For a more accountable and transparent state
Bureaucracy in Nepal has been mired deep in inefficiencies and corruption for years. This problem has its root in the culturally backed practice of clientelism and patronage system, which act as a speed breaker in government efficiencies and impede national development. In the context of Nepal, the system of clientelism and patronage has its roots in history. For centuries, a few powerful families ruled the country by holding on to state powers. It is in the very nature of feudals to promote the culture of patronage and clientelism, in which individuals (citizens) must rely on personal connections and favors to access resources and secure a position of authority. After the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, the country entered an era of political transition and restructuring with hopes of a shared future. But clientelism and patronage continued to flourish in politics and bureaucracy even after this switch to a federal democratic republican system. Today, clientelism continues to victimize the country, pervading all three levels of government—federal, provincial and local—with patronage networks built around high-profile individuals such as politicians, bureaucrats, and businessmen. This matrix has been used to secure government services, contracts, and benefits. Due to this practice, the refrain Bhansun Nagari Kehi Hudina (no work gets done without connection) remains as popular today as in olden days. This system has given rise to a culture of corruption in Nepal. Every individual feels that, to access basic services either they need to pay bribes, use ‘powerful connections’ or solicit political support. The citizenry feels that every citizen must become a part of this patronage system to eke out a living in the country. This psychology has a devastating impact on national development. Due to such malpractices, the notion of good governance, the rule of law, and politics has been negatively influenced. The Nepali state has never been seen as the protector of public interest. The society has turned down into a low-trust society consisting of low-level equilibrium. In addition to corruption, the government has been facing considerable obstacles in delivering services, enforcing laws, and defending public interest. Recent media reports point at a growing culture of rent-seeking—gaming the political system for personal gains—in Nepal. Such malpractices have dealt a huge blow to good governance and the rule of law, and given politics a bad name. So, what can be done to change things for the better? One potential solution is to create an accountable political system based on the principle of checks and balances. A system that is transparent and accountable to the public, a system that appoints the right person at the right place, especially in constitutional bodies. This means appointments based on meritocracy, not on the bases of powerful connections. Strengthening investigative agencies like the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority is equally necessary, if we are to bring about desired changes. Strong civil societies are necessary to strengthen such agencies. The desired changes will be possible only after fundamental shifts in the country’s political and bureaucratic culture, for which we should make political and bureaucratic systems transparent and accountable to the public.
Path to rapprochement
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has claimed that his recent India visit made progress on some key bilateral issues. For the first time since the map row erupted between the two countries in 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged that boundary dispute in a press conference. This acknowledgement, according to Dahal, was an indication of a commitment from the political level to find a possible way out to settle the dispute. Every prime minister-level visit between Nepal and India provides an opportunity for a frank exchange of views and concerns. Prime Minister Dahal’s India visit was no exception. This time too, Dahal and his Indian counterpart Modi held candid discussions on all outstanding issues between the two countries. The Indian side said in a statement that the ‘two sides held productive discussions, which helped to widen the understanding perspective on a wide range of bilateral agendas and gave a robust direction to take the deep-rooted partnership forward.’ PM Dahal has said that candid and open discussion between two sides helped to build an environment of trust. The only concern for Nepal was that Prime Minister Dahal didn’t think about setting an institutional memory of his visit and meetings with the Indian side by choosing to discuss the bilateral issues in the absence of foreign minister or officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In some respects, the visit was different from the previous ones. This time, bilateral talks were more focused on economic and development partnership, said former Nepali ambassador to India Lokraj Baral. "The visit has been largely successful because Modi has shown positive gestures on key issues, and unlike past visits, PM Dahal’s visit gave more importance to the development agenda which is a key foundation of bilateral issues," Baral said. Political analyst Bishnu Dahal said India appears to have abandoned the policy of micromanagement in Nepal and is now focusing more on energy, water and other cooperation issues. "The changing geopolitical situation may have prompted New Delhi to change the pattern of relationship with Nepal." One of the key outcomes of the visit was progress on energy cooperation. The two countries finalized an agreement for a long-term power trade, where India has pledged to import 1000 MW of electricity from Nepal within ten years. The two sides must sign a formal document on power trade as soon as possible and address other remaining issues related to export to India. India and Nepal have also signed memorandum of understanding (MoUs) on Lower Arun and Phukot-Karnali hydroelectric projects. Similarly, India has agreed to purchase 1200 MW of electricity, including 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project. Similarly, two sides have reached an agreement on the constructions of transmission lines. Geopolitical analyst Bijaya Kanta Karna said the agreement on the power sector is vital because it has ended the long-standing uncertainty of the electricity market that Nepal produces. "India has agreed to buy the electricity which means more investment will come to Nepal in the hydropower sector," he said. Likewise, the two prime ministers also inaugurated some projects and oversaw the signing of several MoUs. Nepal and India also renewed the Transit Agreement which will allow Nepal to use inland waterways of India for the shipments of goods from third countries. In 2019, India had agreed to provide three inland waterways, which has become a key component of the transit agreement. India has been providing more transit points after Nepal signed a transit agreement with China in 2016. According to Karna, the agreement on the transit is vital as it allows Nepal's own shipment from Kolkata port to the border. There have also been some positive discussions on exporting Nepali hydropower to Bangladesh via India, though many things are yet to be done. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, India has decided to facilitate the first trilateral power transaction from Nepal to Bangladesh, through the Indian grid with an export of 40 MW electricity. There has to be trilateral talks for this power trade agreement to take shape. Pancheshwor Multipurpose Development Project was also one of the key agendas of Dahal’s India visit. The agreement to finalize the detailed project report (DPR) within the next three months and ensure financial arrangement within a year was a positive development. It must be noted though that there has always been positive talks at the political level. The hurdle lies at the bureaucratic level. Nepal has also requested for non-reciprocal access to its agricultural and primary products to the Indian market. To this end, the two prime ministers have directed for early convening of commerce-secretary level meeting to address the issues related to trade and to review the trade treaty. Similarly, the two countries agreed to push other economic and development partnership issues including the key connectivity projects. Three prominent talking points that used to be at the center of every prime minister’s visit — Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) report, border dispute, and 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty — didn’t find a prominent space during Dahal’s India visit. Probably, for the first time after 2016, the issue of EPG was skipped during bilateral meetings. Prime Minister Dahal later said that “he didn’t want to spoil the environment” by raising the EPG issue with the Indian side. So, it seems that the issue of the EPG and 1950 treaty is almost over. While the border issue did figure during the one-on-one meeting between Dahal and Modi, there was no official level talks. Another keenly watched issue was Prime Minister Dahal’s visit to Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh, highlighting the strong cultural ties between India and Nepal. Dahal, a Maoist leader who has never visited Hindu temple in Nepal and whose party targeted Sanskrit education during the insurgency era, offered prayers at the Mahakaleshwar temple. This out-of-character gesture from Prime Minister Dahal was significant, as Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its affiliate organization, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have been urging Nepali leaders to take measures to protect the Hindu religion. BJP leaders are of the view that the Hindu religion in Nepal is being attacked in the disguise of secularism. But, Prime Minister Dahal defended his move by saying that he was not just a communist leader but the prime minister of Nepal, and his refusal to visit the temple could have hurt the sentiment of 1.4 billion people of India. Apart from bilateral ties, Nepal and India also discussed the ‘regional environment’ mainly focusing on China’s growing military, political and economic influence in the smaller countries, including Nepal. According to officials, the two sides discussed how China’s rise is affecting Nepal-India ties. Of late, China’s growing influence in Nepal has been a major concern for India. Of late, Indian officials are prominently raising their security concerns in Nepal. Overall, Dahal’s India visit was an indication that the bilateral relationship between Nepal and India is gradually heading towards normalization. The economic and development partnership has gained momentum. Analyst Karna said the visit is a departure from past visits because of the agreement achieved in the areas of energy cooperation, connectivity and other development projects. But many of the agreements have been reached at the prime minister’s level which needs to be finalized at the bureaucratic level. To do so, both sides should maintain and nurture an environment of trust. They must avoid possible irritants, especially at a time when the regional environment is very fragile, and could anytime spoil the bilateral relations.
A water war between Afghanistan and Iran
Clashes erupted once again between Afghan and Iranian border security forces in the Afghan border province of Nimruz on 27 May 2023, resulting in the deaths of two Iranian security forces and one Taliban border guard. Both sides blamed each other for the incident, with the Taliban accusing Iran of firing first and Iran accusing the Taliban of violating a water-sharing treaty. The clashes are the latest in a series of tensions between Afghanistan and Iran. In recent months, Iran has accused the Taliban of violating a 1973 water-sharing treaty between the two countries by blocking water flow from the Helmand River, which flows from Afghanistan to arid eastern border regions of Iran, a powerful regional player with a long history of involvement in Afghanistan. The Taliban is a relatively new and untested government, and it is unclear how it will respond to the challenges it faces from Iran and other regional powers. The situation in Afghanistan is complex and volatile. Despite their relatively peaceful relationship and lack of significant territorial conflicts, Afghanistan and Iran are facing an escalating dispute over the distribution of water resources from the Helmand, a crucial water source supporting essential functions such as irrigation, agriculture, and drinking water for both the countries. Over the past years, the river basin has encountered a series of droughts, compounded by impacts of climate change, posing challenges for both sides in effective management of the water source. Afghanistan’s act of constructing the Kamal Khan dam near the Iran border has exacerbated the situation. Iran, currently facing critical water shortages in 270 cities, has expressed concerns about this dam and there are reports of potential missile strikes to destroy it. This escalating situation raises the possibility of a full-fledged war over water, which could go down in history. A network of dams The construction of dams on the Helmand River poses a complex challenge with wide-ranging implications, especially for Iran as a downstream country heavily dependent on the river for its water supply. Afghanistan has built multiple dams along the Helmand, mainly to meet irrigation and hydropower needs. These dams have given rise to significant concerns regarding water control, environmental impact, and regional security dynamics. Some of the major dams along the river are as follows:
- Built in 1945, Grishk Dam has a power generation capacity of 1.2 MW.
- Built in Kajaki district of Helmand province in 1953, Kajaki Dam has a power generation capacity of 151 MW.
- Built near the border with Iran in 2021, Kamal Khan Dam has a power generation capacity of 9 MW.
Bipin Maharjan: Embracing body art
Bipin Maharjan, a tattoo artist from Kathmandu, has been running the tattoo parlor, ‘Tattoo Workshop’, in Basantapur, for the past five years. The 30-year-old got into the Nepali tattoo industry 10 years ago and has received several honors for his work, including those from reputable events like the International Nepal Tattoo Convention. He says he still has a long way to go. But, so far, his experience as a tattoo artist has been a good one. From a young age, Maharjan had a strong interest in art, design, and tattoos. But he hadn’t thought of getting one himself until some friends in college shared his interest in tattoos. He says that the process of making a tattoo was intriguing, and that sparked his interest in becoming a tattoo artist. “I started by making my tattoo machine where I used pen inks,” he says. The colors weren’t long-lasting and would fade away, and it wasn’t the perfect way to start his journey as a tattoo artist either. So he began taking a class at a tattoo studio with one of his brothers and decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. When he started, he says, becoming a tattoo artist wasn’t easy. There weren’t many YouTube lessons or resources where he could learn how to use a tattoo machine. The other issue was the lack of suppliers and equipment. But despite all the difficulties, he says he was fortunate enough to have a supportive family to help him pursue his dream of becoming a tattoo artist. “It was my mother who gave me money to buy my first tattoo machine,” he says. The first tattoo he made was on his friend’s chest. It was an exhilarating moment for him. Since then, he has had many customers and is now quite accustomed to what he does. When it comes to drawing a tattoo, Maharjan says the process is fun and laborious at the same time. But when his clients are satisfied with what he’s made, he feels a sense of bliss. “I feel proud of my work when I see my customers happy,” he says. He feels like he has gotten better at what he does in the past 10 years. He used to draw tattoo designs based on the internet but now, he incorporates his sense of style in every design, making it unique and his own. “My designs are mostly inspired by Japanese oriental style. I try to incorporate that style with Nepali elements that’s inspired by Thanka and Pauba art,” he says. Traditional artifacts and designs found in temples and monuments are the major sources of inspiration for his artwork. “For instance, if I want to draw a design of Buddha, I take reference from Buddha sculptures,” he says, adding he is inspired by international tattoo artists like Orient Ching and Filip Leu. Maharjan acknowledges that each tattoo artist has their style and pattern. He also thinks that every tattoo artist has his/her methods of carefully designing and making a tattoo to avoid mistakes. “If the tattoo work is heavy, the probability of skin damage is high, which might affect the final result,” he says, “When that happens, artists need to be prepared to handle it so that the tattoo won’t go wrong.” But naturally, when that happens, customers start panicking. He says it’s important to be a people’s person and know how to calm those who are panicking and assure them that everything is going to be okay. One of the most important things to keep in mind while making a tattoo on someone, Maharjan says, is to maintain hygiene. Every piece of equipment he uses is completely sterilized after each customer. He explains that the studio covers the bed with plastic so that there’s no cross-contamination. And to prevent infections, he makes sure he has gloves on and changes them frequently between sessions. He also doesn’t make tattoos on anyone below 18 years of age. As a concerned tattoo artist, he urges people to research tattoo studios, maintain hygiene practices, and look at the tattoo parlor’s portfolio before getting a tattoo. Maharjan believes that an artist must have enough experience to understand patterns, art, and creativity to thrive in the tattoo industry. “Art preferences evolve time and again, and it’s important for an artist to grow and change,” he says. It’s not just about the designs anymore, he says, even the equipment is always changing. “We need to stay updated on how to use it, and the best place to learn and stay updated is the social media platforms,” he says. Being a tattoo artist is a difficult job. Sometimes, a design requires an artist to work for hours without a break. There was a time when Maharjan worked for 14 hours without a single break. It was during the International Nepal Tattoo Convention. “One needs to have a lot of patience and dedication in this field,” he says. For his work, Maharjan has received several accolades. He bagged the second prize for ‘Tattoo Flash Art’ at the seventh International Nepal Tattoo Convention in 2017. The following year, he won first place for ‘Front and Back Full Large Piece Black and Gray’ and second for ‘Small Tattoo Color’, and in 2019, he once again got second place for ‘Small Tattoo Color’. He has a long-term goal to persistently work on expanding the tattoo industry in Nepal. He believes many issues within the industry need to be resolved. For instance, there isn’t a proper licensing platform for tattoo businesses in Nepal. Maharjan draws attention to the fact that the government has been limiting the growth of tattoo art by prohibiting candidates for government jobs from getting inked. “Nepal is known for its rich culture,” he says, “I hope to someday see tattoos being accepted as a form of art.”
