Transitions in Nepal

The past several years have been a time of turmoil and sweeping change in the mountainous kingdom of Nepal. Never in Nepal’s history have the Nepalese people suffered than in these last few years from all fronts – autocratic King, Maoist rebels, corrupt leaders, lackluster political parties, ever soaring unemployment and inflation. Things have changed in Nepal recently but the barrage shows no sing of letting up and the future of Nepal is asuncertain as it was then.

Something is still lacking in Nepal, and that missing factor is the political consensus amongst the Seven Political Parties and the Maoists. Sadly, this has given the non-democratic forces an arena to regain their recently lost glories, slowly but steadily. But in the midst of this all, let us pray for the lasting peace and stability in Nepal as ordinary Nepalese are finding it difficult to live in the nation trodden by the brutalities of the suppression and violence.

Now, let me come back to the point and share with you all, the circumstances that motivated me to write the poem, “Suppression, I accept not.”

Wherever I went, I was sensing suppression, whatever I read, I was sensing suppression, whoever I met, I was feeling suppression. King Gyanendra was busy bamboozling the people, and the anti-democratic forces were making
a mockery of the democracy by indulging in non-democratic political activities. Violence, killing, torture, and suppression were going on in all the 75 districts of Nepal, mostly from two forces – the soldiers of King Gyanendra and the militias of the Maoists. Trapped in between were the common people and the democratic political parties of Nepal. And I was very restless given the fact that we were losing our basic human rights and freedoms.

It has often occurred to me that a poet after witnessing suppression in all socio-economic frontiers of Nepal has no right to be silent. I knew then that I wouldn’t be able to change the condition of Nepal via my poetry but yet I realized that it was much better than doing nothing. I know the wonderful efficacy of poetry, and the voice it gives to the voiceless, and the hope it gives to the hopeless.

Experience had taught me that poetry is a part of the spiritual disciple of a votary of truth; so on Friday, January 2nd, 2004, I woke up from my slumber and spilled my heart out in a piece of paper as for me democracy is the best form of government, and no matter how hard they preach against democracy, they wont be able to drift me from the democratic path.

I sat on my verandah, and stated spilling my heart out in my fight against the suppression. Here is the poem which I wrote two years ago, during the zenith of suppression in Nepal under the direct royal regime but unfortunately this poem of mine is as relevant in contemporary Nepal as it was then because the Maoists are not abiding by code of conduct and are continuing forceful extortions.

Notwithstanding the commitment of the party leadership not to collect forceful donations and break the ceasefire code of conduct signed by the government and the Maoists, Maoist rebels are collecting donations forcefully from various business houses and people, though the Maoist leadership have been refuting this claim.

But the reality is very different. The Maoist cadres have been threatening business houses and people to give donations and also warning of dire consequences if they failed to comply with their orders. The Maoists have also been continuing the acts of abduction and torturing people, but the party leadership has remained tight lipped in such issues.

Considering this status quo, Nepal it seems is out of the frying pan (Royal regime) into the fire (The Maoists). And my fight is yet on in Nepal to establish true democracy and freedom in Nepal because Suppression, I accept not and will accept not, no matter what happens to me in my pursuit to the lasting peace and stability in Nepal because I have already dedicated this life of mine to their freedom – on whose freedom my existence and the existence of this great nation, “Nepal”, depends.

guest author Bhuwan Thapaliya of Kathmandu, Nepal