September 23 2005

By TARANATH RANABHAT

TARANATH RANABHAT

It was just about five years back that we had gathered here on the eve of the important Millennium Summit 2000 of the United Nations. It is, indeed, another great opportunity for all of us to voice the concerns of the people and renew and reaffirm our abiding faith on democracy, human rights and economic development of all -- especially those of the marginalized and the underprivileged population of the world.

We are entrusted with the task of building a system for the future generation. For this, democracy has to be established as a way of life making it accessible to the common people. However, democracy in many parts of the world has not yet been able to take deep roots. Representative system and political freedom have been facing crises from time to time. We have not been able to firmly march forward for the institutional development of democracy, let alone making democracy a way of life and introducing it as a civilization and culture in our society. We are engaged in such activities which are detrimental to the development of democracy and which show utter disregard for the representative institutions rendering these totally helpless. This has made democracy quite vulnerable.

However, there is no alternative to the multi-party pluralistic democracy as it provides equal opportunity to all in the society. In the past it fell victim to the unbridled ambition of the despots. The ambition of the rulers in some cases and that of those seeking power have been the cause of suppression and terror for a larger section of humankind thus violating the human rights of innocent people. While we must not allow this to happen we should also move towards establishing a world order which will discourage unfair ambitions so that the protection of human rights is ensured. The guarantee of basic freedom and fulfillment of basic needs constitute human rights for all mankind's in the 21st century.

There is no denying that we have entered into this century with a baggage of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and bigotry, as we could not address them in the last century. Despite our efforts to overcome these problems the results have been far from satisfactory. Since none of us will be able to tackle them alone, the need for a collective effort is all the more important for which we all should join hands and create an environment conducive for common actions.

The current environment for peace and cooperation in different parts of the world does not appear as conducive as we would like it to be .The challenge to world peace is quite formidable. Further, the tendency to accelerate the pace of limitless pursuit of global arms race is very dangerous to world peace. A few measures of limited arms control were initiated in the past, but in recent years enthusiasm for general and complete disarmament has seen to be lacking. It will be very unfortunate if this develops as a tendency among countries to seek security, superiority and prestige in achieving sophisticated arms build up. Doubts breed doubts and there is no end to it. Therefore, I am of the opinion that we should discourage such adventurism, bigotry and intolerance. To this end, the parliamentarians can play a vital role in our respective countries. I also would like to suggest to this august gathering that our priorities should be diverted towards the general welfare of the common people. So, it would be in order for this important conference to call for the total disarmament, peace, and cooperation among all nations.

Real peace will, however, remain elusive as long as the present economic disparities persist. The economic imbalance between the developed and the developing countries is an acute world problem. The imbalances, which exist among the developing countries themselves, are also no less alarming. I wonder whether we would be able to achieve real peace in such a situation. Therefore, my country Nepal would like to see the honest implementation of action programs, decisions and measures adopted by various international agencies - with special consideration to the least developed countries so that peace, justice and progress is achieved.

Peace may remain as a mere utopian thought unless we unitedly work for complete disarmament, eliminate of terrorism, drug, women and child trafficking and organized crimes which have dented our society and posed a threat to the very existence of the mankind. Our concern, therefore, should be directed towards abolishing these maladies to save our future generation.

I had said this five years ago and I would like to reiterate today that the least developed countries are burdened with a huge pile of foreign debt, which has aggravated their plight and, consequently, hindered the overall development. I believe that writing off the debts of least developed nations need to prominently figure in our deliberations. At the same time, we can not remain complacent on the declining official development assistance (ODA).

I must tell you all that I find myself not in a happy position, as the Maoists extremist have set Nepal ablaze with violence in recent years. The indiscriminate killings of the civilian population, destruction of public properties and infrastructures, and the barbaric violence unleashed by the Maoist have disturbed peace in my country. Their acts have not only stalled the developmental activities and ruined the national economy, but also terrorized the innocent population and derailed the democratic process. We have not had elections for the parliament and the local councils for the past three years due mainly to the threat of the Maoist to disrupt the polls. The absence of elected bodies has had adverse effects on all the structures of the state. To make the matters worse, the rift between the constitutional forces has widened in recent months. The democratic constitution that was introduced after the restoration of multi party democracy fifteen years ago is derailed today. The recent announcement of a temporary unilateral cease-fire by the Maoists has been seen as a positive development, coming as it does amidst persistent national and international pressure. Although it has given a ray of hope to the general people, sincere and consistent efforts on the part of all would be required to turn that ray into a bright sunshine of peace.

I believe that a national reconciliation between the legitimate political forces is crucial to deal with the twin challenges facing Nepal – that of forcing the Maoist to give up arms for good, bring them to the mainstream of democratic politics and restoring a lasting peace on one hand and reviving the democratic constitution, on the other. This has not gone unnoticed in the international community. Donors and the friendly countries have shown serious concerns at the prevailing situation. Responding to their concerns, the king and the political parties must reconcile. It is only through a unity between them that we will be able to overcome the challenge of restoring peace, democratic process and the civil rights and a government that is accountable to the people. I believe that the international community could also play a pivotal role in our endeavor.

As Nepal undergoes the worst crisis in her modern history, its survival as a nation state is at stake today. I believe that at this hour of national crisis, it would not be imprudent for us to expect the participating Member States at this important international forum to help Nepal overcome the challenge facing.

(Excerpts of the statement delivered by Speaker Taranath Ranabhat at the Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments Sept. 7-9, 2005 New York)