News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal: Even as the quality of democracy continues to erode globally over the last two decades, the number of countries that claim to be democratic are still in majority in the world. The quality of democracy is gradually fading away not because of the constitution, system and institutions but owing to the behaviour and intention of the rulers and political actors. There are certain fundamental elements that are indispensable in a democratic polity. These elements include people’s active participation in the political process, periodic elections, rule of law, freedom of speech, equal rights and opportunities for people irrespective of their economic and social status, among others. It is said that democracy begins with the ballot box. Election is a fundamental element of democracy as it provides the forum for people to participate in the political and democratic process. An election is thus the heart and soul of a democratic system. There can be no democracy without the

Yuba Nath Lamsal: Of late the word ‘democracy’ has been a modern political lingua franca across the world. Democracy, in Abraham Lincoln’s words, is the political system ‘of the people, for the people and by the people’. In other words, democracy is the people’s polity in which representatives govern in the name of people and for the larger interest of the people. In democracy, multiple ideas and views have equal role to play wherein dissenting voice is duly heard and well respected. Rulers and leaders alike in every country try to legitimise their rule in the name of people and claim that their regimes are democratic, irrespective of the form of government and political system they inherit or practice. Even those who rule with iron fist claim to have done so in the name of the people. Democracy is, thus, the most used and abused political terminology in the world. Politics evolves along with the evolution of human civilisation. So is democracy. The nature of politics has changed

Yuba Nath Lamsal is Nepal’s former ambassador to Denmark. A seasoned journalist, Lamsal also served as the Editor-in-Chief of state-run The Rising Nepal Daily. He has also advised CPN (Maoist Center) and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on foreign policy matters. In an interview with Himal Press, Lamsal talked about Nepal-Denmark relations and a range of other issues related to national politics and foreign relations. Excerpts: You are a journalist-turned-diplomat. How was the experience of leading the Nepali mission in Denmark? You are correct. I worked as a journalist for over three decades. Even when I was a journalist, politics, foreign policy, and diplomacy were the fields of my interest. Although I was not a practicing or career diplomat, I had been closely watching foreign policy, international issues, and diplomatic activities. I have widely covered foreign policy issues and written many articles on foreign policy, diplomacy, and international relations, which were published