Interview with assistant VDC secretary in Palanchok, Saathighar VDC, Mrs. Indra Maya.
Met at the VDC office on June 17, 2013.
Interview, translation and presentation by Arun Chalise.
Indra Maya tells about her background
At first, I started working since 2059 on a program called Decentralized Action for Child And Woman (DACAW NEPAL/UNISEF) in Saathighar VDC as a facilitator.
When that program was successful in the VDC with a coverage above 90%, the DACAW program phased out and went to another District and the program was handed over to the VDC from the DDC in 2063-64.
My salary as a facilitator is paid by the VDC itself. As for how I became assistant VDC secretary, well I came second in a tough competition among 10 competitors – first came another educated woman.
But since my salary is paid by the VDC, the DDC decided to make me the local assistant secretary here in Palanchok as well as the facilitator in the Child and Women program. The DDC decided to give me the job because they couldn’t afford hiring me out of their own funds – so they let the VDC pay for me.
The Child and Woman program is still on-going. I still work as a facilitator and it’s with me where ever I go, like when I go to get water, I meet a couple of women and try to make them aware about the polio vaccination, to pregnant women I explain why it is important to deliver the child at the health post, and so on.
Difficulty being a woman:
Obviously it is difficult being the only woman staff. Our government is male dominated, so is the society. Mostly, in the meetings there are mainly men. In the absence of the VDC secretary, I have to call for the meeting of the Political Mechanism (The representatives of each political party in the VDC – see political mechanism **).
The political Mechanism representatives are all men, no women have come up, so is the VDC secretary, and I am the only female VDC assistant, so it becomes difficult in so many ways – it would have made things easier if women would be present at all levels, for example: a female VDC secretary would be much easier in terms of the understanding you have one woman to another.
Moreover, at times I have to go to the DDC to attend meetings at 5pm and the last bus leaves Palanchowk at 4pm, so it’s a rush. At times, I have to stay over at Dhulikhel due to late hours meeting which is hard, having left the child at home, there is also a family pressure that I must return home after meetings.
Sometimes I have had to walk 3 to 4 hours to get home fro Lamidada to Palanchwok. From Dhulikhel to Lamidada I get the bus, but from Lamidada it’s very difficult to get public transportation in the late hours.
It’s only a saying that women have reached a level of equality – it’s not put into practice as it should. Whenever there is a need for formation of a user’s committee, it’s mostly men coming forward to become member or chairman – very few women come forward. Well, compared to 10 years back, females are more active and have started to show interest in becoming members of user’s committees and have understood the importance of user’s groups. They are able to give their introduction without hesitation. Some women even wish to become chairmen, but this VDC lacks women with the leadership qualities.
Question: But you are a woman from this VDC, how did you feel after going through competition and getting this post?
Indra Maya: I was very happy, and I was confident that I could do anything. I started to work fearlessly among men like the VDC secretary or representatives from the parties. But as time passes, you do realise there is always good times and difficult times.
Indra Maya talks about Job Satisfaction
Though I have minimum salary (9,000 nrs), I am very satisfied with the service I provide for the citizens who couldn’t go to Dhulikhel [district town] as well as women who come to me openly for their official work.
Mothers come to me in order to correct their child’s date of birth at school as well as women from women’s groups whenever they need some service, confident that their work will be done since I know them personally. Mostly women come to me for their official work – it could be because I am a woman.
Question: Are you actively involved in other committees or social work apart form your work as VDC assistant secretary?
Indra Maya: I am also member of a village paralegal committee where the chairman is another woman. This committee was formed along with the women and children programme that I am a facilitator with.
Through this committee, we try to resolve conflicts between husband and wife. In the case of women who are unjustly treated by their husband, or if the husband takes another wife, we try our best to solve the issue by calling a meeting at the VDC through this committee rather than taking it to the police station. We have solved lot’s of cases in the committee without police involvement.
The chairperson of this committee is not a civil servant. She is a social worker and active at verbal communication, but her written skills are poor.
Salary Satisfaction
My salary is minimal, 9,000 a month, and no allowance is there. Many unemployed people are willing to work for a minimal salary – it’s so hard to get a job – so therefore the VDC is paying the least salary they can.
Many other VDCs pay minimal salary for assistant secretary starting from 3,500 to 10,000Rs.
We have a monthly meeting at the VDC, and once when we raised the issue about the assistant secretary, we came to know of other assistant secretaries who got a salary like non-gazetted third class officers, which is 13,000Rs. The salary is decided by members of the political mechanism and the VDC secretary. So those with an understanding get a good salary, but most of VDCs pays less. Hokse VDC pays 10000Rs to their assistant secretary.
Question: What are the criteria in setting the assistant secretary’s salary? Is it based on education or something else?
Indra Maya: It has nothing to do with education. It depends upon the representatives of the political mechanism and the VDC secretary.
Question: You seem like a strong lady – haven’t you put forward your demand of salary increment to the representatives?
Indra Maya: Yes I surely did. It’s been three years since my salary increased to 9000Rs. Before that, I used to get less in salary. I am happy with it.
Question: Do political representatives have a hand in your salary increment ?
Indra Maya: They surely do. If they wouldn’t have separated a budget for my salary, it wouldn’t have been possible to get a raise.
Question: Do you get your salary from the yearly VDC budget or from the local revenue ?
Indra Maya: I get my salary from the budget. The revenue collected in the VDC is very little. It was around 1800Rs last year.
Question: How often does the VDC secretary come to the office?
A new secretary has been appointed recently – since he has to cover two VDCs there is no fixed time. But the x-secretary didn’t have to look after two VDCs, so he used to come once a week and then stay five days at the DDC office.
Question: If local elections take place, do you think that your post might be terminated? Do you feel insecure and so hope for no election?
Indra Maya: No, just because of me I surely don’t hope no election is held. Election is the wish of all Nepalese, but if their is work for me I will stay. The ministry of local development has proposed making the position of assistant secretary permanent, but the proposal got stuck due to unknown reasons.
I also think that even if there is a new elected body, they would still need a worker at the VDC, so I do hope for that – but if they don’t need me, then again it’s fine with me, because then I will change my career to teaching.
Question: If the VDC needs you, are you going to be content with being assistant secretary?
Indra Maya: I have just cleared 10+2 exam, let’s see. I’ll keep up with my studies and if I do well, then hopefully I will get at a good post – I hope to become VDC secretary. I have also given examination for becoming a teacher, so therefore if I don’t get this job, I might move on to teaching – maybe in social studies.
Indra Maya on the issue of the local school and development
Question: Why is there a difference between the school in your VDC and your neighbouring VDC – yours being less developed, unable to get funds?
Indra Maya: Three-four years back, the school in Palanchowk used to be considered a good school, but maybe in the absence of the elected body or something, we fell behind – I’m not sure why.
The neighbouring VDCs are all doing well in comparison to our VDC. For example, Hokse has already announced their VDC as free of “Open Human Waste Area” (meaning each house in the vdc have their own toilet, so no one shits out in the open. There is a program called “Khulla Disa Mukta Program” all over Nepal in the rural areas..follow this link for a video about the oath program where children are repeating the announcement of “free human waste area” http://icai.tv/video/IY52VbIMnT4/watch.html )
It’s also because people around the Palanchowk temple – mostly businessmen – are selfish and like leg pullers [leg pullers refers to people who don’t do anything by themselves and who even pulls the legs of others trying to do something for the community]. I wonder if it is the same all over Nepal.
When a donor visits our VDC, it’s not the donor who should find the needs here. The people should take initiative, show interest in the community’s development. If the donors are here for schools, then the related persons like the headmaster or the community heads should follow up with the donors and be persistent. But the attitude is instead to be proud like a “Thulo manche” – to act like the donors should come to them, not that they should look for the donors.
These could be the reasons why this VDC is developing less than the others.
Question: So is it only the school which is behind or are other areas as well?
Indra Maya: Yes other areas as well, because of the people’s attitude. People around the temple are like people who act as if they are sleeping, and it is difficult to wake them up to do something for the community. These people are self-centered and careless about the overall development of the community.
When few people show interest in doing something, these selfish people try to pull their legs. It’s been like this the last four years. Something has interferred with their minds. Before that, people used to be active and participate in school management meetings and so on, but now they don’t follow up with anything.
Question: Do you think it is because of their business, their good earnings, or are they just fed up with trying to do something good?
Indra Maya: When interested donors come to these parts, they don’t go remote but just interact with the locals around the temple area for information. People around the temple are only concerned about their business and their sales and therefore don’t treat the interested visitors (donors) with respect.
Whereas in the lower belts – neighbouring VDCs – people always respect visitors and show interest in them and follow up with them.
People around the temple are so careless and ignorant that recently three donation boxes from the temple premisses were stolen, the amounts of around three lakhs rupees gone, and still they don’t care at all. The police station is just on the corner but still haven’t solved the case.
Question: you have been building a school but the construction work has stopped now. Is it because of the ignorant community?
Indra Maya: Yes it is. When a community becomes good, then the institutions in the community will be good and functioning automatically, but for that you really need good people.
The community in the Koshidheka VDC is completely different than the community here in Palanchwok. There, if one shows initiative for a good cause then the whole community supports the cause. When donors come, the community follows up with the donors, and as result of that the big school construction there became possible. But in our community, even if people know about the donors visit, they simply ignore it, so nothing happens here.
Most people in Koshidheka and Kharelthok [two neighbouring VDCs] are intellectuals and educated and have a sense of community, some of them are high levels officials, so that’s another reason for the development out there.
Question: Do you have any message to the people in the community?
Indra Maya: First of all I am thankful to Local Nepal Today for interviewing me. This is my first interview ever taken so I’m happy for that. The message I want to give to the community is, if any intellectuals happen to read my interview, please come to the VDC and share ideas about how to develop this VDC. I also want to mention that when one lives in a community one should also realise a responsibility towards it – a social duty – and work accordingly.
**Political Mechanism: The all party mechanism were formally dissolved in January 2012 but is still informally active in some VDCs. It replaced the elected bodies already in 2003 when it was clear that local elections were not forthcoming – and as is known still are not.
