Nepali scholars finally dare to speak!

Nepali scholars of international standing at times pronounce that this country has yet to attain a nationhood status. Others reject the theory. Those who maintain that Nepal is not a nation in its truest sense of the term say so simply because she has yet not been able to unify its denizens socially and economically and hence Nepal is reduced to the status of a state and not a nation. Dr. Harka Gurung, a Nepali scholar of Himalayan height openly claims that Nepal though is unified geographically but is is far from being called as a nation. He argues unless there is social and economic integration, Nepal will continue to hold the status of a state and could not move an inch to acquire the status of a nation. The scholar however prescribes a social model in this regard but then laments that the available social model in place has been what he prefers to call "Hinduization" and hence he demands that Nepal must proceed in the direction by devising a scheme that caters to the need of the multi-ethnic character of the country. According to Dr. Gurung, the pillars of nationalism were social and economic integration which is absent here for varied reasons.

Dr. Gurung to a greater extent is correct for the Nepali leaders who manned the system of governance all along the past fifty years or so did little to enhance the process of national integration as wished by this scholar who is blunt in his statements. It is the dismal performance of our own leaders who "captured the state" for their personal gains and concentrated their entire energy in uplifting a section of their own coterie men which, "unfortunately" gave birth to yet another set of select cast of rulers and in the process the idea of national integration was lost or vanished in the thin air. The net result has been that people in the east and the people in the west differ with each other on so many counts. The people in the west to a greater extent remained neglected by those who captured the state which ultimately frustrated the neglected lot and it is for this reason that the people of that area take little interest in the system of governance of the country.

The second point which this imminent scholar has pointed is that the country should formulate a sort of regional development strategy which later could be used as a tool to integrate the economy of the hills with that of the terai plains. A quick look at Dr. Gurung’s findings appear very close to the views that are being aired in Kathmandu’s seminar circuits by our own scholars. In effect, unless the common members of the society feel socially and economically alienated from the privileged class, national integration will remain a utopia. The fact is that Dr. Gurung is pointing here a hard reality and one should not hesitate in confessing this fact. The political class that has been ruling the country must go deep into Dr. Gurung’s prescription and do the needful. The disparity that persists between members of the same society is simply awesome. Any further alienation of the less privileged one, the neglected ones and the exploited ones will only create chaos which will definitely weaken the system and thus the process of national integration will take a back seat.

It is only but natural that the socially, economically and politically alienated lot would resort to some other means that will never be in the favor of what Gurung calls the state.

It would not be out of place to bring into the notice of our readers what yet another scholar of international standing, Dev Raj Dahal says in the context of the sources that breed conflicts in the society. The indisputable scholar in his own right says that irresolution of the repressed conflicts arising out of suppression of their demands, exclusion, penetration, fragmentation and above all marginalisation transforms them into manifest conflicts in the long term. It is not surprising therefore that the man of letter feels that the tendency among the marginalised ones, for example, the Dalits, the unemployed, ethnic and indigenous people, to join the ranks of the insurgency. Going a bit more further Dahal wishes to inform his readers that such conflicts if not managed on time constitutes fundamental challenges to the integration, as told by Dr. Gurung, and adaptation of the political system in the society and consolidation of the social base.

The political scientist is correct in that the state never diverted its attention to this crucial factor. The present scenario could be a net result of the gross neglect exhibited by the those who have captured the state towards the plight of the ones about whom Dahal is hinting at.

The entitlements that are due to those who have been denied that find themselves being pushed to the wall must be allowed to get. Failing to do sop the State could face problems one after the other. It’s a pity that the Nepali state even after thirteen years of democratic years has failed to muster the people’s participation that is demanded in a democratic system from the people. Dahal is right when he as a genuine scholar pointing towards the duties of the state in very concrete and candid terms.

It is time that the power-that-be read the message in between the lines as expressed by Nepal’s two imminent scholars.

Headline | National | 5 Question  | 2nd Impression | International | Letter | Past