E-Kantipur

It has been universally accepted that political parties are synonymous with democracy. The history of the past two centuries in all democracies is proof that there has been no mass democracy without them. However, the traditional mediating

role played by political parties between the people and the state has been

challenged in recent years; and there has been increased debate over their role in the future.

With the aim of exploring the processes, trends and shifts of Nepali political parties in recent years, focused group discussions were organised by the Centre for Consolidation of Democracy among youth leaders, women members of the Constituent Assembly and intellectuals. The debates primarily centred on exploring the reasons why Nepali political parties have failed to positively respond to the interest of their constituencies and why notions of values, norms, ethics and equity never became admissible

references in any political deliberation in Nepal. Many of the participants

concluded that the traditional role

of political parties has been fast eroding as social relations, norms, values and structures of society have changed significantly.

It was underlined that globalisation and modernisation as understood and practiced in Nepal’s context has

led to an enormous rise in people’s aspirations and expectations. People have become extremely self-centred, and the notion of modern development has been associated with

gaining more and more material wealth by fair or foul means.

Thus their ever increasing ambitions have far surpassed the traditional capacity of political parties to respond to their needs. Socio-economic institutions have been equally sluggish in responding to the aspirations of society, despite having an advantage over political institutions because of the growing prominence of society and the economy over politics.

People have found varied platforms to address their particular interests with the rise of information technology, civil society, social movements, interest groups and the media. Unlike in the past, they do not have to rely only on the state and political parties to address their immediate needs of poverty, unemployment and development. The traditional role of political parties has been further challenged with the indigenisation of politics and the growth of social movements and interest groups. Proliferation of ethnic and social movements in the recent past has weakened the legitimacy of political parties.

Nepal’s political parties are suffering from a “trust deficit” for their failure to make good on their promises. There are multiple reasons behind this. First, the political parties are not system oriented but individual-centric. The interest of individual leaders takes precedence over the larger interest of the party. The leaders want to remain in power even by making big compromises. And this is particularly so because the notion of politics has its roots in power. A career in politics has become synonymous with rise in power by hook or crook. Politics has abandoned its egalitarian values, and for many it has turned into a profit making activity.

Second, Nepal’s political parties have not radically adapted themselves to the changing time and context. Third, they lack the skills, knowledge and innovation required to address Nepal’s modern socio-economic issues. Therefore, it is quite a strange situation where people believe that the political parties are not capable institutions with the ability to make democracy work, yet they are convinced that the parties are indispensable for democracy. This clearly suggests that the process, trends, actions and inactions adopted by the political parties are directly responsible for the weakening or strengthening of democracy.

Nepali political parties have been threatened by multiple challenges and are caught in a great dilemma. They need to do deep introspection and make a larger commitment to revitalise themselves. The time has come for them to think afresh about norms, values, ethics and morality because society is no less at fault for removing egalitarianism from day-to-day life. After all, political parties are not isolated entities but a reflection of society. 

Nepal’s transition to a prosperous democratic republic largely depends on how the political parties collectively act to address the issues in relation to the 12-point understanding, the peace process and economic welfare. For this, they need to develop a common

vision through the agreed framework that can be translated through collective action. More importantly, people engaged in politics need to rethink the notion of power that has been associated with political positions in recent times. Separating egalitarian values from politics does not serve the interest of the political parties or society.

Only by developing a common vision can the political parties reconnect their personal interest with the interest of the public. This is fundamental to the survival of the political parties. Otherwise, the days are

not far off when these mass-based parties will shrink to the status of lobbies or interest groups. In recent times, Nepali political parties have lost the link with society; it can only be regained by redefining their roles in the changed context.

(The author is executive director of the Centre for Consolidation of Democracy, a Kathmandu-based think tank)

sUMIT SHARMA SAMEER

sharmasumit77@gmail.com

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