NATIONAL8 (Spotlight Weekly]

Withering Away with Multi Party System?

By B.P.Bhandari

The movement of 1990 paved the way for restoration of multi party system in Nepal. In the beginning years of the '90s people had high hope that the system would bring prosperity for them. They had much expectation from the seasoned leaders of political parties that they would work for the betterment of the common people. The people did not question on the sincerity of the leaders in the beginning. But it did not take much time to shatter their aspirations. Those leaders who were idealized and decorated with beautiful adjectives such as the man of commitment, saint, iron man, leader of down trodden and exploited ones and so on, most of them have been found, in one way or other, lured either by power or by purse. Some others are found fortunate enough to have access to both. This fall from the grace contributed, to some extent, in depoliticizing public mind. In a sense, it can be said to have been a positive step as it is not good to be dependent all the time on others, be it a family patronage or political backing.

As far rising level of corruption is concerned this is the case not only in Nepal. This sort of malpractice can be observed in other developing countries as well. In fact, poor governance is becoming a 'Third World Syndrome'. Corruption, a byproduct of poor governance, is not off shoot of any system. This is very much rooted in communist Vietnam, semi-dictatorial Pakistan and democratic Nepal and India. However, this is not a plea to give the benefit of doubt to those who are at the helm of affairs. The leaders of political parties to a great extent are responsible for this sorry state of affair.

At the same time it is also necessary to observe that the country is passing through a very difficult situation of transition. Our old social values which had religious grounding are vanishing but new social order has not yet been restored. We have repudiated previous system, but the institutions created under the existing political system have not yet been fully institutionalized.

It will be parochial observation to assess post ninety development in Nepal only from negative point of view. All has not gone wrong with the system. There are some positive developments, hitherto unnoticed, after the restoration of democracy. This is the first time in the history of Nepal that lower caste people have organized themselves for their rights at par with the so called upper caste people. Destiny was blamed for being born in lower cast family by these people till the recent paste. This is a sea change in their attitude that has made them conscious to seek self-respect and to lead a dignified life in the society.

A social movement for the emancipation of Kamays is taking place in the Western Nepal. The decision made recently by the government by declaring it an illegal act is praise worthy. This is also for the first time in the long history of Nepal that the issues of gender equality and women's rights have come to the fore. The rights of children are being discussed at national level. Self-respect leads a man towards self-reliance to lead a dignified life. The democracy ensures this right of the common people. Realizing this very tenet of self respect Fransis Fukuyamah, a US citizen of Japanese origin, writes in his book 'The End of History and the Last Man' that democracy is only the system which ensures the liberty and self respect of a man. The writer might have written it with the experience of matured democracies. If we co-relate it in Nepalese context, the aforesaid illustrations are enough to indicate that there is a lot of mobility in the society for the change.

The last one decade of democratic innovation has also contributed in correcting the wrongs of governance sector through trial and error method. The issue of controlling corruption, which has plagued every department of state, has remained most debated issue over the last couple of years. In response, appropriate measures are being adopted to control corruption by the government and the legislature respectively. A bill is likely to be tabled in the Parliament to address the issue in an efficient manner. Austerity measures are being adopted to reduce unnecessary burden on treasury. Prudential rules are being adopted in banking and financial sector. Question of intra-party democracy is being seriously discussed, for the first time, at various party forums. A bill in this regard is under the consideration of Parliament. What is needed in the bill is the insertion of those provisions, which could make the party activities transparent and ensure internal democracy. The administrative reform process has already been accelerated. Introduction of voter's card is another positive step towards ensuring fair election. There is also a dire need of reform in judicial sector to meet the demand of hour.

The role of media, except in some cases, has remained catalytic in exposing evil elements of the society. This has compelled in many occasions the government to be accountable and transparent in it's decision making process. Likewise, the role of opposition parties has also contributed in correcting wrongs by opposing government's malicious decisions. Civil societies have been found working in many capacities such as promoters, guardians, watchdogs and lobbying groups. The role played by them is commendable, though limited in number and area. Parliamentary committees have also been found active in the recent years. Their role as monitor has contributed in controlling corruption by exposing those types of deal which had no rational basis for justification. Its example is the suspension of the decision to buy RJ100 aircraft, for which a deal of USD 28 million was almost finalized. The Public account Committee has also ordered for cancellation of another deal of compensation to a Korean company by the government on Mahakali Irrigation Project. Though the Committee, headed by opposition member, is sometimes charged for acting overtly but people have admired its role in these two incidents.

In a pluralistic polity public opinion is a driving force, which has to be taken into account by the people in power, opposition and by foreign countries . Wherever there is defect people start indicating the mistakes. The actors of the system are bound to plug the loopholes. The multi party system is therefore a self-correcting system. Acknowledging this very basis of the system Winston Churchill once said " Democracy is the worst form of government but the best among ever practiced". He accepts that there are chances of making mistakes. But the system is the best because it has the capacity to correct wrongs.

Mr. Bhandari is a lawyer