All thunder and no rain
The People’s Movement II of 2006 has ensured long-lasting achievements for the country and people of Nepal. The state has been declared a federal republic based on secularism. This accomplishment has become a historic one. Similarly, the Interim Constitution was promulgated under which an election to the Constituent Assembly took place as scheduled. However, the constitution is being drafted at a snail’s pace while differences among the political forces are being sorted out. Hopefully, the much disputed issue of state restructuring will be resolved after the expert panel submits its recommendations. Including excluded and marginalised people and communities in the decision making process has been guaranteed. These are all unprecedented achievements in the political arena.
However, the much hyped issue of socio-economic transformation of the state and society has not materialised. It was agreed with the Maoists during the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord that there would be rapid transformation, and a number of programmes such as genuine land reform were incorporated in it. All the major political parties have included these issues in their election manifestos saying that they are committed to accomplishing these tasks. The Interim Constitution has given a mandate to the state to implement it to secure the livelihood of the common people.
Governments have been formed and brought down a number of times during the last few years. Each time a new government is formed, the coalition partners always prepare a common minimum programme and sign a memorandum of understanding in which these issues are mentioned. The National Planning Commission also makes plans stating that socio-economic programmes should be implemented. On top of that, two high-level land reform commissions have been formed in a short period, and both of them have given their recommendations. However, till date, no work has been done without which democracy can’t reach the grassroots level.
Why socio-economic transformation has not been implemented more than half a decade after the People’s Movement is a big question. Till now, access to resources should have been ensured so that the people would feel that they are the masters of these resources which enable them to secure their livelihoods. Days have become months and months have passed into years without fulfilling the minimum aspirations of the common people.
What were their dreams while participating in the struggle and sacrificing their lives? Perhaps not to be the prime minister or a minister or a member of parliament. They may have thought that their lives would become easier, that their children would be able to go to better schools, that their unemployed youngsters would get jobs, that they would get health benefits for all the family members, and that their parents, grandparents and other elderly people would get social security benefits.
Sorry to say that no substantial work in this direction has happened so far. What is on the table for the people? They are given the right to vote once in a few years. Except for that, they have nothing to do with other activities of the political process. Democracy of the 21st century should deliver the right to food to the people forced to live in hunger. It should deliver adequate health benefits to those who are struggling with death. It should provide employment opportunities to those who are migrating
abroad to do “3D” (dirty, difficulty and dangerous) jobs. What sort of socio-economic structure the political parties are talking about is also not clear. Neither have they brought it forward for discussion among the general people nor have they elaborated on it.
What do we mean by socio-economic transformation in our context and reality? The main part of the matter has to do with structural reform and reorganising the agrarian economy as the main productive force. Generally, agrarian reform means structural reform, development of infrastructure for industrialisation and social reform. Land reform can be related to structural reform. However, agrarian reform goes beyond land reform. The second component of agrarian reform is to create massive infrastructure development in rural areas. It is believed that genuine land and agrarian reform is the precondition for ensuring economic and social rights and livelihood of the general people.
In conclusion, agrarian reform is reform that leads to overall agricultural developmental aimed at social justice and equity. If there is agrarian reform, employment can be generated, poverty can be alleviated, hunger can be reduced, production and productivity can be increased and social justice to the people can be provided. In order to accomplish this historic task, the government and the main political parties should immediately come together and reach an understanding which paves the way to implement socio-economic reform. Unless this happens, democracy will not be sustained.
Posted on: 2012-01-18 09:18
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All of them discussed the issue. The result was the same...and we have committed to continue discussions on the issue till midnight.
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