Nepal Needs Light Of Enlightenment

Nepal is too diverse in geography, population, economy and political parties. No single perspective can grasp the totality of its entire landscape. Different scales of conversations of leadership with people are essential to their voice and visibility in decision making. The demand of Nepalis for a just political order needs the light of new insights about the condition of living, their needs, aspirations and their rights to boost their freedom and self-worth without mindlessly slipping into the culture of conformism, silence and creeping authoritarianism. To improve the foundational thinking of life, its heritage of wisdom had shaped three lifting phases of enlightenment—pre-religious Vedic, Janak’s spiritual and Buddha’s rationalistic ones. They for long shaped the ecological, social, economic and political worldview and remained relevant to fill the flame of life with ideals for socialisation beyond mundane expediency and rational self-love of leaders.

Nepal’s intellectual tradition has inclined an edifying search for moral engagement where the modern political culture of division of “I” and “we” is abridged by linking with nature, family, society, nationality and humanity. Those living under the low standards of comfort and upset with the false hope of their leaders about the perfection of their living are looking for the warmth of heritage and culture of civic patriotism against economic and geopolitical determinism. The enlightenment deficits of Nepalis have shifted their impulse to personal survival and opportunity. It is opening sharp contradictions within political parties and civil society over values, institutions, articulation and succession and trapping them in a habit-driven mode, not norm-governed action.

Intellectual potential

Unaware of the nation’s intellectual and resource potential to fulfill necessities of life, Nepalis buy their subsistence from abroad. The survival uprooting of people shows external reliance on what BP Koirala calls bhui phutta barga (comprador class) who no longer care about the loss of the ability of the nation and people to determine its politics—domestic and foreign. The execution of the blue economy of monetization has razed production structures and broke its links with agriculture and ecology. Lure to cloud capitalism driven by hi-tech web can only hack the welfare leap of the Nepali state and deform its polity. Nepalis now seek to flee from the empty life riddled with data vanity to find the light of enlightenment. 

Certain caveats are vital:  Shifting politics from a game of winning to serving: So far what counted in Nepali politics, like sport, is winning through the use of passion to support one’s own political party or leaders than apply universal reason that transcends affno manchhe (clients) to rationally include all people. Party cadres accept the life of subordination to leaders for favour, not articulation of popular interests and policies, even if they act against national interests. The Supreme Court has to discipline them for their unlawful conduct. The dynamics of the information revolution is upending the hitherto sparkling ideological justification of what they do by encouraging Nepalis to wriggle out of this stasis and move to a self-chosen path to acquire alertness, courage, maturity and dignity, the sources of enlightenment. 

A common response to shared national and geopolitical situations can widen the frame of politics beyond the zone of a zero-sum game of “friend” and “foe” and craft policies and laws to address the new stratification of society by knowledge, communication and technology and new challenges of climate change. Widening of opportunity bolsters the institutional muscle of the Nepali state, enabling it to address the crisis of existence so that youths do not have to migrate abroad for livelihood. It deprives the nation of dynamic force for production and transformation and stifles the posterity to enjoy the products of their own labour.