Published in Ekchhin - July 2008

Leela: From revolutionary to CA member

Leela Sumai Magar, Palpa, is one of the thirty women elected for the Constituent Assembly under the first-past-the-post system. She is a long-time friend of MS Nepal Partner Social Resource Development Center (SRDC) where she used to work before hardship and injustice made her join the People’s Movement.

By Renuka Gurung - Programme Officer MS Nepal

11. August 2008

Recently SRDC organised a programme to felicitate Leela on being elected as a CA member. In the programme, Choplal Giri, Programme Coordinator of SRDC congratulated her on behalf of SRDC and she followingly, expressed gratitude towards SRDC for empowering not only the marginalised communities but also herself by enhancing her presentation and communication skills years back when she worked as a nutrition mobiliser for the organisation in the local communities of the Palpa district.  

After the programme Leela had time for a brief interview for Ekchhin. 

Ekchhin: Could you please briefly tell us about yourself? 

Leela: I come from a very poor family in Thimure VDC, Palpa. My parents are manual labourers, therefore they could not afford to enroll me in school. So I had to struggle hard to get myself enrolled. It was very difficult to pass S.L.C., but once I did, I was able to start teaching in a local school in my village. My husband was also a teacher. During the conflict, he was accused of being a Maoist and was tortured severely by the police and the army. Later, he was compelled to join the ‘people’s movement'.  

You must have gone through great pain and suffering during the conflict. Could you share some of this? 

I cannot explain the extent of my sufferings. When my husband left the house and joined the ‘peoples movement', my son was only three days old. The community looked down on me and even my relatives were aloof from me. They never came for assistance even though I had a sick father-in-law to look after. I had a little land but I had to leave it barren for one whole year as I could not get any support to utilize it.

To harass me, my cunning neighbors started spreading false rumors that my husband had been killed in the clashes. When my husband finally returned home from Rolpa after one year, he was seriously ill and had to go for treatment in Tansen. On the way he was attacked by the army and shot dead. I got his dead body after two days. I decided not to follow the death rituals, which made the society exclude me completely.  

How did you muster up the courage to join the ‘people’s movement’ despite all the sufferings you went through? 

I think the many sufferings that I went through in my life encouraged me to join the ‘people's movement'. After my husband's death, I felt that I should follow in his footsteps to fight against all types of oppression prevalent in the society, despite being a mother of a small child. So I left him to live with my father.      

How do you feel about being elected as a CA member from Palpa? And what do you think was the main cause of your victory? 

I feel highly honored to be elected as a member of the CA to represent Palpa. I sincerely thank all the people who have contributed for my victory. I think one reason I was supported by the people was that I did not lie and make false promises to them. I only told them what I could do - that I would devote myself to the making of a new Nepal and wanted to show change. Another reason for my victory was that I was highly supported by women from all backgrounds. Women supported me irrespective of the parties they were affiliated with. This was a great inspiration for me.  

Did you experience any problem in your political profession because you are a woman?  

Personally no, but the societal and cultural norms of perceiving women as second class citizens and the patriarchal society has influenced me. Subconsciously, it has sometimes had the impact of lowering my self-esteem, no matter how strong I was.

In your opinion what is the major political problem of Nepal at present? 

There are four major political problems which can be categorized as: Class (Bargiya), Caste (Jatiyata), Region (Chetriya) and gender (Laingik). Because of the discrimination in these four areas, the country has always faced problems. If these issues are not addressed now, the problems will remain and we cannot think of a ‘New Nepal’. 

What will be your role in developing the new constitution that will be the basis of a "New Nepal"? 

First and foremost we need to oust the king from the palace. We will do this even if we have to sacrifice our lives. Then only will we involve ourselves intensively in making the new constitution. We will ensure the rights of the poor, marginalized, janajatis, dalits and women. Unless their rights are ensured in the new constitution, we cannot come to a consensus. We must not forget the lives of the 13000 martyrs who were sacrificed to make the 'people's movement' a great success.

Women see you as a role model and a source of inspiration. What is your message to such women across the country?        

We women should come out from the 16^th century conception of restricting ourselves from opportunities. We must be strong and not lower our self-esteem despite the social, traditional and cultural barriers. We should not confine ourselves in the household chores We have to try to transform ourselves from hen to eagle. I would like to request all sisters to make a network of women representatives starting from the village and all the way up to the national level so that in the upcoming local elections we can make a strong voice of women in order to be heard at the policy level. I encourage all women to participate actively in ensuring women's participation in every field. 

In your opinion what are the major steps to be taken for lasting peace and reconciliation? 

For lasting peace and reconciliation in the country, we have to make a constitution according to the people's mandate. If the constitution is not made according to the people's mandate, then we cannot even think of peace, let alone lasting peace.