Unsustainable democracy

The craze of independent candidates and their victory in the local elections is very symbolic, and understandably, this is a silent revolt against the present political system and partisan politics. Now, the hope that these octogenarian leaders are going to build a “new” Nepal has gone. Therefore, they have symbolically chosen young and dynamic leaders. Now, they are watching the performance of such independently elected leaders in the local bodies. In the meantime, viewing the success of those independent candidates in the local elections, many individuals are preparing to contest the election as independent candidates. However, attempts have been made to pollute this “independent” campaign against the system. Some candidates have appeared as an agent of Western power. For instance, Ravi Lamichhane, a television programmer, has applied to register an “independent” political party with ditto the flag of the European Union. He is saying that his mission is to “strengthen the federal and republican system”. Whether he wants to serve the nation or the European Union, will become clear soon. Whatsoever could be the hidden agendas of those independent candidates, their victory is a silent challenge to the existing political system by those intellectuals who are aware of the present anomalies and dark future of the nation and the people under the partisan leadership. The Nepali nationals, who have witnessed different types of the political system in the past three decades plus, have become faded up from the act of the political leadership either it was in the name of multiparty democracy or loktantra. As the first phase of their revolt, they have elected those independent candidates and, perhaps, in the upcoming province assembly and federal parliament elections also some independent candidates may emerge. If the voters feel they have been deceived by those independent candidates, the next phase, we assume, could be a people’s revolution for yet another political system. In 75 years of journey with democracy, the Panchayat era has been proven as the best era for a sustainable democracy. Maybe, there could be some dark side in this system as well, nevertheless, it has been proved that the political parties alone cannot govern the nation through anarchism performed by their supreme leaders. There must be a permanent institution, which should be the institution of monarchy, as the monitor who should guide the political leaders if they walk on the wrong path. Today, loktantra has become infamous as the supreme leaders have become totalitarian, dictators and anarchists who are behaving themselves above the law and constitution. Neither such a system of feeding political leaders and workers nor the political actors of the day can give a proper course to the nation in such a crucial period. A political change ensuring a sustainable democracy is obvious and the people are preparing for it by replacing the existing unsustainable political system.