Inclusion : in a Context of nation building/working paper

Inclusion: In a context of nation building

-         Dharmendra Jha

Nation building

Nation building is related to overall preservation of nationality. It is important to analyze the idea of nation building with the nationwide dissatisfaction that resulted in the unrest in the recent times. In fact, nation building is a process that continues with time in some or other ways. To understand nation building in a micro-manner, we have to look at it from two different perspectives, first, overall building of nation, second, advancing the nation into a developed state. However, in both of the above perspectives, one thing is expected to be equal. And, that is the aspirations of people living there society, faith-culture, language-culture, values-principles, trust etc and its equal acceptance and expression and their creation is expected. These issues are built by people living in a certain area and are related to national identify and it depends upon the mindset whether to use state power to construct that. The participation in the state function is expected for it. On the other hand, the nation building is also related to economic and physical development and everyone’s participation as well as appropriate and equal utilization of the outcome. Similarly, nation building it also related to guarantee and protection of human rights. In our case, we can see both the contexts of nation building is present; hence, many still consider Nepal being in the progress of nation building.

Based upon the analysis, we can agree with the opinion of Paul James in conclusion. He has opined the nation building as being formation or the structure of a nation. He says a nation is built through a comprehensive process. The aim of nation building is unification of its people, through which state receives the permanency politically and is enabled for the future. It is ideal to say that the relation of nation building is closely tied to the integration of several nationalities in order to build a complete nationality. In conclusion, we can say that people’s unification, diverse ideas, perspectives, principles and values and their acceptance as well as inclusion and uniting dispersed society to build a united society and functioning state mechanisms and their well-presence is the basic requirement for nation-building.

It is important to understand comprehensively that nationality is the significant limb of the nation-building. It is an error to grasp the idea of nation, state and country from the same window in general. The danger lies while trying to understand overall nationality and the nation building process derailing the process of nation building and its definition. We somehow are playing roughly with the danger of some sort in trying to generalize these terms. In fact, nation, state and country are three different terms with completely different meanings. A nation is understood as a single cultural unit similarly, a state as an administrative and political unit, a country as a geographical unit. To understand nation building from this perspective we can agree an administrative unit as being a geographical border that binds the people that within that border and the process of unification with in that border culturally is defined as nationality. In this, the equal participation of people within the defined border and the respect to their aspiration is given importance and lawfully state or an administrative unit is expected to arrange the necessary infrastructure. Many experts have also analyzed nationality directly with the people living there. It is important to remember BP Koirala’s opinion on nation where he said a nation is in fact its people.

Nationality is also related with culture and history of me country. The incorporation of various factors that binds its people together like diverse culture, its history, values, ideals, faith is what forms a nation. In summary, this is me process of nation building process. The hindrance to the nation building process is often the clear lack of the expected role of the state inviting the danger. If we stay the history of different countries around the globe, it is proved the disintegration of former USSR, Czechoslovakia, Sudan and Yugoslavia is the result of the state’s lack of leadership.

Inclusion

An official principle thought on inclusion began in the 1960s from United States of America, Takis Fotopaulous, an American citizen is the first person to use the word Inclusive Democracy. According to Fotopaulous, inclusion is the representation of everyone living in the state without any discrimination regardless of the identity of their own religion, culture, tradition, language, and lifestyle. Inclusion promotes identity, representation and access. It is today’s need to implement the inclusion of economic, political, social, administrative and educational areas in all state mechanisms.

Inclusion is a method that is democratic in nature which the traditionally marginalized groups or the ones who have been excluded from the mainstream of the state are included on the basis of compensation. In other words, the meaningful presence of traditionally marginalized group in the ruling of the state, policy-making, policy implementation as well as their participation through ownership of the state is inclusion. In the recent years in Nepal’s case, it has been believed that the need to include women, indigenous Janajati, Madhesi, Dalit must be brought into the state mainstream. By realizing the exclusion and acknowledging the problems due to exclusion, the building of the base for the mainstreaming of the marginalized groups in the state building is inclusion. Nepal’s inclusion is in Aesthetic in nature, hence it is not meaningful.

The area of Inclusion

Generally speaking, inclusion is necessary in each and every components of the state. The important thing is the meaningful participation in the decision making process of everyone involved. The meaning of the meaningful participation should be understood as being influential in the decision making process. In our context, in recent times, the concept of inclusion is made compulsory for implementation by the excluded groups whereas the group with access to facilities have been trying to suppress the debate. So, the challenge is the formation of uniformity in voice for the implementation of inclusion.

Inclusion is needed in each and every component of the state however, it is even more urgent in the areas mentioned below:-

·        Political Inclusion – in public as well as appointment in the state components

·        Economic Inclusion – Equitable distribution of land and tax breaks and loan opportunities

·        Social Inclusion – social security, employment, end of social discrimination and violence

·        Administration Inclusion – reservation

·        Inclusion in Education- free education, uniform and books

·        Cultural

·        Religious

Inclusion Campaign in Nepal

Experimenter of equality in Nepal and the prominent Social Democrat Late BP Koirala, who founded Nepali Congress Party, implemented the idea of inclusion in Congress Part long before the principle was applied around the world. BP built Nepali Congress as a beautiful garden with diverse and multi-ethnic representatives in its beginning days by including Dalit, Janajati, Madhesi and Women. Dhan Man Singh Pariyar, a Dalit was appointed as the General Secretary of Nepali Congress already back in 1950. Similarly, Parshu Narayan Chaudhary from Tharu community and Mahendra Narayan Nidhi from Madhesi community were appointed later as a General Secretary of Nepali Congress, also in 1960s  Nepal Congress had leaders like Ganesh Man Singh, Parshu Narayan  Chaudhary, Diwan Singh Rai, Prem Raj Angdambe, Yogendra Man Shrestha, Min Bahadur  Gurung were included in the Cabinet, and in recent times Shailaja Acharya and Sujata Koirala being appointed as a Deputy-Prime Minister reflected the principle of Nepali Congress where inclusion plays a significant role. 

In the recent history, after people’s movement in 2006 Nepali congress decided to seat Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, a Madhesi in the Supreme Position of President of Nepal. During BP Koirala’s time all Himal, Pahad and Terai had proportional representation in the government without any provision in the Constitution. This progressive experiment of BP Koirala is an evidence of how through transformative approach paves the ways for inclusion.

Already in 1949, BP Koirala made public his campaign to end caste based discrimination that continued for many years. However, after Royal takeover in 1960, this campaign was obstructed throughout 30 years of party-less Panchayat regime. After the successful people’s movement in 1990, the restoration of democracy saw more equality, less discrimination as well as taboos and social ill-practices were somewhat checked however the restoration of democracy didn’t deliver social justice as aspired by the general public. The gap between the haves and have-nots just kept increasing after 1990 resulting in the rise of Maoist rebellions in the 90’s. The speed of development in the country was hindered heavily during this period. To some extent, the decade long people’s war of Maoist did bring awareness about inclusion.

In 2006, the Maoist renounced their weapons and joined the mainstream democratic politics. The agenda of multi-ethnic, multi-faith, multi-identity accommodating in the mainstream of Nepalese society has become the important debate since them.

The inclusion campaign initiated by BP Koirala once again gained the momentum after 2006. It has also contributed in the movements organized by Dalits, Madhesi, Tharuhat and Janajati in the past decade.

The Workings of Inclusion

The inclusive society paves the way for an equitable society. Hence, inclusion is viewed as the process to establish rights for all regardless of their language, religion, gender, class and profession.

Constitutionally, only in the interim constitution of 2007 was the idea of inclusion accepted in Nepal.

Under me article 21 on the theme of “Right to Social Justice”, the restructure of society in democratic manner by ensuring rights to the underprivileged, poor farmers and laborers were included along with traditionally marginalized group such as women, Dalit, Janajati and  Madhesi.

Inclusion in Politics

Directly or indirectly, practically speaking the debate of inclusion only started back in 1950 after the revolution against Rana Regime. Nepal Terai Congress raised the voice to implement quota system for the Madhesi community in Nepal’s civil service. This movement to include the Madhesi community in the civil service was kept alive for many years by the Terai congress leaders who had split from Nepali Congress party in the 1960s.

In the 1980s, Sadbhavana Party led by late Leader Gajendra Narayan Singh pushed for the Madhesi included in Civil service and military service that has now become the mainstream agenda for all the parties.

The people’s movement of 2006 and the Madhesi movement in the following years have been seen as an instrumental part of the establishment of inclusion in the mainstream of Nepal’s political agenda in recent year. It is certain positive sign, that the new constitution of Nepal 2015 has officially acknowledged the idea of inclusion.

Coincidentally, there is women presence as the lead in all three constitutional bodies of Nepal. Today, we have Bidhya Devi Bhandari as the president of Nepal, Onsari Gharti as the speaker of the house and Sushila Karki as the Chief Justice of Supreme Court and they are all women.

Inclusion in Education

Inclusive education means that all class, region, community, caste groups are provided with quality education based year their aspiration, inclusive education is responsible for mean streaming the deprived community towards quality education.  

Problems in the direction of social-inclusion

• ·        State indifference to end or mitigate social inclusion
• ·        Lack of policy in regards to minimum human rights preservation
• ·        Lack of equitable policy, program and structures
• ·        Problems in participation and representation
• ·        Lack of right to information
• ·        Lack of meaningful, decisive and practical roles in the decision-making
• ·        Lack of implementation on principles of social harmony
• ·        Lack of unified position within the diverse actors in support of inclusion and ownership by certain class only
• ·        Lack of appropriate policy and acts in regards to the reservations provisions in the areas like civil services
• ·        Lack of requires laws based on constitutional provisions
• ·        No policy on utilization of resources

 Suggestions for the implementation of principles of social-inclusion

• ·        Special preservation and provision of positive discrimination
• ·        Provision of proportionate representation in every state mechanism
• ·        Social-economic empowerment
• ·        Systematic and policy restructuring
• ·        Change in discriminatory mind-set, lawful punishment setup
• ·        Respect to the rule of law, freedom and human rights
• ·        Personal and community security
• ·        Respect, preservation and utilization of diversity
• ·        Right to information
• ·        Gender responsible development
• ·        Presence of powerful civil society
• ·        Formation laws as per constitutional provisions and their implementation
• ·        Equal distribution of state based opportunities

·        Equal and accessible education provisions

A Working Paper : Presented in a seminar on Social Inclusion. Organized by social Democratic Asia. Pokhara December 13-16, 2016.