Madhes politics: Driven by greed
DIPENDRA JHA
Madhes politics is dominated by high-class landlords and the leaders
hardly realize the problems faced by a large chunk of landless,
homeless, unemployed and frustrated youths, daily-wage laborers, and
the like. The catch words Jay Madhes do not help the hungry buy their
staple food roti neither do they provide them with rojgari'i.e. jobs.
The Madhesi leaders have failed to prioritize the socioeconomic
hardships faced by the majority. Hence, the movement now looks more as
one aimed at satisfying the greed of a few rather than addressing the
grievances of the many. The strategic cooperation between the ruling
classes of the hills and ethnic elites ignores the socioeconomic
problems faced by the poorest and the most vulnerable marginalized
communities such as the Madhesi Dalits (Dom, Chamar, Dusad, Tatma, et
al) who are bearing the triple burden of class, caste and race. Giving
space to the genuinely oppressed can easily pose a threat to the
position of the power holders. This new form of elitism confines
resources and opportunities within a few high- and middle-class ethnic
actors, and have served to exacerbate conflict rather than resolving
it.
It is improper to project Madhesis as one homogeneous group. People
from various economic, social and religious backgrounds face very
different realities and challenges. These differing realities reflect
in the disparity of resources and opportunities available to men and
women, urban and rural dwellers as well as to those at different ends
of the economic spectrum. Identity has received recognition
overshadowing the socioeconomic problems faced by the majority of the
unemployed frustrated youths. That's why, despite the large presence
of Madhesi faces in the Constituent Assembly and the government,
violence continues to escalate in the Tarai. Killings, abductions,
death threats, extortions and road blockades have been affecting the
livelihoods and security of ordinary people. The impact of Madhesi
leaders' presence in power is limited as they represent only the elite
class. Frustration toward Madhesi politics is rising, particularly
because the local population is still deprived of basic human needs
such as food, employment and security.
For the Madhesi leaders, socioeconomic problems are not a priority.
They simply believe in the theory of power-sharing oblivious of the
problems experienced everyday by the local people. So far, the
movement has only taken forward the economic, social and political
interests of the leaders while overlooking the daily livelihood needs,
security, and structural discriminations faced by the poorest local
residents and individuals. Madhesi leaders have failed to notice the
structural factors of ethnicity, caste, gender, class, and its impact
on the daily lives of individuals. While taking the identity movement
ahead, they have overlooked the class-caste nexus and client-patron
relations.
It is widely perceived that the mandate of the Madhes movement has
been abused and misused by the same political elites who remained
dominant in all sectors of the state after the democratic change of
1990 while the socioeconomic conditions of the majority of Madhesis
have worsened. Actually, there has been not been an effective change
in the leadership. Is a new reform and restructuring possible with the
same traditional leadership at the helm? The security situation in
Madhes has been worsening while an increasing number of young people
are being recruited by armed groups. Despite this, Kathmandu still
believes that 'the underlying causes' of conflict in Tarai goes beyond
socioeconomic marginalization. While analyzing the ground reality, it
could be argued that a proximate cause of the armed conflict in Tarai
may be an interest in acquiring political power in the name of
identity crisis; however, the foundation that enabled violence to be
legitimized is primarily the scarcity of basic needs and the
frustration of the unemployed youth.
The sentimental agenda of 'One Madhes, One Pradhes' does not any more
receive public acceptance. Rather, Madhesis are vigorously looking to
have their own Mithila, Bhojpura, Kochila, Abadhi and Tharu states.
That is the reason why the Maoists were not accepted when they were in
Janakpur to announce their 'Madhes autonomous state'.
Overcoming the conflict in Madhes is almost impossible without
transforming the political culture. At the same time, changing the
political culture is easier said than done. It takes a long time to
uproot the culture of feudalism, which is a common characteristic of
the politics in Madhes. Additionally, it would be unrealistic to
completely overlook the role of ethnic elites. However, the
revitalization of voiceless and the poorest are crucial to resolve
conflict in Madhes.
Published on 2010-01-27 01:13:32
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