Waiting for a New Nepal

For the last few days there has been a noticeable increase in huddling among men here. Huddling is something that Nepali men do, they sit in huddles and drink chiya and talk…but recently the huddles have got tighter, the talk more urgent and they are everywhere, on street corners, outside shops, in the usual chiya pasals (tea shops). I know what they are talking about, its what everyone's talking about, wondering about…even the street dogs have an unsure look on their face "what will happen after Thursday? Will everything change?"

Thursday (tomorrow) is the Nepali CA (Constituent Assembly) Elections. Nepal has been waiting for these elections for almost 2 years now, since the Jana Andolan (or people's uprising) in April 2006, when the king stepped down and democracy came (for the second time) to Nepal. The elections have already been postponed twice, and right up to this week, people were still not sure if they would actually happen…the ballot papers weren't going to be printed in time, the parties were fighting, the Madeshi's were bringing the country to a halt. But in the end the ballot papers got printed, the parties continued fighting but no one pulled the plug on the elections and the Madeshi's were appeased. So here we are, on the eve of the elections, wondering if the much promised Naya Nepal (new Nepal) will materialize.

Naya Nepal, is a term that everyone has been using to describe the Nepal that will materialize after the elections (Equal Access even have a radio programme by that name), it is a term loaded with hope and the promise of change for the better. It makes me think of shiny new things, of glowing lights and angelic voices in chorus. The reality is a little less shiny. The reality is news of bombs and shootings, of the killing of party candidates by other parties cadres or women candidates being beaten up so badly they loose an eye, of petty name calling between politicians and party members, of curfews and voter intimidation, of rallies that turn violent and campaigns that have no agenda for how a New Nepal will rise, no party line bar the slogan "vote for trees" or "don't vote for them". The party leaders have signed two agreements promising a peaceful and fair election yet not a day has passed in the last two weeks without the papers reporting one lot of party cadres beating up or intimidating another. Prachanda (the Maoist leader) has said that if the Maoists don't win, the elections must be unjust and he will not accept them. In reality if the Maoists DO win it will be because of fear and intimidation, as I'm pretty sure they do not have any popular support. But ke garne, if they don't win they may well pick up arms again, 'head back to the forests' and start another civil war...so perhaps, in the name of a quiet life, they will win. Whatever happens tomorrow I'm pretty sure in the end the people of Nepal will not win. But may be I'm being too pessimistic, maybe the gains that have been made in ensuring better equality and representation in Nepal will continue and this election will go smoothly and will truly mark the start of the road to a New Nepal…that's the beauty of the day before, waiting, huddling, its all rumour at the moment and from this distance we can still hope!