Editorial
Looking for answers
While there’s a great deal of anger in Kathmandu about fuel crisis, Tarai has suffered mostDasain is approaching and there is still no sight of a resolution to the political crisis in the Tarai. Although the Madhesi parties seem to be in a bit of disarray, the protests in the Tarai continue. The import of supplies from India continues to be blocked, though the oil tankers are coming in intermittently.
The new government has been more focused on accommodating members of the new coalition into ministerial positions than on resolving the crisis in the Tarai. The letter that Prime Minister K.P. Oli sent to the Madhesi Morcha inviting them for talks could have been better committed to looking for a political solution. Madhesi leaders have asked for details on how Oli plans to negotiate before coming to the table. We hope that the government will soon seek a negotiated solution to the crisis.
Regardless of the political settlement crafted to resolve the crisis in the Tarai, it is clear that the events of the past two months will have long-term ramifications deep into the future. The events surrounding the drafting of the constitution have politicized and polarized society to a very high degree. A great deal of chauvinistic sentiment has emerged in Kathmandu and other hill regions. Many offensive terms used to deride Madhesis had died out in recent years, but have once again been revived. In the Madhes, there is a widespread mass of disaffected youth who feel let by the Nepali state and they will probably be further radicalized in the future. The disaffection is likely to be exacerbated if major attempts are not made to bridge the divide.
As we have argued here consistently the solution can only be political. It is essential that political leaders, both at the central and local levels, make serious attempt to calm down passions and heal wounds that have emerged over the past two months.
While there is a great deal of indignation in Kathmandu towards the fuel crisis, let us not forget that the Tarai has suffered most during these months of protests. Not only have their daily lives been severely disrupted, much else has broken down too. The police in the Tarai is on the defensive and has abandoned many of the rural areas. State organs are mistrustful towards local populations. There is a political vacuum: the Madhesi parties have not been able to manage the protests either, and the protestors find themselves without a strong political leadership who can channel their frustrations.
There is a possibility that a situation of some kind of anarchy could emerge in the future if the parties fail to get the situation under control through dialouge. Like between 2007 and 2010, various armed and illegal groups could emerge in the Tarai seeking to take advantage of the vacuum. Alongside seeking a negotiated settlement with the Madhesi parties, the political class as a whole would do well to pay attention to these societal and institutional needs of the Tarai before it is too late.