| Arnico |
Posted
on 28-Jun-01 02:46 AM
I have been lurking around kurakani for the past month, watching the discussion forum progress. I am happy. Not since the demise of soc.culture.nepal have we had such a lively discussion on issues in Nepal that touch us all. We have gone through an event too shocking to ever have imagined. This forum has helped us deal with it. It has given us a place to pour out our sorrow, our anger, our speculations, our fears, our curiosity, and to feel that we are part of a larger community of people who understand eachother.
It has also built a gathering place for people who control the country’s future. Yes, YOU! If you are connected to the internet reading this posting then I am addressing you, too. Through hard work, good luck, family connections, or whatever means (it does not matter), We have ended up in very privileged positions compared to our average compatriot in Nepal; we are more capable of bringing about positive change in Nepal than our average compatriot. But along with ability comes RESPONSIBILITY. If not us, then who? Who else would you trust to lead the country into the future?
Each of us, I am sure, is slightly scared by that thought. We fear that we are not good enough. We fear that we may get lost among crowds who don’t appreciate us. We fear that we get pulled down the moment we try to bring about a change. Individually… we probably can’t do much. But together… try to imagine! Try to imagine the combined brain power and wealth of the people who access this site. Try to imagine what we could accomplish if we worked together. The future of Nepal, my friends, sits right here in Kurakani, and in forums like it.
It is here that we have collectively learned to deal with a tragic national event unprecendented in history. It is also here that we can collectively work out the path forward. To dream about how we want our country to be twenty years from now, and to discuss how we would proceed. To share thoughts and ideas from our heads, however rudimentary, and then to get feedback: to be shot down, propped up, dissected, and re-argued until we all understand better. To plant ideas, which then grow in the heads of others to come back in larger more complete shape. To develop a collective consciousness of where our country should be heading…and to do so without having to gather in one room, even in one country.
Here are a few topics that I hope will grow into exciting discussion, each of which deserves a thread or more of its own.
1) If you could amend Nepal’s constitution, what would you change? Given our recent experience, and what we can learn from other countries’experiences, what would be the most effective form of government for Nepal? Should we have a directly elected prime minister rather than the current coalition game? Should we restrict elected officials from running for re-election while in office (as is the case in Costa Rica and Brazil)… thus eliminating the need for campaigning while in office, and ensuring that only people who did memorably good work get re-elected five years later?
2) Why are the Maobadi so popular in rural Nepal, despite the violence? What does this say about the state of development, of equality and inequality in rural Nepal? What does it say about the failure of past governments? What does this say about the alternatives to supporting the Maobadi that are available to people who are tired of the status-quo?
3) Is there a need for a new political party? How would it be set up? What would be its development agenda? How would one guarantee its financial transparency? How much would it cost to get started, and could we raise the money?
4) To what extent should Nepal’s income rely on tourism? Yes, we have scenery that other countries would kill for… but, as we see again this month, tourism is very fragile and collapses at the slightest hint of political instability… especially when the government does not know how to propagate damage-control PR.
5) Our rivers give us a potentially huge energy surplus. But how do we turn that into national development? We can learn from Nigeria that large-scale energy export through multinational corporations has the potential of enriching a small minority, buying off politicians, and leaving the rest of the country in a worse situation. Should we focus on exporting energy to bully neighbors, or should we develop industries that allows us to make use of the energy and sell value-added products?
These are just a few thoughts that come to mind. Let us use kurakani to move beyond the recent tragedy and discuss the future course for our country. Let us dream together about where we want to go, and debate about how to proceed. Let us keep in mind that this forum has the potential to grow into much more!
History will judge us (just like it judges politicians, monarchs, and anyone else in positions of privilege) not just by what we chose to do, but also by what we chose not to do.
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 28-Jun-01 09:38 PM
Dear Arnico:
Thanks for your posting. I read your posting slowly and
carefully. It was a pleasant respite from a barrage of scathing
internecine commentary that Kurakani has been awash with these
days.Your few paragraphs somewhat remind the tone of "I have a
dream.." of Martin Luther King.
When we think about changing the society, we somewhat think that
it should be starting from constitution/political upheaval/ and
other big issues. I think real changes in society are brought
forth by minute-looking affairs like improving the standing of
women in the society, sending lower caste and tribal children to
school and encouraging them to finish high school, empowering
the working class farmers who have grown up community forest in
Nepal to own and exploit the resources available there...etc etc.
Those who work in high level (where a lot of people from Boston
are likely to end up!) should facilitate the creativity of those
working in lower level. Change in constitution/formation of third
party/ and all other big issues are not pressing issues.Powerful
media,efficient anticorruption watchdog body, and assertive
judiciary can force the govt to work efficienty as has been proven
even in Nepal in a few months of past.
This is my two cents only:-]
|
