Loktantra cliché

How many times a day while trotting along the busy streets you have come across people bickering about something you don’t know and their arguing questioningly, “Who has got right to suppress one as this in Loktantra?” Scores of times, right? So it is.
While we were fighting the king, we aimed at bringing the new dawn of what we were then asked to call ‘Loktantra’. Political parties, except for Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) which bitched about Loktantra most times, did not leave even a single brick unturned to instill the word into the life of people. Moreover, it was written while defining ‘State’ in Interim constitution of Nepal 2063 “Nepal is a free, indivisible, sovereign, secular, inclusive and a completely Loktantrik state.” On 27th April this year, a Loktantra Day was also observed amidst huge participation of nationals as well as noted international figures (Sitaram Yachuri and others) and wild fanaticism.
When people are to complain about the hearth of basic necessities in Kathmandu they are frequently found to wonder saying “What is happening even after Loktantra has arrived.” Every citizen, child or adult, male or female, oaf or pedant is found to have used the term scores of time daily apropos life circumstances in Nepal. Now that the preparations for the most awaited Constituent Assembly Polls are undergoing, the term is wafting along the political streets, through the lives of people. It clanks through day or night, and about every nook and cranny. The word Loktantra is in more vogue again it was just after resurrection.

It is, however, strange that the users cannot definitely define the term Loktantra. When asked what they know about Loktantra, they either say something what is more like Republican or about democracy, or even duck their head down.

Loktantra seems to be more like a cliché.

What Loktantra really is?

If we translate Loktantra into English, we have democracy for it. “In translation there is not any difference in meaning. Loktantra in translation means democracy.” Keshab Badal of CPN-UML says. The democratic system which was in practice in Nepal in the post-46 agitation literally vested almost all rights in king, Badal furthers. “The king could not be brought under the jurisdiction of the court of law. Loktantra is, thus, very different from what we called ‘monarchial democracy’.
Loktantra is a system whereby the country is ruled by the people themselves, whereby executive power as well as sovereignty will be vested in the hands of Nepalese people.” Etymologically, Loktantra is made of two words ‘lok’ meaning public and ‘tantra’ meaning the system of government. “Loktantra is thus a system of government which ensures that people are the rulers for the benefits of themselves at the will of people.” says Hari Rokka. Loktantra should not be mistaken for Prajatantra, which has the prefix praja denoting the subjects. “Only kings say subject to the public. Prajatantra thus etymologically means the system of government headed by the king himself. It is the system which is run at the mercy of the king who has given certain rights to his prajas (subjects).” advocates Hari Rokka.

It is generally understood that Loktantra does not accommodate the king. “Surely, the king lost his position the very moment he did not heed people’s aspirations.” says Hom Nath Dahal “Prajatantra marks the king’s presence while Loktantra is the absence of the king.” In contrast, Bharat Giri, a central committee member of Rastriya Prajatantra party, emphasizes more on consensus of the public than on anything else while defining Loktantra. “Loktantra is the process which ensures the representation through the participation and consensus of public.” shares Giri. It can evidently justify the fact that the name of his party doesn’t miss out the word Prajatantra. Loktantra thus is the system of government where there is no king. “Loktantra is the system without any kind of monarchy.” concludes Comrade Jwala of communist party of Nepal (Maoists).

The head of the state
What the head of the state will be like in Loktantra? It is another question which bears remarkable animosity among parties and the leaders within the parties. Some leaders argue that the state will be headed by a flaccid president like in Indian president. “The president will be ceremonial like in India.” says Hom Nath Dahal. “Prime minister will be more powerful. He will execute the national activities according to the will of the people. He will hear the voice of people” he adds. Similarly, according to Hari Rokka, decision about the nature of the head of the state will lie on the will of Nepalese people. “After the first meeting of the representatives, what the president will be like will be decided. He might be like Indian, or American or Nepalese.
On the other hand, some leaders advocate that the peoples’ andolan was the first of its kind in entire world so the president will also be of Nepalese kind. “President will be neither like the one in the United States, not the one in like India, he will be out and out Nepali type.” claims Keshab Badal of CPN UML. Similarly Jwala says “we will make our type of president.”
In fact, whatever kind of the president there will be, he should abide by Nepalese constitution that is to be framed after the first meeting of constituent assembly and pay attention to people’s agenda and aspiration.