Enough is enough. That is the message from the long-suffering people of Nepal after their historic elections.
Disillusioned by the status quo and 12 years of civil insurgency, which has left 13,000 dead, voters made it abundantly clear they wanted change.
So out goes the monarchy and in come the Maoists.
The scale of the Maoists’ victory has surprised almost everyone, especially as they have been responsible for years of insurgency.
But by winning so clearly – sweeping aside two of the long-standing parties – the people have removed any Maoist justification for continuing with violence.
Going into the election, all parties were committed to turning Nepal into a democratic republic, so King Gyanendra’s grip on power looks set to be permanently loosened.
Future of the church
But turning revolutionaries into successful rulers will be no mean feat. These are new waters for the state of Nepal, ones that will pose considerable challenges for constitutional navigation. And what about the church?
Steve Collins, Tearfund’s Country Representative for Nepal, says, ‘The election of a Maoist government might on the face of it seem alarming news for the Nepali church. However, the Maoists are making encouraging statements, wanting to create a secular state in which no particular religion (or lack of one) is favoured over another.
`The initial reaction of Christians seems to be a quiet optimism that this could mean positive changes for churches that until now have not been able to register themselves as legal entities.
`The Maoists are also making positive statements in other areas – about their commitment to multi-party and peaceful politics, and cooperation with the international community – but while expectations are high, the challenges faced by Nepal in the next few years are huge.
`Much prayer is needed that the church and Tearfund partners will come out of this period of political transition stronger and with increased freedom to demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel to a nation that so desperately needs it.’
Spiritual needs
Tearfund is working with the church in this mostly Hindu nation through seven Christian partners.
One of them is called Sagoal which trains church leaders and congregations in how they can play a more active role in their communities, addressing people’s physical and spiritual needs.
It recently had more than 20 church leaders from different denominations organising work in their communities, such as promoting HIV awareness, street cleaning and building toilets, in some cases working closely with Hindu neighbours.
One pastor said afterwards, `Because of the integral mission workshop, we established a good relationship with our community, which is the first step of social transformation.’
Another project involves improving literacy among women. Here church leaders have been training women to train other people to read and write.
Making a difference
It’s made a difference to so many: `We have benefited so much, therefore we want to start another class on our own initiative for others,’ said one student.
One woman expressed appreciation at now being able to write to her husband in Malaysia, while another said, `For me it has helped to fight against violence.’
Sagoal is also enabling churches to change attitudes towards people living with HIV.
For example, it helped Dumre Binaya Church run an HIV awareness day, using drama to powerful effect.
This involvement has led to people reappraising their view of the church’s role in the community, to the extent that the church is now invited to bring its voice to wider social meetings.
• Please pray for peace in Nepal during this period of political transition. Pray that the new government governs for all the people and brings unity.
• Pray for the ongoing work of our partners and the church in Nepal, that they continue to be an effective and powerful witness for Christ as well as agents for positive physical change in people’s lives.
• Give thanks that the election period was calm and relatively peaceful.