 |
|||
|
|||
| BOOK |
|
|||
|
|||
| BOOK |
Plot Of Populism Nanda R. Shrestha discusses patterns of migration and landlessness from a distributive perspective By KESHAB POUDEL Leo Tolstoy’s "How Much Land Does A Man Need?" powerfully depicts man’s greed for as much land as he can possibly get. The moral of Tolstoy’s famous story is that man needs not more than six feet from his head to his heels for a grave to rest in. Nepalis, most of whom are Hindus, don’t require even that plot. However, their quest for land remains undiminished. Like the main character of Tolstoy, Pahom, Nepalese peasants from all geographical regions are in a seemingly endless race to grab more land. In the Nepalese context, landlessness is merely a political and populist slogan. In the name of the landless, successive governments have initiated various phases of land reform programs and distributed tens of thousands of hectares acquired though the clearing of forest and the imposition of land ceilings. However, the number of landless people continues to increase. According to a report of the dissolved High Level Landless Commission, more than 50,000 peasants received land ownership certificate over the last 10 years in different parts of the country. Once the landless peasants get ownership rights, they sell the land and grab another plot. Thus the cycle of migration of a small number of people from place to place continues. Although many prominent scholars have written books after intensive research, no one has delineated a road map to overcome the problem. Analyses of the tendencies of migration and patterns of landlessness are tentative. Land distribution programs continued in full steam under the partyless Panchayat system. Following the restoration of multiparty democracy, successive governments have distributed thousands of hectares of land, but the scale of the problem of landlessness largely remains unchanged. Scholars who ideologically stand on the left try to interpret Nepal’s problem of landlessness and pattern of migration as fertile ground for political revolution. The problems of land holdings and landless farmers that exist are not like explained through a theoretical perspective that would facilitate corrective action. In his book, "Political Economy of Landlessness and Migration in Nepal" Nanda R. Shrestha has tried to explain the historical, cultural and other factors, including economic exploitation of landless farmers. However, his paradigm of judging the system as a whole has many flaws. He speculates on the prospects of a migrant-peasant-based agrarian revolution in Nepal and asserts that the growth of spontaneous settlements is a hindrance to such a revolution. As Dr. Shrestha’s study is based on the Marxist perspective of distribution, his assumption of the possibility of a deep conflict between landowners and landless farmers may have strong basis. However, the distribution pattern of land cannot be a factor for revolution. At a time when countries that already have Marxist governments have failed to change the pattern of production and land system, it is difficult to see how a new revolution, as predicted by Dr. Shrestha, could bring equality. Every country has its own history of migration, as it is a natural choice of any individual to live in relative prosperity. In the process of achieving economic prosperity, people roam from place to place to finally settle down occupying relatively fertile land. In the course of migration and the emergence of new settlement, one can see some individuals still languishing in landlessness. Dr. Shrestha is very critical of the existing development and foreign aid scenario, but does advance an alternative that could facilitate sweeping improvements. Dr. Shrestha seems to have been inspired more by revolutionary ethos than by a practical approach to the country’s specific context. Dr. Shrestha is critical of all political systems Nepal has experimented with, a fact that has defined the parameters of his current study. There is no doubt that power either comes from the bullet or from the ballot. The process of acquiring power though the ballot may be a long and tedious process, but it does offer lasting solutions by guaranteeing equality under the rule of law. Change brought through the bullet is always radical, but invariably unstable. Dr. Shrestha's revolutionary thought may undoubtedly bring a swift solution, but one that may just be temporary. There are no miracles to solve the problems of migration and landlessness.
Dr. Shrestha's book is replete with academic perspectives and is based on the revolutionary vision of class struggle. He tries to describe, understand and explain various facets of spontaneous settlements of hill migrants in the Terai. It may have been too late for Tolstoy’s character to understand the futility of his obsession with land. Will Dr. Shrestha’s conclusions be able to reinforce the moral in a country that has tinkered with various forms of land reform? The Political Economy of Land,
Landless |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
