BP's National Reconciliation Policy
Yuba Nath Lamsal
A nation rarely produces visionary politicians and statesmen. If a statesman is at all born, he/she gives a new vision and direction and leads the nation to greater prosperity and happiness. In the jungle of politics, numerous actors play the game of power and claim to be leaders or statesmen. But hardly anyone deserves to be acclaimed as a leader, let alone that of the statesman.ClaimsNotorious dictators also claim to be politicians and leaders. Dictator can neither be a leader nor politician. However, dictatorial regime can be a fertile ground for creating good politicians and statesmen. Great politicians and statesmen were born out of the struggle against dictatorship, tyranny and suppression. Its examples are Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Mahatma Gandhi fought colonial rule and underwent tremendous sufferings whereas Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail for fighting against apartheid in South Africa. But they never compromised on their ideals and faith. Thus, they became great leader and statesmen.The suppression sharpens the leaders and politicians whereas democracy polishes them and further widens their vision.Even in democracy, most political actors act like a chieftain of a group or head of a clan. This type of man/woman has little interest about the party, nation and the people. What s/he is concerned is about the self-interest and the interest of his/her clique, faction and group. Leader is the one who rises above the group interest but still continues to think of the interest of a party but not the nation. However, a statesman alone thinks from a boarder perspective and works for the overall interest of the nation and the people.In the present Nepal, there is a crowd of political actors. However, none appears to be a genuine leader. It was BP Koirala alone who possessed the quality and acumen of a leader and a statesman. No other person in Nepal has acquired such an international stature. He is one of the great politicians of the 20th century in South Asia, who matched the quality of statesmanship of the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah of Pakistan and Srimavo Bhandaranaike. His political commitment, faith in democracy and vision for Nepal's development has been well appreciated by world leaders of his time. However, he died quite early, which was a great loss to Nepal.BP gave a new ideology and vision for the nation. It was his vision of a great statesman that Nepal should be made a peaceful and a prosperous nation. It was his firm belief that prosperity of the country was not possible in the absence of equal participation of all people in the political and decision making process. The democratic system of governance alone can ensure broader participation of the people in the political process.With this firm vision, BP led the democratic movement during Rana's autocratic regime and drew the first blue print of Nepal's democratic and economic future. After being elected as the prime minister after the first ever general elections, BP initiated several revolutionary measures for the institutionalization of democracy and planned economic development. However, his reforms measures came under scathing attack from the feudal elements led by the Royal Palace and was removed from power through a bloodless coup backed by the army. It was the dark day in the history of Nepal as the country was again pushed back into authoritarian rule which lasted for another thirty years.Even after being ousted from power, he kept with the struggle for democracy, freedom and people's rights alive, no matter where he was. The authoritarian regime fabricated several sedition and treason charges against BP and forced him to go in exile to India. During his nine-year exile in India, BP further polished his vision and ideas and kept on mobilizing the people for democracy and freedom.It was the height of Cold War. There was rivalry between the capitalism and communism. Soviet Union and its satellite states had been preaching and spreading communist ideals through various means. The Western democracies led by the United States of America had been pursuing with the ideology of individual liberty, pluralist and competitive political system, opens society and capitalist economy. The world was divided. Given Nepal's situation, neither ultra capitalism nor communism was suitable. BP pushed for the policy of democratic socialism. The democratic socialism is the system that guarantees multi-party political system, open society, human rights and individual liberty and egalitarian economic system. Since then democratic socialism has been the official policy of the Nepali Congress. BP thought and incorporated the democratic socialism decades ago, but its relevance in Nepal is still strong and all other political forces in the country have included democratic socialism in their policies and their programme but wunder different names.Although BP had been a source of inspiration for freedom and democracy loving Nepalis both at home and abroad, he felt that the democratic struggle could be more effective if he carried out activities within the country. Moreover, he sensed some signs of danger on Nepal's nationalism and national identity during the super power rivalry and tension in South Asia. For a true leader and statesman, nation and national identity are above everything. He wanted to keep Nepal safe and protected and he came back to Nepal with the policy of national reconciliation. During that time, BP's National Reconciliation policy and return to Nepal was dubbed as his weakness and compulsion. But it was guided with the motive of keeping Nepal's unity and national identity intact. The reconciliation policy sought to end the past enmity and called for all political forces including the king to work together for Nepal's development, democracy and people's rights.Since then, Nepali Congress has been observing the National Reconciliation Day every year. The 31st National Reconciliation Day was observed on Sunday in memory of the day when BP Koirala and other colleagues of the Nepali Congress returned to Nepal from exile-India? even when there were severe restrictions on their movement and other activities. BP adopted the reconciliation policy long ago. But it is more relevant these days than ever before.PanaceaNepal is now limping back to normalcy after a decade-long violent conflict and civil war. The society has been divided. Thus, the following and translating the BP's policy in the present Nepal is highly needed. Reconciliation is the process of creating harmony and bridging the differences among the people. It is necessary not only to bring the culprit of the past to justice but heal the deep wound of the people by violent conflict and civil war. It is the time that all political actors need to learn lesson from the ideals and thoughts of BP Koirala and put them into practice. That alone would be a true tribute to him.
URL: http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=9540
A nation rarely produces visionary politicians and statesmen. If a statesman is at all born, he/she gives a new vision and direction and leads the nation to greater prosperity and happiness. In the jungle of politics, numerous actors play the game of power and claim to be leaders or statesmen. But hardly anyone deserves to be acclaimed as a leader, let alone that of the statesman.ClaimsNotorious dictators also claim to be politicians and leaders. Dictator can neither be a leader nor politician. However, dictatorial regime can be a fertile ground for creating good politicians and statesmen. Great politicians and statesmen were born out of the struggle against dictatorship, tyranny and suppression. Its examples are Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. Mahatma Gandhi fought colonial rule and underwent tremendous sufferings whereas Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail for fighting against apartheid in South Africa. But they never compromised on their ideals and faith. Thus, they became great leader and statesmen.The suppression sharpens the leaders and politicians whereas democracy polishes them and further widens their vision.Even in democracy, most political actors act like a chieftain of a group or head of a clan. This type of man/woman has little interest about the party, nation and the people. What s/he is concerned is about the self-interest and the interest of his/her clique, faction and group. Leader is the one who rises above the group interest but still continues to think of the interest of a party but not the nation. However, a statesman alone thinks from a boarder perspective and works for the overall interest of the nation and the people.In the present Nepal, there is a crowd of political actors. However, none appears to be a genuine leader. It was BP Koirala alone who possessed the quality and acumen of a leader and a statesman. No other person in Nepal has acquired such an international stature. He is one of the great politicians of the 20th century in South Asia, who matched the quality of statesmanship of the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammad Ali Jinnah of Pakistan and Srimavo Bhandaranaike. His political commitment, faith in democracy and vision for Nepal's development has been well appreciated by world leaders of his time. However, he died quite early, which was a great loss to Nepal.BP gave a new ideology and vision for the nation. It was his vision of a great statesman that Nepal should be made a peaceful and a prosperous nation. It was his firm belief that prosperity of the country was not possible in the absence of equal participation of all people in the political and decision making process. The democratic system of governance alone can ensure broader participation of the people in the political process.With this firm vision, BP led the democratic movement during Rana's autocratic regime and drew the first blue print of Nepal's democratic and economic future. After being elected as the prime minister after the first ever general elections, BP initiated several revolutionary measures for the institutionalization of democracy and planned economic development. However, his reforms measures came under scathing attack from the feudal elements led by the Royal Palace and was removed from power through a bloodless coup backed by the army. It was the dark day in the history of Nepal as the country was again pushed back into authoritarian rule which lasted for another thirty years.Even after being ousted from power, he kept with the struggle for democracy, freedom and people's rights alive, no matter where he was. The authoritarian regime fabricated several sedition and treason charges against BP and forced him to go in exile to India. During his nine-year exile in India, BP further polished his vision and ideas and kept on mobilizing the people for democracy and freedom.It was the height of Cold War. There was rivalry between the capitalism and communism. Soviet Union and its satellite states had been preaching and spreading communist ideals through various means. The Western democracies led by the United States of America had been pursuing with the ideology of individual liberty, pluralist and competitive political system, opens society and capitalist economy. The world was divided. Given Nepal's situation, neither ultra capitalism nor communism was suitable. BP pushed for the policy of democratic socialism. The democratic socialism is the system that guarantees multi-party political system, open society, human rights and individual liberty and egalitarian economic system. Since then democratic socialism has been the official policy of the Nepali Congress. BP thought and incorporated the democratic socialism decades ago, but its relevance in Nepal is still strong and all other political forces in the country have included democratic socialism in their policies and their programme but wunder different names.Although BP had been a source of inspiration for freedom and democracy loving Nepalis both at home and abroad, he felt that the democratic struggle could be more effective if he carried out activities within the country. Moreover, he sensed some signs of danger on Nepal's nationalism and national identity during the super power rivalry and tension in South Asia. For a true leader and statesman, nation and national identity are above everything. He wanted to keep Nepal safe and protected and he came back to Nepal with the policy of national reconciliation. During that time, BP's National Reconciliation policy and return to Nepal was dubbed as his weakness and compulsion. But it was guided with the motive of keeping Nepal's unity and national identity intact. The reconciliation policy sought to end the past enmity and called for all political forces including the king to work together for Nepal's development, democracy and people's rights.Since then, Nepali Congress has been observing the National Reconciliation Day every year. The 31st National Reconciliation Day was observed on Sunday in memory of the day when BP Koirala and other colleagues of the Nepali Congress returned to Nepal from exile-India? even when there were severe restrictions on their movement and other activities. BP adopted the reconciliation policy long ago. But it is more relevant these days than ever before.PanaceaNepal is now limping back to normalcy after a decade-long violent conflict and civil war. The society has been divided. Thus, the following and translating the BP's policy in the present Nepal is highly needed. Reconciliation is the process of creating harmony and bridging the differences among the people. It is necessary not only to bring the culprit of the past to justice but heal the deep wound of the people by violent conflict and civil war. It is the time that all political actors need to learn lesson from the ideals and thoughts of BP Koirala and put them into practice. That alone would be a true tribute to him.
URL: http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=9540
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