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Problems of comprehensive security
JAN 11 - The concept of security is a crucial vari-
able for understanding internal poli-
tics which tends to be ‘ambiguous and elastic’ in its meaning. In the most fundamental sense, security implies to be secure and free from all kinds of threats, anxieties and dangers. Security is, therefore, a ‘state of mind’ in which an individual, irrespective of his/her status in the country including an average citizen or state itself, feels safe from any kind of threats.
In the given security threat in Nepal, violent activities— killing, threatening, extorting, kidnapping, torturing and damaging physically and mentally—of the Maoists are threatening the security of the state and the people. The security forces are also alleged to have repeated the same type of activities as those carried out by the Maoists. Such activities are done by masking their face and showing wrong identity such as human rights activists. They are one step ahead in torturing people in the name of supporting and helping the Maoists. So more than fifteen hundred people of the Maoist-affected areas, especially of Western Nepal, are reportedly displaced per day. These people leave their native place for India. The rate of internal migration of the people from villages to district headquarters or to capital Kathmandu is also increasing day by day. Most of the displaced persons are political activists, family members of the Maoists, army and police personnel and administrators. Some displaced people are victims of both the Maoists and the security forces. The villages are going to be empty and the density of the population is increasing in the district headquarters and the capital with people coming in search of security and livelihood. But nobody can feel secure anywhere.
It is difficult to control the above-mentioned trend due to political instability. It is also threatening state and people’s security. The legitimacy and accountability of the government is being questioned by all political parties including the government’s own party, Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and also the civil society. A group of RPP activists are nominated by Surya Bahadur Thapa and the King to local bodies, avoiding election at both the levels. This has helped politics to reach the streets for agitation. Five agitating political parties --- Nepali Congress, Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist and Leninist), Nepal Peasants and Workers party, Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi group) and the United People Front --- have strongly declared their demands and protest programmes. The Nepali Congress (Democratic) is also engaged in the movement. Supporting agitating parties, students are also actively taking part in the movement against the regressive steps of the King by urging him to restore the democratic system. The King’s government has become helpless now as no parties and members of civil society support it. And it is unsuccessful to fulfill its main commitment or duty for guaranteeing people’s security and getting support of all parties. But neither the people nor the political parties hope that this government can restore democracy as expected by them.
Due to the Maoist insurgency, physical infrastructures such as both public and private schools, governmental offices, roads, bridges, industries, police posts, telephone towers, power stations etc are destroyed all over the country. But to date the government is not concerned with rebuilding the infrastructures. Instead of reconstruction, the budget percentage on security has been increased by more than three hundred percent in the name of peace and security. According to a Daily, 600 million rupees except donation from other countries is spent by the Nepali government for buying weapons after the Maoist war began. In comparison with Sri Lanka, Nepal’s defense expenditure is higher by 300 percent. Fourteen billion rupees is fixed only for security forces in the current fiscal year. The amount is more than fifteen percent of the total budget of the year. The army has demanded additional 20 million rupees. The number of army, police and armed police personnel is being increased along with the purchase of weapons at the cost of the entire developmental activities.
According to the 2001 government statistics, the population growth rate in Nepal is 2.5 percent and total population 13,151,423. After eighteen years, the population is estimated to reach 30 million because of increasing life expectancy of the Nepalis. Thus, the rise in defense expenditure and population growth has direct negative impact on poverty alleviation. Now about 50 percent people are below the poverty line in Nepal. According to a study report of Sanjeebani Nepal, the number of persons committing suicide is increasing now. Nearly 11,000 persons committed suicide during the 1993-2000 because of intense feeling of insecurity of life.
Social disparity is yet another threat to the state. Education is increasing the disparity between the rich and the poor. It creates a condition in which the “poor will become poorer and the rich richer”. The disparity can divide people into more than two groups that may invite conflictual situation in the society and the nation. Gender, dalit, ethnic groups, religious minorities and all deprived communities are also marginalised within the existing socio-economic structure and legal status on the basis of opportunity, property and access to and control over the resources of the state.
Nepal’s insecurity is also caused by its overdependence on foreign aid and assistance. Most countries that help Nepal economically are withdrawing their regular aid for development except arms and military support. The Netherlands, which has been continuously helping Nepal since two and half a decade ago, has now cut off aid. International organizations are unhappy with the Nepali government and are worried about the human rights situation. So the donors, including the international organizations, are reluctant to invest.
Externally, there is no fear of attack on Nepal from other countries. Only our values are in crisis due to mismanagement, low capacity of conflict resolution, failure in poverty alleviation, educational improvement and integrated development. Envoys are increasingly showing their concern over deteriorating condition of the internal affairs of Nepal.
The above-mentioned conditions are the major obstacles to the maintenance of peace and security. That is why, it is necessary to understand the term ‘security’ that indicates not only threats of external and internal forces, but those that result due to unaddressed problems of people. So any responsible state committed to peace and security should take the peace and democratic issues comprehensively as its overriding concern.
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