Nepal's cultural context and democracy

We are all very aware about the situation in Nepal and the Feb 1 move by the king that reverted autocratic power back to the royalty and their loyalists. Mostly, we tend to blame the leaders and the Maoists for the political debacle. We find the cause for democratic disappointment in all kinds of things.

The question I ask is: Is Nepal actually ready for democracy?

Let me explain. We seem to assume that democracy is inherently good and that’s the path we should follow. So we adopted democracy in the 1990’s. But, have we considered and thought the implications through and through to see is democracy compatible with Nepalese cultural milieu?

Democracy does need some social conditions to flourish. If we have learned anything, initiation and consolidation of democracy are two separate things. It is easy to hold elections. But to have social attitudes and practices to sustain and consolidate a political system like democracy, which is the most complex form of government, it is essential that certain conditions be met. These conditions as shown by research have correlates in economic development, wealth distribution, education, and vibrancy of civic society for the most part.

What about culture?

The present culture of democracy was founded on values of modernism and renaissance. It assumes equality of individuals. Equality means empowering every individual in a society. However, in Nepal dominant Hindu cultures is utterly seeped in hierarchy where individuals are slotted in different holes—Casteism for an example. There is social recognition of hierarchy, instead of individual equality. Hierarchy between castes, gender, age, economic classes of master and servants continue to be dominant value. Young generations are not allowed to speak or challenge the traditional ideas. In the cultural context, the symbols, values and meanings in society are based mostly in religious texts and myths. Basically, Nepal is still a pre-modern society functioning under religious values.

Now, religious values are antithetical of modern values. So I see a contradiction between the cultural context of Nepal and assumptions underlying democratic system. Democracy failed in Nepal, for a large part, because the societal cultural values and beliefs are incompatible with expectations of democratic norms.

So to give democracy a chance, cultural context has to change rapidly. There has to be an extra effort to bring scientific and economic revolution. Modern values of science over religiosity; and meritocracy over ascription are two most important aspects that have to be assimilated.

Then we might have better luck to sustain democratic governance based in people power rather than legitimacy justified on account of divinity.