A Defence of the National Army Against Its Detractors
By Shashi P.B.B. Malla
Lately two members of parliament have seen fit to attack the national army and have demanded a reduction in size in keeping with the times:
Ms. Bimala Rai Paudyal, a member of the National Assembly (the upper house).
We can only remind Ms. Rai-Poudel that the Nepal Army is not a NGO or INGO, but a national institution.
It is responsible not to its donors, but to the ultimate sovereign — the Nepalese people.
Dr. Swarnim Wagle, a recently-elected member of the House of Representatives in a by-election.
As a national institution, the Nepal Army cannot only be subjected to an economic cost-benefit analysis.
These two and other critics fail to comprehend that the duties of the Nepal Army extend far beyond the merely defensive aspects.
In a sense, the Nepal Army follows the precepts of the British statesman Lord Palmerston, 1784-1865:
“We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
From this point of view, the range and purpose of the Nepal Army come under the purview not only of the Ministry of Defence, but of various other ministries as well – dealing with foreign affairs, internal affairs, infrastructure, transport, communications and information technology, education and public health. The defence ministry is, of course, the lead ministry and the one to join the dots.
Lately, the Nepal Army has emerged as the leading proponent of military diplomacy. As a former minister of foreign affairs, one would have expected that Ms. Rai-Paudyal was better informed.
The two critical members of parliament probably thought that they can polish their public images by their hasty, unfounded critiques – but they are quite off the mark and have done a great disservice to Nepali society.
It is also very unfortunate that the political parties to which these two critics belong, have erected a wall of silence.
The role of the Nepal Army in the domestic sphere and the international arena must be seen from a historical perspective and the spectrum of activities comprising national security.
It does seem that the latest critics of the Army are neither cognizant of Nepal’s rich history nor its national security.
It is also more than a little fishy that two members of the opposition took up the issue at the same time from the two different houses of parliament.
Was this a concerted effort or a happy coincidence?
- Today’s Nepal Army evolved from the great Prithvi Narayan Shah’s army of conquest and unification. He recruited from the length and breadth of the country. And even today it is a veritable melting pot of diverse ethnic groups. Can any other national institution contribute as such?
- It is active in the education and health sectors.
- It contributes to infrastructure building – roads and bridges.
- It is perpetually on stand-by for disaster relief in natural calamities – earthquakes, floods, landslides.
If timely help and support were not provided, these critics would be the first to lambast the army for not having enough qualified personnel.
- With its distinguished contribution to United Nations Peace Keeping Operations, Nepal has been able to punch above its weight.
Which other Nepali institution has such an eminent image?
But these honourable members want to cut the Nepal Army down to size?
It thus seems that the two and other critics have wandered just too far and strayed too much from their respective areas of expertise.
For the time being let us not dwell too much on the hardworking, selfless, dedicated, clean and most honourable MPs in general – not forgetting the same bureaucrats, ministers and party apparatchiks.
[Clarification: The present writer’s father, from Parbat, was one of the revolutionary commanders in the Revolution of 1950-51 that brought down the Rana regime. His comrade-in-arms and cousin Thir Bom Malla, from neighbouring Galkot, was also a revolutionary commander.
The writer’s father was a founding member of the Nepali Democratic Congress (Leader: General Subarna Shumsher Rana, grandson of Maharaja Bhim Shumsher) which merged with the Nepali National Congress (Leader: Matrika Prasad Koirala) to form the united Nepali Congress in Calcutta.
The writer’s deceased youngest brother retired as a major-general in the Royal Nepalese Army, and a nephew is a serving army officer].
The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com
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