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Bulletin #14: Letter from the Underground

Can a corrupt institution like Nepal’s monarchy uproot corruption?
Mathura P. Shrestha

Democracy is now forcibly ousted out. This government, forced upon the people by the king by scrapping the constitution and democratic value systems, is embarking upon its pipedream to win over the people with a promise to root out corruption. Some people believe that this is possible, deriving their notion out of the situation where corruption continued to be rampant among the ministers, administrators, security personnel, and judges even during democratic times.

The despotic monarch placing himself outside the constitution offered a bloated promise to root out corruption. Such promises are always made by dictators after their military coups. A small fraction of population easily falls pray to believing such a gimmick. They presume a solution is always just on the other side of the fence.

It is easier to take a cue for granted rather than be dogged into the needs, or be responsible, to come to rational or analytical conclusion. Dogmatism and superstition therefore continue to thrive even in these supposedly enlightened days and even among a few intellectuals, so-called.

Critical thought often lapses from among them because of their preoccupation with the rat-race to having a comfortable and affluent life-style for themselves that can compete with their social equals, at whatever cost to the rest of the society. Political sanitation has no meaning to such a fraction.

For anyone who cares or dares to be rational, the following series of intriguing and critical questions are to be at least explored, if not answered.

1. What has been the history of the monarchy in relation to corruption in Nepal?

2. Can corruption be weeded out in absence of democracy, transparency, and systems of public accountability?

3. Can politics be criminalized in order to erode political parties?

4. Can a corrupt and autocratic monarchy uproot corruption?

5. What is the rationality, and motive, of forming two Commissions at the same time for the same purpose of abating corruption?

6. How can a corruption-free society, country be built for the coming generation? What should be roles and responsibility of the people?

7. Corruption in Shaha and Rana periods – digging the history covered up by the corrupt rulers.

Corruption among the rulers in the royal palace and their close protégées has always been most severe and unparallel. That is why Nepal’s law on corruption (even the present constitution illegally squashed by the king) is intentionally kept inadequate Corruption among the rulers in the royal palace and their close protégées has always been most severe and unparallel.

That is why Nepal’s law on corruption (even the present constitution illegally squashed by the king) is intentionally kept inadequate and restrictive. It can’t question, investigate or proceed on any corruption occurring in royal family and of the king.

Nepal was never so poor during the unfortunate reigns of the Shahas and Ranas, or even during Panchayat autocracy. Ancient Nepal was rich. It provided foreign aid to the governments of China and India on several occasions. Bhrikuti (Green Star and princess of Nepal) along with Wen-Chen (White Star and daughter of the shacked Emperor of China) converted the legendry Tsrong-Tchong Gampo (who conquered almost the whole of China) to Buddhism.

He then renounced violence and territorial ambitions. Legend has it that an enormous quantity of gifts was taken to Tibet by the princess. Since about the 7th century, Nepal’s rulers were supplying hundreds of quintals of lapsi, an important ingredient to Chinese traditional medicine to abate deadly scurvy (because of the fruit’s rich vitamin C content with a very long-keeping quality), annually as a gift to beef up health and vigor of the ever expanding navy of Chungko (The Middle Kingdom).

Another example was substantial financial aid to India when Akabar was ruling and expanding in the south towards Karnatak, east towards Bangal and west towards Kandahar. The aid secured Nepal’s independence and helped create a relatively secular environment in the Indian subcontinent.

Nepal also provided monetary loans and military aids to the East India Company (the governing structure in India of colonial Britain) in 1857 during the insurgency of freedom-loving rajas (the so called Sepoy Mutiny or ‘the mutiny of the native army of Bengal’ by the British), and to British India during the First World War. During the Second World War only the military aid was provided. The East India Company (EIC) could not immediately return the monetary loan it got from Nepal because of the economic crisis following the mutiny.

Instead, it returned five districts through an 1860 Treaty with Nepal from among the territories it had annexed from Nepal in 1815 with so called Sugauli Treaty, as a reward for the latter who ‘faithfully maintained the relations of peace and friendship established between the British Government and the State of Nipal (Nepal, so named by EIC) by the treaty of Segowlee’.

[Art. 2 of 1860 Treaty - ‘The British Government hereby bestows on the Maharaja of Nipal in full sovereignty, the whole of the lowlands between the Rivers Kali (now called Mahakali - MPS) and Raptee, and lowlands lying between the River Raptee and the District of Goruckpore, which were in the possession of the Nipal State in the year 1815, and were ceded to the British Government by the article III of the treaty concluded at Segowlee on the 2nd December in the year’].

A secret understanding was also reached with Rana government of Nepal that the loan added with interest would be returned at an appropriate time. The five districts of western Terai (so called naya muluk or new territory) were returned to sovereign Nepal according to the treaty.

But the corrupt ruler, Junga Bahadur Rana, distributed one district so returned to each of his five surviving brothers with rights to sell or dispose the vast land, water and forest resources in these areas. This transfer of ownership generated the de facto slavery systems, Kamayya Haliya etc. that are pricking Nepal’s conscience with serious problems related to bonded labor and its rehabilitation even today as a persisting curse of the history.

The loan was however returned after the First World War during the reign of Chandra Samser Rana. The historical document as to the returned amount is covered-up as of today, as it was a secret deal. One can imagine how huge was the amount by the fact that Chandra Rana distributed Rs. 90,000,000 in pure silver to each of his 9 sons (total 810 million silver rupees).

He also distributed a separate amount to each of his surviving four brothers ranging from 20 to 40 million silver rupees. How much he kept for himself and gave to the king Tribhuvan is still a secret. The value of the money at that time can easily be estimated by the then record of wage. Singha Durbar and Naranhity palaces were built at that time.

The wage of an unskilled laborer was mere Rs. 0.02, and of an artist Rs. 0.48. In that retuned sum were also the remunerations to the dead and returned soldiers after fighting the war for the British in both wars). This sum was never paid to the soldiers or to the families of those who died fighting. Instead, that money was said to be used to build Tri-Chandra Military Hospital at the cost of Rs. 6,500,000. Obviously some money disappeared in the pocket of corrupted individuals as the construction apparently was not worth that much at that time.

Prior to the British departure from India, the colonial government of India wanted to revise the Sugauli treaty to return the ceded territories. The Rana rulers refused. They feared that the the future government of India would confiscate the huge money so illegally amassed and deposited in State Banks of India and other banks in their personal names, on the pretext that it was state money.

They were assured by colonial India that it would aid technically and managerially to develop the Nepal Bank, established in 1929, and transfer all their money in that bank. The Ranas refused this too as the secret documents that may be in the hands of Indian people would be made public.

A rumor was purportedly spread that the rulers did not want to inherit the spirit of independent movement that was rife in Darjiling areas and territories north of Bengal, Bihar and UP. This is another kind of corruption. In addition, the rulers and their protégées did not invest that ill-gotten wealth in Nepal because they did not trust the Nepali people who they had so maltreated and did not want to develop Nepal.

Instead they put the money in the banks of India and other foreign countries. Quite a sum was used to purchase shares of then thriving industries in India. This is yet another example of an irresponsible act that is tantamount to corruption.

As to the corruption during Shah rule prior to Rana period, a folk saying goes (or as the legend has it) that king Prithvi Narayan got his hand on 64 wells full of gold and silver coins plus jewels belonging to the pre-existing state, a confederacy in character. Even the main Malla kings (Sri Raje Dhiraj) did not have the right to dispose the state’s wealth on their own.

In the event of war with foreign countries, great famines or national catastrophes, the national wealth could be used after consultation with all Sardars of the central government and Rajes (Rajas) of subsidiary states from Kangda to Kirat territories spread between the Tista in the east to the Gangotri in the west.

Each of the seven keys to as many locks would be in the custody of seven different persons of ‘the government by discussion (consultation)’. Only one would be with the Sri Raje Dhiraj, the main king. The wrangles between the rivals in royal palace – Prithivi Narayan and his brothers, Bahadur Shaha, Pratap Shaha, Rajendra and his consorts, Bhimsen Thapa, Surendra and consorts among several ones – centered around the access to such wealth, gotten after unholy conquest or so-called ‘unification’, entitlements, and share in the state-power.

Execution of an adamant treasurer, Khajanchi Tribhuvan Khawas (said to be loyal to his ethics) by Bhimsen was for such access. Similar wrangles continued first between queen mother and King Birendra, and between her and the present king for the access to the wealth illegally amassed in coded accounts of foreign banks by late Mahendra during his corrupt Panchayat regime.

Corruption cannot be abated without properly institutionalized democracy and empowered people

Transparency, accountability and absence of impunity are essential to make the countries and societies free of corruption. These important attributes can only be possible in a democracy with sovereign power vested in the people. Democracy without sovereign power in the people is an oxymoron. Similarly, people’s participation and engagement in all political, social and cultural affairs and in policy decisions, monitoring and review are possible only in true democracy, and democracy without these is also an oxymoron. People can do away with the corruption only that way. There are no other short cuts. No other systems are equally compatible as that.

Plot to erode political parties and discourage rightful place of people in politics

It is true that some of the ministers, administrators, security personnel, judges and cadres of political parties were corrupt during democracy time. They will be brought to justice. That can be done only with the democracy. If one analyses carefully, most of the corruption cases of this time are directly or indirectly related to the royal palace and the past legacies old panchayat regime.

The creation of other ‘royal’ commission over the already existing constitutional commission to abate corruption is obviously to stage many trumped up charges and derogation of political leaders.

The political party leaders who instead of acting according to the wishes of the people and their cadres depended on royal favor or appeasement with traditional power in the royal palace or solely depended on maneuver politics however need to be booked or, if necessary, discarded in favor of people-centered democratic and collective leadership. At least the leaders and parties should learn a lesson as wished by the people and party cadres at present.

Shady antidemocratic forces deliberately tend to criminalize politics or blame politics itself so that they can monopolize unhindered political domains for their own evil ends, and to discourage people including intellectuals, professionals, workers, peasants, teachers, students and landless or the people without any entitlement from participate in politics.

They create a lot of smokescreens, myths, anecdotes and even jokes for that. Politics, however, is the lifeblood of people. By definition, politics relates the people and their environment, including their life. People and politics cannot be separated. All the people have both rights and responsibility to participate in the politics actively.

Active participation of the people in politics is the single-most important determinant of social affluence and security of a population including improved status in health, education and all round wellbeing.

Despotic monarchs are invariably the most corrupt

It is well known in the history of the countries the world over that the autocratic and despotic governments, absolute monarchs, tyrants, dictators, military rulers, and dynastic monopolies in power were and are invariably most corrupt. People do not ‘see, hear or speak’ under such reigns because there is no transparency, no press freedom, no fundamental rights and no human rights.

The autocratic monarchy of Gyanandra wants of seal off the people from all the means ‘to see, hear or speak’ so that he can be as despotic and as corrupt as his father. He is afraid of the people. Therefore, he is striping the people of all fundamental rights and opportunities to have any credible or uncensored information, to gather, to be organized and to dissent or to rebel.

He has no authority to ban political parties, yet he has imprisoned and continues to imprison political leaders and activists. He has also arrested several human rights defenders, journalists, students and civil society activists. He is trying to restrict civil societies by planning to order re-registration of these.

This will indirectly facilitate the breakdown of civil society’s collective resistance to the Maoists’ demand to register in their areas. Obviously he wants to continue to amass property using all legal loopholes and illegally even at the cost of the country, people and democracy.

The economic loss of complete shutdown of telecommunication lines and points in Nepal after the February 1 takeover by the king Gyanendra is said to be more than two billion rupees per day (earlier I guestimated to be more than 1 billion).

All industries suffered and are still suffering. Even the taxi and bus drivers, relating their woes to me yesterday evening, were worried. There are not as many customers as used to be. According to The Economist of February 12-18, 2005, one of Africa’s most experienced despots, the military president Gnassingbé Eyadéma, left Togo 12% poorer per head today than when he seized power in through a coup in 1967.

The king Gyanendra, as people of Nepal know him, is at least comparable to Eyadéma. How long will it take for the people of Nepal to awaken, as stark poorer? Everybody, including democratic minded security personnel, need to become sensitive to this question.

I asked a professor of Bern University in 1985, “How come, Switzerland with so little natural resources managed to become so rich?” The reply was, “So long as there are corrupt and despotic governments like yours in this world we do not worry, we will continue to be rich”.

Corrupt rulers hide their skin finding scapegoats or blaming others

Tyrants always ‘pass their own problem-bucks on other’s shoulders’. Rule of law and transparency are the greatest threat to them. They always want to be above the constitution and laws of the nation and the world of which Nepal has become a formal party by ratification. They enforce legal provisions with impunity on any of their crimes and corruption.

They want to become blameless, yet they want to have absolute power to do whatever they want. They love shady dealings. Naturally they are cowards, always. They create innumerable scapegoats. They point out all the faults, even if these are related to them directly and indirectly, upon others, and force others to bear the consequences.

As a popular saying goes, they ‘see lice on backs of others but overlook the buffalos on their own backs’. They create myths. They use corrupt thugs, paid hallakhors or halalkhors and ass-lickers to support and defend them. They create and recreate even Gestapo like mandale commandos to spread their reign of terror. They abduct suspects, torture them, imprison them without warrant or trial, murder innocent people and spread rumors to derogate the people and political activists. They misuse security institutions.

They are up to anything to defeat the invincible - the people and democracy. They try to hide the fact or create myths to divert the norms of constitutional monarchy that ‘a king never does anything on his own, and does whatever his elected prime minister advises’. Only such a king’ can do no wrong’.

Building corruption-free society, country

A corruption-free society or country is possible only when people are masters of everything and over everything, including their production, creations, resources and environment. Such a people-first concept puts the kings, presidents, heads of states, ministers, administrators, security forces, services of all kinds and types, and even judiciary under the people to serve the people.

For that a high degree of people’s participation in all sociopolitical affairs of the country is needed. Such participation is possible only in democracy and rule of law with nobody and no structures overriding the people and the constitution created and to be created by the people.

Empowered people will remain highly vigilant in democracy and tend to prevent any autocratic tendency to resurface in their name. People’s participation and democracy fosters societies to remain transparent and everybody along with systems or organizations to be accountable to the people with a high professional standards and ethics.

Social justice, equity and human rights will become natural and inalienable factors then. Humanity and human development will have unhindered progress with a spirit of ‘one for all and all for one’. The political culture of “everything over the table and nothing under the carpet” will be possible then. Corruption will not be viable, or even necessary for that matter. Corruption can not thus thrive in democracy with transparent and accountable societies.

INSN is the International Nepal Solidarity Network, which has activists in over a dozen countries around the world who are working to bring democracy to Nepal. Visit their website for regular updates related to the Nepal crisis.

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