Book Review (Spotlight Weekly)]

Anatomy Of Democracy

In weighing the challenges and prospects of democracy, a political science professor rebukes politicians

By KESHAB POUDEL

"No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. It has been said that democracy is the worst forms of government, except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

That quote from Winston S. Churchill is among the most popular descriptions of democracy. If the expressions of Churchill, one of the prominent politicians of the last century, is adopted as a measure of judgingdemocracy, discussions about the challenges and prospects of democracy becomes a never-ending process.

History has shown conclusively enough that democracy is a political system that needs a long experiment to gain maturity. Discussions and analyses of the challenges and prospects of any democratic set-up thus become an ongoing part of that experiment.

Rabindra Khanal, a professor of political science, has tried his hand at explaining the challenges and prospects of democracy in Nepal. In his evaluation of the process, Khanal discusses such issues as the challenges to democracy, the role of political parties, political institutionalization and political culture, the role of civil society, good governance as the basis of local democracy and the strengthening of civil society through media.

The history of democratic development in Nepal was established about 53 years ago after the Rana regime was overthrown. During this five-decade-long experiment, Nepal has gone on a roller-coaster ride, trying out four constitutions. Nepalese intellectuals always tend to blame the constitution when they see flaws in the political process. There is no dearth of people ready to make such criticisms, but no one really seems to understand their own compulsions. From intellectuals to academicians to constitutional experts, everyone seems obsessed with criticizing the political process without providing much by way of solutions.

As Federico Mayor, former director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, says, "Success in constructing a democratic civil society depends on the commitment of the population at large to the democratic ideal, on its active involvement and all aspects of political, social and cultural life, on tolerance of differences combined with respect for majority opinion, as well as on the existence of democratic institutions and wise political leadership."

If we view those comments within Nepal’s context, the country is far away from a system where everyone plays their own role to push the democratic system forward. Following the restoration of multiparty democracy in 1990, Nepalese scholars and intellectuals have been trying to devise a democratic framework largely based on western models, overlooking their own context and cultural realities.

In his book, Khanal is particularly critical of the role of political parties and political leaders. "The struggle for power among the political parties appears to have dominated every other consideration. As a result, the political process remains uninstitutionalized even after ten years of multiparty democracy," says Khanal.

"The way democracy functions largely depends on the political culture prevalent and the success and failure of democracy in any country is determined by the kind of political culture being practiced," he says.

Khanal has sought to evaluate all aspects of Nepal’s democratic political process following the restoration of multiparty democracy. In terms of academic reading, the book provides a perfect description of the role of political institutions and actors and their performance.

Democracy in Nepal Challenges and Prospects
By Rabindra Khanal
Published by Smriti Khanal, Kupondol
Price: Not mentioned
Pages: 110