By Rabi Raj Thapa
Like all other General Assemblies, the United Nations has concluded its 81st General Assembly (UNGA), held from September 8 to 28. As far as the Nepali people are concerned, very few may have a serious interest in or find much distinction between watching the World Cup football, the Cricket World Cup and the proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly.
Times change, as do leaders and global scenarios. Therefore, comparing former speakers at the annual rituals of the United Nations General Assembly may amount to little more than a waste of time and energy. What is significant is the substance and weight of the issues raised by the incumbent leader.
At the 81st Session of the UNGA, Nepali Prime Minister Balen Shah strongly presented Nepal’s message to the world, saying, “Climate change does not recognise borders; glaciers and floods do not travel with a visa stamped on a passport.” His additional statement that “climate justice cannot remain a beautiful phrase in a United Nations document” was equally pertinent and important.
Nonetheless, it would have been far better if the Prime Minister had first started implementing his 6-R mantra—Relief, Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Responsibility, Reparation and Resilience—from the home front.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, there are some 130 armed conflicts underway around the globe, more than double the number in 2009. Many of these poor and unfortunate countries did not choose conflict or war. Such situations often arise when countries lose focus and balance in their foreign, security and economic policy strategies.
One great contribution that PM Balen failed to mention was Nepal’s role as one of the leading troop-contributing countries to United Nations peacekeeping missions for more than six decades. In this regard, Nepal stands alongside highly advanced and developed countries such as India and China, whose leaders have repeatedly praised the commendable role of their security forces in their addresses. Balen also praised foreign support but failed to mention the hard work of Nepal’s security personnel, who acted as first responders in saving and rescuing victims of the Rasuwa and Nuwakot disasters.
On the other hand, Nepal’s participation and representation at the Asia Society interaction held by Kevin Rudd on the sidelines of the UNGA was also meaningful and significant.
Speaking at the meeting, Kevin Rudd, the former Australian Prime Minister and president of the Asia Society, commented that Nepal’s politics was “more complex to understand than American politics.” This demonstrates how far Nepali politics has derailed over the past few decades and how others perceive us and our ever-unpredictable and messy politics.
At the meeting, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal described Nepali politics as being characterised by unstable governments, political patronage and “rampant corruption”, resulting in a “deep distrust of the political order”, particularly among young Nepalis.
The Foreign Minister also characterised Nepal as not really being a small country, but one that appears small because of its geographic location between two large countries, India and China, particularly when measured in terms of population, economic strength and global power.
After the great success at the UN General Assembly, PM Balen Shah must be shocked by the ground reality of the low-level political dogfight that has been going on in Nepal for decades.
Before the euphoria surrounding the UN General Assembly is over, PM Balen is facing a crisis that could be described as a storm in a teacup—the police detention of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JB Rana.
Needless to say, there is a vast gap between the political dynamics of the world and those of Nepal. However, former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher is hardly an ideal role model to justify such an uproar in the media and Parliament. The detention of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher does not merit greater attention than the police detention of political analyst Bharat Dahal or political activist and leader Durga Prasai.
Whatever the circumstances may be, all these detentions have been carried out by the Nepal Police. Yet, there appears to be a force behind the scenes that reflects a government double standard.
Here, the stake is not any particular leader or the government. Rather, it is the broader and flawed political architecture that appears to be under the clutches of something invisible. You may call it the “Deep State” or give it any other name; the cause and effect remain the same.
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