Democracy, political parties, and civil society
Most of us love democracy. Because in a democracy, you can have the government chosen and elected by you. You can be a candidate for the government if you wish. You can put it out if you see that it is not functioning to your liking because of bad governance, corruption, or any other reasons. More than that, in this system, you have equal opportunity, equal rights, freedom of speech, and writings. In this system, we see political parties functioning of the people of the same ideology, thoughts, and opinions. You know their ideology through their political manifesto. So you can vote and select any one of them according to your taste. The leaders and followers of political parties are determined to work for the common goal for the country's development and the people's welfare. In this system, hundreds of thousands of people come forward to serve the country voluntarily linking with the political party. How beautiful it looks if it is really so. I love the principle of this system -- so praiseworthy and pleasing. So encouraging and admiring. We have been experiencing multiparty democracy based on the above principle since 1990. It has been 30 years now.
We all know now, but our party governments never worked according to their manifesto and never worked to our expectation or minimum satisfaction. Not only did they not do any notable good things for the people and the country, but we are also always sad to hear about their corruption, bad governance, mismanagement, nepotism, and favoritism. Instead, the people are exploited by them with different means -- hefty tax, corruption, etc. We could never see that we could call them out from the power. We could never feel, realize or believe that our leaders and their followers are there to serve us voluntarily. Without any biased from our inner conscience, we honestly think that they are there in search of a way to exploit us and the country for their group and party interest by the strength of the organized group. That is not our assumption but our experience. We have been seeing it for the last 30 years.
In a civilized society or the developed democratic countries when the government, its unit, political parties or any other institutions, organizations go against the people's welfare and the country, against the constitution and laws, against human rights or fundamental rights, the civil society comes to make the prominent voice in the street. The majority of the people always give great value to its concern and voice and follow it to make it elephant strength. Because that would always be a holy, pure unbiased voice, fully independent originated in free conscience. So the wrongdoers also are scared and forced to give due attention to it. The civil society or its member means non-governmental, nonpolitical, non-party leaders or followers.
Civil society means the group which stands for truth with their conscience. That is the fact or definition of civil society in the world. In our country, as we see everything fake democracy and political parties. We sometimes see our civil society and human rights activists also manufactured. We have described above our democracy does not tally with the democratic principles established in the world. In the same way, the heart of our leaders and followers of political parties is far beyond the volunteer service's holy motive.
Everybody knows it. Everybody feels it.
Similarly, we often see the people of civil society and human rights who appear in the streets from time to time seem fake when evaluating them with a point of independence and non-political. They are like counterfeit jogis (saints, hermits, holy men) dressed in a jogi dress. They are like fake gods and goddesses just dressed and decorated in the way in a drama. In a theatre, we see the same person sometimes comes as a Ram and sometimes comes as a Ravan in a dress and decoration. Similarly, I see a wellknown Congressman in the street, sometimes as an educational, sometimes as a human rights activist, sometimes as a social worker, and often as a civil society activist. I see a medical doctor who is more acquainted in the country as the Nepali Congress Party leader and follower comes to the street as civil society and human rights activist. I see a man who snatched my beloved wife Shanti Mishra's and my job nine and fourteen years before our retirement age with some conspiracy, the snatcher of our human rights as a human rights activist. I see an exparliamentarian of the Communist and the Nepali Congress Party as a civil society activist. I see some known journalists totally devoted to the communist party and the Congress party as civil society activists. Very often, we see it like this. Our country is a land of wonder and mystery (Ajab Gajabko Nepal). Why do people shy to display their identity and reality? However, people could easily see and know it. In the name of God, I always feel I am the true and holy member of real civil society, not fake, and I always try to represent the truth by my speaking and writing without any bias. So I feel I belong to the civil society of Dharmaraj, the God of Righteousness.
We all know our country is in bad shape. Corruption and irregularities are rampant. There are dozens of significant corruption cases filed and raised against the government and the government ministers by different organizations and individuals - Nepalko Lagi Nepali Abhiyan, Hamro Nepal, Hami Nepali Abhiyan, etc. No action was taken. There is no limit to nepotism and favoritism in the country. Everything became so expensive. Good governance is like dying. It is difficult to tolerate the stench of political leaders and followers of the party in power always. They enjoy everything. People are neglected. All the beautiful rights mentioned in the constitution are not for use, just for seeing. The case of rape is increasing day by day. So I want to see the civil society which comes to speak for these problems without any ill political motive, not for or against any political party but for the genuine cause. I do not want to see politicians who act as civil society members only for a political reason when guided by their parent political party. I think that would be a shame if it is done so.
The most unfortunate thing in the country is that everything is fake. You may eat buffalo meat, thinking it the goat or chicken, when you eat meat dumplings (mamos) with meat mixing without your knowledge. You may get vegetable butter instead of cow milk butter. We have heard about adulteration and fake food for a long time. Unfortunately, we are bound to see and experience an artificial - fake political system, fake political party, phoney democracy, fake communism, and fake royalist. Counterfeit and fake, everything is fake. To be a believer and follower of some ideology or the party or civil society is natural. To believe in a mock political party or ideology or civil society is undoubtedly unnatural. We have been experiencing in the country from time to time that hundreds of thousand party followers come to the streets even in support of their corrupt political leaders like the Tibetan sheep and goats follow the Tibetan shepherd. That is undoubtedly unnatural as if they are hypnotized. I just do not understand the mystery of it. How people with thoughts, wisdom, and conscience would be like zero consciences or without conscience? When you see the things that should not have been occurred and seen, we have a saying in Nepali" How much to see? What much to know until you die? (Bachesamma Ke Ke Hernuparchha?. Namaresamma Ke Ke Dekhnuparchha?..)That is like that.
Still, we need to hope that all fakes will disappear from our country someday as the black clouds disappear very often in the sky. We also will have a bright day with bright sun and a brilliant relaxing night with a shining moon. We will have a government based on truth and righteousness. We will have a democracy, political parties, and civil societies based on the established principles, ethics, and norms. If we lose our hope and faith, it will be difficult for us to live and continue our lives. So let us have good hope and confidence for the better days to come. Let us pray to the Almighty God for the betterment of the country and the welfare of the people.