5 questions

This week we invited five scholars from different disciplines for a question: "Is Nepal a failed state"? We hope that this question and the answers received from various sectors will definitely arouse some interest in and among the readers of this newspaper. We also invite scholars residing abroad to participate in this debate. Comments thus received will be highly appreciated and given due space in the weekly.

Below the results: Chief editor.

The state remains, so it has not collapsed

-Shrish Rana, Political Analyst

TGQ1: Is Nepal a failed or a collapsed State? Your opinions please!

S.Rana: It is neither. But it is approaching both. The state remains, so it has not collapsed. We are still removed from the failed concept. The structures of government remain. Moreover, that stage of warlordism that precedes the failed state has yet to emerge. The King’s step to correct democracy gives hope that we will have averted even this stage. If this fails then the likelihood of the population taking up arms as do the Maoists would seem imminent. There is hope. There is fear.

I don't think that it is a totally failed state

--Puspa Raj Pradhan, Editor, People’s Review

TGQ2: What factors, Mr. Pradhan, supported, if any, in making Nepal a failed state? Your remarks Mr. Pradhan?

P.Pradhan: I don't think that it is a totally failed state. Still one can hope for improvement. Although, financially, the country has ruined, however, to a large extent, the remittance received from the abroad employment has made a remarkable contribution to sustain the economy. If the present government sincerely carries out its job of addressing the problems faced by the country and fulfills the five directives given by the King, the country's situation will certainly improve.

Still, we have tremendous potentialities of development. If we concentrate upon optimum utilization of our fertile land, rivers and tourism with priority, no doubt, our economy will boost surprisingly. The only need of the time is the political leadership should be capable to perform statesmanship.

After the October 4 move by the King, people are hopeful that the derailed democracy will take a proper direction and the general people can be able to share the fruits of democracy.

So far, practices such as mal-governance, nepotism, rampant corruption and commission as well as self-centered attitude of the political leaders in the governments formed after the multiparty democracy in the country supported to bring the country to such a ruin state.

A sort of total collapse is in the making

--Dr. Surendra K.C, History Department, T.U

TGQ3: Some quarters say that Nepal is already a failed state? Is it that? Or it is otherwise? Your comments please in this regard Mr. K.C!

Dr. S. K.C: With 40% literate; most incompetent ones ruling the country; the existence of "Me", "Mine" and ‘Myself" syndrome in the political leadership; the zero-level economic growth; the excessive centralization of development and construction works; high rates of migration to foreign countries; the haphazard style of urbanization; the unscientific growth of urban centers; the dangerous flow of the rural population to the urban centers and finally to the migration to foreign countries; privatization of health and education sectors; decay in the social and moral values are some of the factors to conclude that Nepal is really a failed state. Add to this the flaring up of the so-called Maoists Peoples War and the concurrent failure of the government and existing bad-governance also leads us to say that a sort of total collapse is in the making.

Time has not come yet to accept that Nepal has become a failed state

Khom Dutta Baral, Political Analyst

TGQ4: As a political analyst you Mr. Baral agree to the concept that Nepal was a failed state? If not then what would be your comment? Your remarks please.

Khom. D. Baral: I think time has not come yet to accept that Nepal has become a failed state. But there have been some lapses seen in the functioning of the constitution. The already divided and the uncontrolled population have definitely made the nation weaker. It has also been marked that our territories too have been encroached by neighbors. It is said that alien citizens capture about 43% of the workforce in the country. As a nation Nepal at the moment lacks a stable and functioning government which leads us to think that the country is denied a democratic dispensation as per the constitution. All these put together, one fails to find Nepal as a vibrant state. If the government fails to lead the nation and its people from one end to the other then it has got to be understood that the government has failed in discharging its duties. The country thus is in the process of becoming a failure state. It is also seen that Nepal has not been able to effectively utilize the donations received from the donors to productive use and hence the country is under debt from tip to toe.

The deteriorating law and order situation coupled with rampant corruption at all the levels too have weakened the country further. And the division of the population into political lines too has contributed in making the country further weaker. In sum the country is moving forward to what you have questioned.

Our state could be said to be a "failed state"

--Mr. Krishna Joshi, Litterateur

TGQ5: How you, Mr. Joshi, would take if some body tells you Nepal was a failed state? Would you refute or agree? Your comments please.

Mr. Joshi: If any body, no matter a foreign or a Nepali national asks me about Nepal, I will definitely say that it is in a state of transition. The fortune we are facing is so gloomy wherefrom we can never take off. The century old family regime kept us in such a dark prison that we were quite unable to live like a man. After the overthrow of that regime, we since then are in search of a viable way that allowed us all to live like a man of a developed state. But the fact is that our long-cherished development were never taken seriously by the ruling government. No government tried to establish a national consensus helping the people to achieve their ambitions and aspirations for having a better life. Governments formed by different political parties became a "key" only to bring about an end to their own misfortunes and rag-bag-bobby-tail days. Serious attentions were only given to fulfil their parties’ slogan and petty-political interests of a very few party-followers. The past fifty years kept us only in hoping against hopes. We never could fulfil our basic needs. After the dissolution of the parliament only recently, yet we are searching for a better and right ways through which we can march ahead and that would benefit the people. So our state could be said to be a "failed state" which never can select the right direction which could make our present and future well directed and better.

Headline | National | Editorial | 2nd Impression | International | Past