Misconceptions About Federalism in Nepal

Guest Post by Desh Deepak

(This article was originally published on the author’s Facebook profile. It has been edited by Madhesi Youth and republished with permission.)

A Few Words on Kailali Incident

The Kailali incident was terrible and I give my heartfelt condolences to the police officers, and general public who died in this retaliatory protest and their bereaved family members. Violence is never a path or an answer to anything: particularly during the complex transitional phase, going from a repressive state to an egalitarian state. That being said, I have seen many posts about Nepal that has bothered me.

1. Federalism Does Not Equate to Secession

Let me start off with saying: Federalism does not equal to Secession. When a country gets divided into federal states, it grants these individual states autonomy to make decisions for the welfare of the people who live in these states. The state governments are still bound to follow the law of the land and are obligated to report and support the federal government.

2. Ethnic Movement Is Against Government Discrimination, Not People

The movement in Tharuhat, Madhesh, Kirat and Janajati communities are not against other ethnicities. Nor against the police and army. It is against the government. The particular government which is denying equality and equitable treatment to your brothers and sisters in Nepal. If anybody says any derogatory slang towards me, it is discrimination. Racism, on the other hand, is far more complex. It is fostered by the structure of power in the society. Racism results because of inherent structure of governance, society and economy which favours one group over others. This structure prohibits people from minority communities to have equal opportunities compared to majority/ruling community.

3. A Nepali Can Have Multiple Identities

This brings me to the point where I have seen people post: “There is a Madhesi President, Bahun PM, Newar Chief Justice..but over all I am a Nepali.” Yes, these people have gotten to these positions because of their merit. But this does not really matter..this is like saying Blacks/African Americans in the United States of America have equal opportunities and are not discriminated because Barack Obama is the president of the USA. This is exactly like saying homophobia does not exist because Anderson Cooper is an anchor in CNN. This is exactly like saying we have equality for women in Nepal because we have a few women lawmakers. Just because a few made it, this does not mean the structure of discrimination does not exist. Yes, I am a Nepali. But I am also a Madhesi. Yes, you are a Nepali, but you are also a woman. Yes you are a Nepali, but you are also a Dalit. My experiences as a Madhesi is different from my friend who is a Dalit. By saying you are just Nepali, you are hiding your identity and our diversity. There is a beauty in this diversity and yet we fail to see and appreciate it. The struggle is not because we do not think of ourselves as a Nepali, the struggle is because we are not treated the same way as some of other Nepalis.

4. The Role of Merchants of Doubt in Nepal

I do not blame any of my friends for having any of these above opinions. And nor do I condone it, it is your Facebook- post what you want to. It is your right. But I urge you to think before you post something. I recently saw a documentary called “Merchants of Doubt” which basically delves deeper into how lobbying in America works to stall progress in the society. For example, how cigarette companies hired lobbyists to instill doubts in general public about harmful effects of Cigarette..and how these same lobbyists are misinterpreting proven scientific data to say Global Climate change and global warming is not happening. They basically put enough doubt in your mind by going through media and social network, that you are not willing to support the legislations. This is same in our country- whenever any community asks for equality and recognition of their identity- our leaders and biased media puts enough doubt in our mind to not support the goal. They make the movements for recognition of our identity sound like its hate towards other communities. By saying “The country will break down into pieces”, they are basically installing these doubts in your head. Breaking of country is not that easy. It is a far more complex process which requires popular vote. “The movement in Terai has been helped by people from across the border”. By saying this, they are basically installing doubt about the legitimacy of the movement. Go to Terai and see for yourself, people are walking hand in hand on streets to support the movement.In a nutshell, be careful of what you read and what you hear.

The movement is not against our brothers and sisters in Nepal, it is not targeted against any certain group(s). It is about getting equal rights, and I believe, federalism is the only way to attain it through the guarantee of constitution.

Do not be misled by posts on social media and our news networks in the country that may be biased. Do not be misled by these “Merchants of Doubt”. On the contrary, be supportive of these movements irrespective of your background because the beautiful new Nepal our generation dreamed of cannot be attained without equality for marginalized groups in Nepal.

There are 131 different ethnic groups in Nepal, according to census of 2011 and it is possible to create federal states that will ensure equal rights for these groups, read our analysis Ethnic Groups in Nepal.

Featured Image Source: Info Nepal