COVER STORY (Spotlight Weekly)

NEPALESE YOUTH
Emerging New Radicals

Its traditional image of peace and tolerance fading away, Nepal risks becoming a playground for a violent breed of youth. At a time when a large number of young Nepalis are veering towards radical ideologies, the behavior of the emerging society is becoming less predictable. The incidents of the last few months point to the danger that Nepalese youth, who are being groomed under the influence of increasing aggressiveness and anarchy, may become the source of great instability.

By KESHAB POUDEL

The District Education Officers of Bhaktapur and Lalitpur experienced the horror of their life when a group of youths kicked them out of their offices and set fire to their chairs. These attacks were part of a campaign of the student wing of the main opposition CPN-UML to show how violent they could become in the course of their agitation against the country’s education policy.

Youths obstructiong street : Culture of Violence

In Batutole area in the heart of the capital, a group of youngsters attacked another youth with a sharp Khukri and sticks.

Two weeks ago, another group of students tried to burn Rupy Singh, principal of Rupy’s International School, as she was working in her office two weeks ago. A restaurant at Jeetpur Phedi was ransacked and burned. These are only a few examples of the destruction unleashed by the youth in recent times. A large number of other cases of extortion, coercion and violent activities go unnoticed.

The current behavior of Nepalese youth shows that they have developed a habit of living in situations of violence and intimidation. Students of government colleges aged between 16-21, who came from rural areas for higher education in the capital, have deviated from their traditional values.

As children of illiterate parents, youth who come to urban areas for education do not hesitate to join any kind of movement, whether it is justifiable or not.

Although activities like smashing windows, burning cars, obstructing common citizens from moving freely are against the rule of law, political leaders, who are the role models of many of these students, justify such acts as a necessary means to achieve ends.

"It is right to call a general strike when the government turns a deaf ear to the demand of the country. Students have always played major role in bringing change in the country," said Shankar Pokharel, a CPN-UML leader who was a student leader until a few years ago.

Apart from these mobs of students affiliated with political parties that say they are struggling for a cause, there is a violent streak in another group of youth: the urban youth, offspring of people in positions of power, including bureaucrats and politicians. Organized student groups, which are regarded as powerful themselves, are also used to destabilize the political process through criminalization. As their parents are literate and enjoy social status, the urban youth always receive the backing of society.

A Street rally : Political pawns

A third group of youths is turning increasingly aggressive. During general strikes and protest demonstrations, they are used to destroy public property. This group mostly comprises street children who are totally deviated from the social mainstream. As the number of such youth, who don’t have social and economic status, rises in the city, there are fears of a greater threat to peace and stability in the long run. Political forces often use this group of youth to terrorize the common people.

Political leaders, business groups and other internal and external forces influencing the political process exploit the potentials of these youth to create panic in society. Things remain under the control of the patrons as long as the group members follow their orders. If they turn hostile, the situation risks spiralling out of control. When the youth find an easy way of making money and gaining social and economic status through violent means, few can avoid the temptation. In such a situation, the friendly youth of today’s society may fall into the hands of the enemy.

There has been no concerted effort to study the criminal behavior of the youth, juveniles and other groups in Nepal. Worse, no one considers such a study necessary. "The resolution adopted by the recent government attorneys’ conference demanding the establishment of a crime research center is a very timely step. Such centers are entrusted with the task of studying criminal behavior of offenders, cause of the crime, rehabilitation of the offenders, impact and effectiveness of the existing criminal laws," said Attorney-General Badri Bahadur Karki.

It seems almost normal these days to listen to experiences of terror and violence from different sections of society, including ministers, bureaucrats, businessmen, teachers and common citizens. Such activities are made to appear justified as long as they occur under the cover of political ideology. The real threat is emerging of violent gangs and local Mafia, though small in number, who also link their cause with some political groups.

A bus-load of activists : Misuse of youthful energy ?

Why are the young pre-disposed to violence and anarchism in such a way? The youth who are groomed in the current atmosphere, can save themselves or push themselves over the brink by being immersed in a culture that glorifies violence and revenge. There is not a single reason behind this growing militancy, as Nepalese society has inherited some of these traits through the process of modernization and westernization.

Nepal’s traditional values are based on an abiding sense of respect, integrity and honor. But now political parties, particularly communists, are instilling among the young the radical thoughts of Stalin, Mao and Lenin. What can one expect from a youth that believes in the ideology of Stalin who justified the physical elimination of enemies for political gain?

Religious leaders argue that the fading of Hindu culture is responsible for this behavioral change. "In the early days, it was religious authority which molded the behavior of the youth. In the modern society, it is the sense of rule of law, which helps to shape the youth’s outlook. In the absence of rule of law and religious authority, such deviation in youth is inevitable," said Radha Krishna Adhikary, a professor at Balmiki Campus. "If the young mind remains vacant, lacking faith in religion and law, lawlessness will ruin our society."

As all political parties recruit youth from educational institutions, it may not be hard to explain the tide of youth violence. For political mileage, parties justify mobilizing the power of the youth. The new violent culture originated from the decline in religious authority. When the youth are learning the values that run contrary to their traditional culture, it is natural to see anarchism. "Values play the most prominent role in the life of every individual. They encompass the entire region of human endeavor, whether it concerns feeling or willing or doing. Values are considered as potential determiners of human behavior," said Dr. Niranjan Prasad Upadhyay, a senior psychologist. Nepal’s culture is more tolerant and egalitarian than the cultures of other parts of the world. However, the penetration of modernization is pushing Nepal into irrationalism and anarchism.

Other anthropologists blame the lack of social control and proper socialization responsible for the present situation. "Our youth are confused about their role. They were taught to respect the elders at the home but they are taught to disobey the order in school and other institutions," said one.

"The youth will ruin society if they go scot-free for their criminal offense. Formal and legitimate state authority, which is supposed to control through the administration of criminal justice, is found to be totally inadequate and inefficient," said Attorney-General Karki.

The advent of the culture of the jungle should not come as a surprise at a time when political parties act irresponsibly by encouraging a hate campaign against every authority and institution, including the prime minister. In such a situation, restoring law and order become an impossible task.

Violence in the youth leads to the breakdown of institutions. The pictures of Lords Krishna, Rama, Shiva and Mahatma Gandhi that used to hang in Nepalese homes now seem to be replaced by those of Marx, Lenin and Mao, who taught ways of paralyzing society. If the youth are groomed under such circumstances, one can expect society to plunge into greater violence and anarchy.

What kind of tolerance can you expect from youth who were taught to eliminate the enemy? The young are being raised on an ideology that seeks to eliminate the enemy physically, if possible, or assassinate the character of those who don’t necessarily agree with you. For youth who are trained in such political thought, logic and rationalism do not have any meaning.

The youth are being taught the necessity of violence as just other means to justify the ends. Whatever the aims of the demonstration may be, destruction of public property cannot be considered good for society. If one teaches the lesson of hating authority, how can one expect others to abandon that path?

The Nepali Congress, which launched violent campaigns to overthrow the Panchayat system, is facing a difficult situation in power. Once the youth develop the tendency to break the law, it is difficult to wean them away from that path. "During the agitation against the Panchayat system, the present ruling party called on its young supporters to disobey authority. They do not command the moral authority to persuade the youth to abandon violence," an analyst said.

Street agitation : For whose benefit ?

The CPN-UML will face a similar situation if it wins power. The party leaders are today asking their youth to break the law by organizing a three-day shutdown. They will lose the moral ground to ask other parties to abide by the law when they go to power.

The violent nature of the youth has already been reflected in different parts of the country. Major towns in Nepal have witnessed massive violent street agitation in the last few months as burning government vehicles and private property seem to be a normal and well-accepted practice. Under the banner of political parties, desperate and frustrated youth have been justifying their anger against the establishment.

"Nepal, once known as a country of friendly and tolerant people, is turning into a breeding ground for violent youth. Who will benefit from such behavior and how can the youth recover their faith in the social process? asked a social scientist.

"In a country like ours, the youth should not be seen as a problem. They should be considered as a key resource for nation building," said Padma Lal Devkota, an anthropologist. The youth have an important role to play." Although the nature of violence is different in various parts of the country, the youth are actively taking part in violent activities with an aim to disobey the authority of the state. In the absence of certain well-accepted values, Nepalese youth are forced to follow the wrong path.

Security Firms

Protest rally : Youth in the forefront

There is plenty of evidence to show that the youth from various parts of the country are being groomed under the psyche of violence. In urban areas like Kathmandu, student migrants from the rural areas have always seen violent politics as a mean to make an instant fortune. The youth know that most politicians, who are their role models, were one-time street agitators.

More than ninety-percent of Nepalese communist leaders, including CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, were formerly student leaders. In the Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba, Ram Chandra Poudel and dozens of ministers were one-time student leaders who blocked roads and defied state authority.

The chances of rising up the leadership ladder is higher through violence means than by working hard. At the same time, the Maoist insurgents are teaching a gun culture to the youth. "Nobody reports against the Maoists. They’re afraid they’ll be killed. Every one is scared," said an analyst.

Security Business

The booming business security firms are enjoying provides a firm evidence of the radicalization of society. These days almost all private companies employ security guards that take care of the office and employees. Even multinational firms like Group 4 are providing security in many offices. Until ten years ago, no one required private security. Hotels, industries and business houses were regarded as safe. There is a growing awareness of security risks and an increased perception of threat. In these circumstances, private security firms continue proliferate.

After the beginning of the Maoist insurgency and the emergence of threats from other groups, many business groups have started to hire their own security guards. "If we do not hire security guards, there is a possibility of attack from different groups," said a businessmen. "We don’t know when a group of youth will enter our compound and demand ransom."

In a sense, such fears defy reality: Nepal Police’s overall crime rate has actually dropped. Since the beginning of the Maoist movement, the overall crime rate has fallen. However, such statistics give scant comfort.

The fear is growing that Nepal has become an ideal stalking ground for an emerging generation of radical youth. Politically radicals may be tamed, but who will tame other violent groups?

Still Safe

Compared with other cities of South Asia, Nepal is still a safe place to live in. During the Panchayat system, the youth were groomed in a disciplined manner where few ideas of radicalism found place. Although the Congress and Communists outfits had their students and teachers wings, they did not have strong influence over the large number of young generation. The referendum of 1979 and the entry of communists and Congress student wings in the university changed that situation.

Following the restoration of democracy in 1990, the university has turned into a recruiting place for youth. Political parties find youth as cheap and reliable volunteers to carry out various activities. Now, political parties are even eyeing school children as potential recruits.

The shopkeepers in downtown Kathmandu and transport owners did not have to worry about any kind of disruption. Events like bandh and general strike were virtually non-existent under the Panchayat system. In those days, everyone could sleep without fear, leaving their balcony doors open to cool breezes. "Nepal is not going to be the same again. We will have to face more difficult times in coming days," said an analyst.

The youth are ready to storm the gates of Singha Durbar, as they do not see anything wrong in burning private buses and property to press their demands. For most of the last decade, politics has dominated education and all other sectors. With fascism, communism and other such ideologies fading away from the world, Nepalese youth are facing their full impact.

The behavior of youth

Science has a new understanding of the roots of violence that promises to explain why not every child with access to radical friends does turn so. In other children, constant exposure to pain and violence can make their brain’s system of stress hormones unresponsive, like a keypad that has been pushed too often just stops working. These are the kids with antisocial personalities. They typically have low heart rates and impaired emotional sensitivity. In the Nepalese context, every party that is not in power feels a sense of injustice on themselves. The different responses of parents produce different brains and thus different behavior. Behavior is the result of dialogue between your brain and your experience. There is some out-and-out brain pathologies that lead to violence. The good news that understanding the roots of violence offers clues on how to prevent it.

Police arresting agitators : who is to blame ?

The youth culture of Nepal, in comparison with that of other parts of the world, predominantly associates itself with value-orientation, but it is gradually losing ground.

Youth have to assume a cohesive form with coherent policy and direction. Students see themselves as foot soldiers of democracy, yet many activists show little taste for the conflict and compromises inherent in a democratic system

Traditional values are decaying in Nepal as parental controls and social values are disappearing. For the short term, various political parties and interest groups may benefit by injecting radical orientation in the youth to destabilize the political process.

However, in the long run, there seems to be a total breakdown of social control, threatening the stability of society. In these circumstances, everyone has to pay heavy price once others misuse the youth groups. The worst side of the story is that political parties and leaders are exploiting their youth supporters for temporary gain.

Those political leaders and parties supposed to control and regulate the youth are using them in a totally destructive manner. There is no mechanism to control the youth. The political parties are trying to consolidate their own positions by taking advantage of the restlessness of the radical youth. Under a political cover, vandalism, extortion, coercion and violent are justified. How long can political leaders go on mobilizing the youth power for their own selfish purposes?

‘Politicians must have the vision to change the youth’

— PADMA LAL DEVKOTA

PADMA LAL DEVKOTA, who teaches anthropology at the Central Department of Sociology and Anthropology of Tribhuvan University, holds the view the youth are deviating from their traditional role. Devkota spoke to SPOTLIGHT on various issues relating to the role of the youth. Excerpts:

What do you think is the root cause behind the violent nature in youth?

Different societies have youth of different natures. As the values of urban and rural youth are different, their nature and behavior also have distinct characters. The parents of the rural youth are generally illiterate, whereas the parents of urban youth are literate. The rural youth are taught to respect their parents.

Is there a clear pattern?

There are many factors that encourage youth to deviate from their tradition. In rural areas, parents are illiterate and send their children to urban centers for education. Interestingly, as soon as the offspring of rural parents are educated, they tend to deviate from their value system and disobey their parents.

When do the rural youth start to defy the law?

As soon as the rural youth come to urban areas, they meet people like themselves and form an alliance. When the rural youth form the group, they automatically understand their power. Political parties and other groups use different methods to use them. As soon as youth understand their power, they become more aggressive.

How do you see the youth of urban areas?

The urban youth are children of power-oriented people. They may be sons or daughters of bureaucrats, politicians or police officers. Generally the parents of urban youth are literate and enjoy social status, but they defend every act of their children. This group of youth is more violent.

Is there any other group?

There is a third group of youth who are totally deviated from society. These youth represent people without proper socialization, people who have suffered family tragedy and people who belong to the ignored class. This group does not have a political base, economic or social status. The street kids can be placed in this group. Politicians can use them because those belonging to this group do not hesitate to use any means. Politicians encourage them to violate the law.

Do you think politicians are only ones who exploit the youth?

No, there are also criminals and Mafia who misuse the power of the youth. However, there is greater opportunity for the youth in politics and there is more privilege.

Why are Nepalese youth turning violent?

Youths have their own expectations and they will do everything if someone promise to fulfil his or her expectations. A large number of youth enter the job market each year but only a few get opportunities. The youth know that only political backing helps them get a job.

Are there other factors?

Youth also see how their role models have achieved social and economic status. They know that most of the political leaders have achieved their objectives by smashing windows and burning cars. In this context, they understand that participating in agitation would help them achieve their target. To follow a party is shortest way to get status. If we see the trends, this reasoning proves right. Most of the leaders in today’s politics were one-time student agitators.

What role do political leaders need to play?

They have to stop recruiting students. Instead of encouraging them to join politics, political leaders should develop certain model and norms. Politicians must set the youth in the right direction.

Then why aren’t politicians doing this?

They know that no youth would follow them if they developed certain norms. If employment were available, no youth would have to follow political leaders.

Do you see any threat from the misuse of youth power?

Yes. If political parties alone don’t fulfil the desire of youth, they will go to any extent. Any force may use the youth. When the youth deviate from society, they can do anything — even kill their masters. There are politics-, culture- and social-specific roots.

Why are the youth going against the law?

Culturally, no society can accept crime, but the tendency in rural areas is gradually changing. Law- breaking tendencies are emerging. This is really a bad practice.

What is responsible for the existing situation?

It is coming mostly through the processes of modernization and westernization. We have been injecting radical western thought in the mind of Nepalese who are socialized in the sense of respect, integrity and honor. Children are forced to learn destructive ideas. If this situation continues, the social structure will be destroyed.

Do you see the youth as a problem?

The youth should not be seen as a problem. They should be considered as the best resources for nation building and overall development. Political leaders must develop the vision to change them. In the process what they need to do is to sacrifice the vested interest.