Feels like yesterday, but we are soon going to complete the three decades since the civil war started in 1996 in Nepal. We have undeniably achieved many milestones. The only reason we could not rejoice those as expected is because we have formed the structures optimally but could not make them function as optimally as we could, resulting in the structural-functional gap or the demand-supply imbalance in the governance continuum.
The recent amendment in the Act on Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation, 2014 has once again kindled the concerns of the victims of the armed conflict and have triggered our memory lane of the People's War time. Now this is very pivotal because it is sprouting those 'national consensus vibes' amongst the political leadership, and they are hinting at establishing it as a national responsibility to heal all those past wounds of the war through the best possible social as well as legal remedies.
Creating that equilibrium in the society where both victims and perpetrators are living together will never be easy. It must be assessed through some beyond-the-box approaches and not confining it to 'business as usual'. This is principally possible by undertaking the essence of the TRC not merely as a commission but as a culture. The culture of Transcending Regular Consciousness (TRC).
As most of the top political leaders have unanimously remarked that the amendment and the endorsement of the Act will lead to the conclusion of the peace process, we all Nepalis should take it as an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of our country.
One primary facet neglected in Nepal is that we could not visualize and internalize the beauty and richness of our social diversity. Our social fabric could not be interwoven with that bridging diversity and inclusivity notion but with the principle of social divides and discriminations. Had our richness in diversity be leveraged into our social capitalization, perhaps we would never ever have had to experience the civil war.
Creating that equilibrium in the society where both victims and perpetrators are living together will never be easy. It must be assessed through some beyond-the-box approaches and not confining it to 'business as usual'.
Naturally, the times have changed, and so have our lifestyles and comprehensions. The emerging new generations have started to accommodate and celebrate the diversity dimension of our country progressively. 'First names' are gradually gaining importance than the 'surnames', which indeed is a remarkable shift.
Very soon the TRC shall have its chairperson, members and the whole team in place. The amended TRC Act has encapsulated most of the previous lapses and opens new avenues of conflict resolution and peace-building. Now the ultimate questions are, how can we tap and maximize this prospect of healing the past wounds, provide genuine reparations to the victims and, most importantly, how to convict the perpetrators of serious human right violations and sexual assaults?
Nepal historically is the land of wisdom, peace, and enlightened souls. The Budha's philosophy, for example, has globalized non-violence and empathy. We all have that potential to revive and revitalize those positive energies within and around us. With the genuine implementation of the TRC, we can give a global message of our peace internalization and collaborative reconciliations of all the victims of the war. To start the game, these 6 Ps could be strategic in leading the TRC journey.
Premises: The office, its overall ambience and the staff should be very welcoming so that as soon as the victim enters, s/he feels that emotional connect and comfort. There need to be a proper garden space and positive messages on the walls so that they feel a little more positive than before.
Patience: TRC is all about the listening dynamics. The sharing of stories of sufferings is the starting point of unloading those pains and sorrows. The HR in the TRC must be well trained to have those listening skills and moreover listening with the whole heart, which requires patience.
Proactive: In every case, the victim might not be willing to face the TRC mechanism or come to the table for various reasons. It is in a way like digging up a grave, and who would want that. The TRC Team should have that blend of empathetic intelligence and professional ethics to become proactive to reach out to each and every victim with the vision of 'no victim is left behind'.
Partnership: It is very evident that the success of the TRC depend upon the collaborative efforts of multi-stakeholders. It is not at all a one-man game. Therefore, the TRC requires both internal as well as external partnerships for the maximization of its objectives and mandates. Spiritual leaders, peace practitioners, creative youths, social activists, motivational speakers and gurus, inter alia, could be partnered to generate that congenial environment and build trust.
Punishment: One of the challenging and tricky parts is concluding the type and degree of punishment to the perpetrators of sexual violence and serious human right violations as mandated in the Act.
Picnic: Nepal is very rich in eco-ethnic diversity. Experiencing the beautiful natural places with even more beautiful cultures are no less than a therapeutic experience and indeed a dopamine booster. The victims should be given a break with yoga and spiritual retreats in the form of picnics to various heavenly destinations in the country. The TRC should identify and make a list of such "healing destinations". Similarly, some reconciliations could also be planned through the joint trips of both the parties in the presence of the mediators.
To conclude, these are just a few possibilities among the ocean of possibilities. The right team with the right intentions to deliver ever-lasting peace in Nepal, can definitely make this dream come true even more artistically.
Thakur is an advocate and social entrepreneur
