess worship has a very ancient origin. However, it is very difficult to say when this tradition exactly started. According to some scholars its antiquity goes way back to the Vedic period. It is true that when we take a look at the Vedas that go back as far as 2000 years B.C. we encounter several interesting hymns dedicated to Devi, the universal mother goddess. Some of her earlier names mentioned in the Vedas are Usha, Vac, Ratri, Aditi. All these names owe their origin to the Vedic concept of the universal mother goddess.

In the puranic period too, Devi appears to have been duly honoured with many sumbolic names such as Chamunda, Durga, Kali, Laxmi, Saraswati and so on. However, she is basically identified with Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. The Devi Mahatmya of Markandeya Purana, said to be one of the most popular works ever known in the history of Hindu religious tells us how all the gods in the remote past had to rush to Devi Durga for shelter when they were defeated by demons in the war. Since it was only Devi who could destroy the demons and rescue her devotees from miseries, she has always been regarded as Maha Shakti and worshipped accordingly by all Hindus. She is said to have emanated from the fully combined energies of all the gods including the Hindu Triad such as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Now, let us discuss a bit about one of the most popular forms of Devi known to all Hindus as Mahisasuramardini. One can see plenty of stone statues of Devi in the Mahisasuramardini form, scattered in and around the Kathmandu valley. Some of them seem very lively and quite artistic in expression. The oldest and most magnificent piece which we have been able to preserve so far is Palanchokay Bhagavati, said to have been built around early 6th century A.D. It is in the Mahisasuramardini form. She is worshipped during the entire period of Dashain throughout the Kingdom of Nepal. Thre is a very interesting story about how Devi was invoked for killing Mahisasura, the most powerful buffalo headed demon king.

Once, a big battle between gods and demons broke out. The battle continued for 100 long years. Eventually the demon king Mahisasura vanquished all the gods and himself became the overlord of all the three worlds. The defeated gods could not bear it any longer. So they all went to the Hindu Triad and asked for their help to do away with the demon king. They were assured of the needed help.

Goddess Durga was immediately invoked who with great kindness, appeared to the triad. Then and there she challenged Mahisasura to face her in the battle field. The result was a big war. Many demons were killed. Mahisasura became furious and destroyed many of her weapons. This angered Devi so much that she immediately jumped upon the demon king Mahisasura and beheaded him in no time. This brave act brought peace and order both in heaven and earth. Ever since Devi was given the name "Mahisasura Mardini". According to a popular folklore it was on the Dasami Day (10th day of the Dashain celebration) that Devi killed Mahisasura. To mark this great event the day is celebrated as a day of victory over vice so to say Vajayadashami, a perfect day for seeking blessings from Devi and of course from senior members of the family as well.

The spirit of this festival somehow an be compared to that of Christmas. The Nepali Hindus as well as many others from different ethnic groups regardless of their caste, creed and colour celebrate this festival every year with great enthusiasm. Actually, it is for this festival that the Nepalis most liberally spend their hard earned money. It is very interesting to note that the amount they spend on the animals for sacrifice and new dresses for their family members is the most remarkable part of their Dashain expenditure. There is a Nepali saying which reads "Dashain comes with festive drumbeats and goes leaving behind a big debt.

"The Nepalis don’t seem to realise this fact until they find only some dust instead of money in their empty pockets.

As Daughters Win Mother Of All Rights

By Jagadish Pokhrel

WOMEN of the world, rejoice! Your fight for right worldwide has finally promised some handsome dividends here in the Himalayan foothills and toe-plains. The House of Representatives, mostly made up of men, in its important session that just got over, deliberated a lot on the Women’s Bill and passed it. This will certainly go a zig-zag way to liberate Nepali women from the bangles of long-held traditions —oops, from the shackles alright!

That’s no mean feat. I mean that was not the men’s feat. Women fought the fight, make no doubt about that. It took a while, after Beijing plus. Lots of lobbying followed, men joined in the bandwomen, sorry bandwagon, as they often do, for they always show a soft spot for their fairer counterparts. A house committee, which closely looked into the houses of poor women, especially their young daughters, acted in concert to change their lives for good and the better.

Despite the fact that someone no less than a speaker himself at some point of time had spoken against giving property rights to women, the daughters are close to winning the mother of all rights, the property right. The speaker had feared: women’s share in parental property could bring them their share of the family trouble too.

Never mind, women have won something-far-better-than-nothing. Earlier, the country’s civil code made them wait until they were well past their prime of youth, until 35 unmarried years, to be treated at par with their brothers in terms of family property. Now with the Bill Ensuring Female Opulence at Chaste Adolescence and Unmarried Aftermath getting through the House of Overwhelmingly Male Majority Representatives, Nepali society is surely in for a radical change. Eventually, the traditional roles of women as wives, mothers and daughters will be re-defined.

But that is still a lot of work ahead for the womankind. In the meantime, it’s difficult even for men to try to be fair and join in the women’s fight for right. Talk frankly about its dangers — you could be called corrupt. I sense this danger by twisting and turning Oscar Wilde’s line on my head: Those who find ugly meaning in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming.

Well, it is a beautiful thought if women, who are usually pretty and like to be told so, are given property with which to buy them their place in the society, to empower them economically against exploitation at home, and decorate them better with ornaments and so on. But if that money, assuming all girls of a certain age are entitled to get it from their parents whenever they like to, cannot be used after getting married, it is advisable that they better spent it up before they choose to officially marry.

Since the new bill does not bring in much for the wives and mothers, the prospects of daughters being prospective wives and mothers at the expense of their hard-fought-and-easily-won property look bleaker. Would the dowry do them better?

But there are several options now. One is for the daughters to choose a live-in partner. Or she would do well to live single, perhaps pursuing a life-long quest for more and more education, or a lot of travel, until the parents’ money is gone for good. Or here is another one: Continue to fight for the daughters’ right to own their share of the parental property for ever, whether they live single or get married, if you will.

If I were a daughter, I would want the parents’ will to prevail over the property they earned, owned and increased in their lifetime, so there would be someone to care for them in their old age. Let Nepali women’s will as loving, caring daughters prevail as well as their parents’ to use their property the way they want.