Page 34 - The Economist20171214

34 Asia The Economist December 16th 2017
Elections in Nepal
Bureaucracy in Myanmar
Overcommitteed The mountains of
Mao
Yangon
Asurfeitofexpertpanels and working groups masks a deficitofauthority
Kathmandu
GROUPofmiddle-aged men seated The troubles in Rakhine state, where an
Aaround a U-shaped table lookab- army-backed pogrom has prompted Two left-wing parties romp home in the
firstvote undera newconstitution
sorbed. Soldiers in uniform alternate more than 600,000 members ofthe
with civilians in longyis—the Burmese Rohingya minority to flee to Bangladesh, FTER centuries of absolute monarchy
version ofa sarong. Acouple ofwomen have also spawned a proliferation of Afollowed bydecadesofchaos, Nepal is
sit at the back, scribblingnotes. The com- committees. The president has just ap- taking to democracy in a big way. Since
mittee created to organise celebrations pointed a new advisory group on the May its people have voted into office 753
forthe 70th anniversary ofBurmese matter. AungSan Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de newly created local councils, seven new
independence is workingat full steam: it facto leader, has recently created one of provincial assemblies and a 275-member
has spent the day creatingsubcommit- herown, too, to considerhow to pump national parliament. Counting is not quite
tees (nine in total). Fireworks, dinner, the money into the region and repatriate done for those last two votes, run simulta-
president’s address: everythingseems to refugees to smoulderingvillages. Both neously over the past three weeks, but the
be an excuse to set up a committee. One will be workingalongside a third tasked winner is clear. A coalition of two ostensi-
will organise the flag-hoistingceremony; with implementingthe recommenda- bly communist parties, the Unified Marx-
anotherwill prepare the invitations forit. tions oftwo otherworthy groupings. ist Leninists (UML) and the Maoist Centre,
Who will ultimately send them has yet to (One ofthese found no proofofany looks set to control not just the national
be resolved—a job foranothercommit- wrongdoingby the army, even though an government but sixofseven provinces.
tee, no doubt. earliermilitary panel had established The alliance wastapped to win after the
Governments all overthe world make that a soldierhad stolen a motorbike.) Maoists abruptly ditched their erstwhile
use ofcommittees to defertricky deci- The Burmese love ofgabfests is not coalition partner in the outgoing govern-
sions ormake workforbureaucrats, but new, but accordingto David Mathieson, ment, the Nepali Congress, to join the
in Myanmarthe craze is reachingnew an analyst based in Yangon, the trend is UML. But the scale ofthe avalanche comes
heights. The country’s protracted peace acceleratingunderMs Suu Kyi. Last as a shock to the centrist and liberal Con-
process with ethnic militias has generat- month a new ministry was created to gress, which over the turbulent past quar-
ed an impressive edifice ofdeliberation. help hercope with herworkload—she ter-century has served as the default party
sits on at least16 committees. Concrete of government. The leftists captured 70%
decisions rarely emerge from any of ofthe 165 seats allocated on a first-past-the-
them. “It’s a daisy-paper-chain, a glum post (FPTP) basis, compared with a meagre
photo-op forthe state media, and the 14% for Congress. (Calculations are still un-
performance ofa hapless administration der way for the remaining110 seats, which
runningwhile standingstill,” MrMathie- will be allotted proportionally.)
son laments. Congress’sdrubbingmightnotbe a bad
The government’s penchant forchin- thing. Nepal’s communists differ more in
strokingcontemplation is a reflection of brand than in ideology from other parties,
the difficulty it has in gettinganything and many Nepalese would welcome any
done. Before handingpowerto elected outcome that shakes up the ruling class.
politicians, the army drafted a constitu- Other notable losers include the royalists
tion grantingitselftotal independence campaigning for a Hindu state, who took
from civilian authority, control of three just one FPTP seat, and a splinter Maoist
important ministries and a veto-wielding group which let off bombs to disrupt the
quarterofparliamentary seats. The elections. Aclutch ofnewpartiesmarketed
bureaucracy is staffed almost entirely by as alternatives to the old corrupt ones
people appointed duringMyanmar’s 50 failed miserably.
years ofmilitary rule. Even the most The campaign itself was a dull affair
high-powered committee would struggle that thankfully lasted a few short winter
to find a workaround forall that. But the months. The communists succeeded large-
government’s determination to discuss ly due to fatigue with Congress, better or-
problems to death creates the illusion of ganisation and a campaign thatsold prom-
action—and even conveys concern. ises of development in the form of shiny
new infrastructure. None of the main par-
ties put such chronic problems as discrim-
2 Uzbekistan’s monumental injustice and leases and arrests. ination against Dalits, women and other
mismanagement. Thousands of people re- The best test of Mr Mirziyoyev’s com- marginalised groupson theiragendas. Nei-
main in prison because oftheir political or mitment to reform will be his willingness ther the plight ofpublic schools and hospi-
religious beliefs. In September police de- to institute genuine democracy—and there tals nor the lackofgood jobs, which drives
tained Nurullo Otahonov, a prominent au- is little sign of that. He was elected last De- Nepalese to seek work abroad, featured in
thor, as he returned from exile to bask in cemberwith 89% ofthe vote; hisclosest op- theirrallies. Millions ofmigrant workers in
the “Uzbek spring”. They also arrested Bo- ponent won less than 4%. He has made no India, the Middle East and elsewhere,
bomurod Abdullayev, a journalist suspect- pledges to allow a proper opposition to whose remittances are equivalent to 30%
ed of penning anti-government tracts un- form, or to start holding free and fair elec- ofGDP, were not allowed to vote despite a
der a pseudonym. Human Rights Watch tions. That makes all the other changes Supreme Court ruling that theoretically
has denounced a “revolving door” of re- looka bit like window-dressing. 7 gave them that right. 1