Democracy For Nepal: Nepal As A Cutting Edge Democracy

Nepal As A Cutting Edge Democracy

(sent to NepalNews.com Guest Column section)

The April Revolution was one for world history. During an online chat with Madhav Nepal recently I said as much: Everest, Buddha, April Revolution. It was all over the news on TV and in the print media here in New York City. When I got to meet Governor Howard Dean recently who chairs the Democratic Party I said, "Governor, Iraq has 27 million people, and Nepal has 27 million people. We have to spread democracy like in Nepal, not like in Iraq." He gave an agreeing, beaming smile. Senator Patrick Leahy and Governor Howard Dean are both from Vermont.

Something magical happened in Nepal in April. I can't remember the last time something similar happened in any country. Not in my memory it hasn't. The entire country was completely shut down for 19 days. That is no small feat.

And the revived House has continued with that revolutionary spirit. The House proclamation that curbed the king's power and brought the army under the parliament, the bill by Bidya Bhandari that has empowered the women: these are all great signs of things to come.

The republic question, and the federalism question will also have to be dealt with, if not now then during the run up to the constituent assembly elections. And then is the broad social justice issue as pertaining to the four DaMaJaMa groups, the Dalit, Madhesi, Janajati, women.

A few days back I came out saying all the five million Dalits in Nepal should convert to Buddhism en masse. And why not.

But if I could just put one provision into Nepal's constitution, it would be to disallow political parties from raising private funds. Instead they would get state funds in direct proportion to the number of votes they might earn in a national parliamentary election. They would have to keep all book keeping online.

If we could add this provision, that would turn Nepal into the number one democracy on the planet, more cutting edge than America and India and the rest of them. The provision would move Nepal to the ideal of one person, one vote like no other country so far has attempted.

That democratic architecture will make the political system more responsive to the people and the term human capital would take a whole new meaning. Massive investments in education, health and micro credit would follow. Double digit economic growth might become possible.

The provision will also coopt the Maoist theme of classlessness, and India will come under tremendous pressure to emulate. And once it does, the violent Maoists in India will lose steam, or join the mainstream.

Going by the economic theme, my proposal for federalism sees Nepal having three states of roughly equal population, going by the three river basins, and named after them, Kosi, Gandaki, Karnali, the Governor directly elected by the people.

Federalism will also mean the federal government can finally have a foreign policy of a global reach. Exporting the April Revolution might become a major Nepali foreign policy item.

Direct elections for president with a round two for the top two candidates if no one candidate might get more than 50% of the votes would also turn the Nepali democracy one better than the American democracy. Direct elections for president is a progressive ideal in America nowhere in sight to being achieved.

I think we owe to the April Revolution to design a cutting edge democracy for the 21st century, one that can be exported, emulated by others, one that is the newest incarnation of what a democracy should be.

(Paramendra Bhagat blogs at http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com)

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Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Nepal As A Cutting Edge Democracy

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