In depth Analysis

Major political unrest underway!

Kathmandu: By time this issue comes out the tone of the gathering opposition momentum will have been set. None expected the opposition to be so poised as to pounce on the streets as they did last week on the strength of a dubious and still untraceable report of a non-news of an alleged comment on Nepal by an Indian film actor. Brakes are not surprising being applied by the major political parties to tone down the street campaigns that is by and large still to be owned up by any political party as such. Theoretically, the nine minor left parties prefer to continue the campaign. Even the UML now denounce the accompanying destruction and violence but are evidently grappling with efforts to prevent their workers on the streets. Even the congress would seem impotent in calming the situation. Lines are clearly being drawn.

Adding to this is the timing of the no confidence motion against Prime Minister in Parliament signature by his own party men. Clearly, this in-party move should have been a congress in-house problem. The use of the party committees has evidently been shunned and parliament preferred once more reflecting Girija babu’s preponderance in the party. The introduction of the motion in the parliament by his own party-men at this particular juncture prior to the party convention which is now within a fortnight away surely reflects the permanence of the rift in the congress that this will continue to reflect on party performance is clear.

Analogies may be drawn to democratic practice in England, for example, where successive TORY Prime Ministers’ Margaret Thatcher and John Major resigned from Party leadership to preserve party unity. In our context, the party machine is not to be given up to absorb opposing streams while the conflict continues in parliament. This anomaly is to effect Nepali democracy and its performance continuously. Curiously, it is the party that claims monopoly over democracy which remains the arena for such political conduct.

Neither a split nor unanimity remains the primary conduct of the majority party in government at time when organizations outside parliament press the system for major change. The mass movement witnessed so spontaneously last week is hardly an indicator of democratic health. Parliament, the elected government and the monarchy itself are being pressed in various directions and the continued presence of the agitation is hardly conducive to the overall performance of the present political establishment.

It is unlikely that the words of caution being messaged by the established political parties will be paid heed to. New fuels are already being added in the continued conspiratorial environment.

The timing of last week’s agitation, for example, can’t but reflect crucial calculations. The movement has begun prior to the winter closure of campuses. The movement in effect was timed to engulf the celebrations marking the King’s birthday. The Deuba led motion came amidst the movement prior to the congress convention. It is these that do not prevent insights on the overall calculations.

And, now, in the presence of Bundh calls one sees in print BJP leader Malkani’s negative comments on Nepal carried by the Nepali media again. Amidst strong signals from the Indian political leadership to the Nepali political establishment, the fuel being added is surely not without significance.

In the meanwhile, Malkani has apologized already for whatever he said against Nepal and the Nepalese.

Scholars lament over growing personalization seen in Nepali politics

Kathmandu: University teachers, intellectuals, media men and civil society members have expressed their profound anxiety over the state of the Nepalese politics as it stands today and have also questioned the very existence of a functioning government as such in the nation.

The men of letters at a Kathmandu seminar held Saturday last week regretted over the personalization of the politics instead what should have been an institutionalized one. They concluded that the total absence of national consensus in and among national level political parties of the nation regarding genuine national issues that have a direct bearing on Nepal’s national interests to have contributed largely for a distaste for the system itself.

The scholars also took note of the growing criminalization of the national politics which, opined the scholars, had given a very bad name to one of the best systems in the world that is democracy.

Majority of the seminar participants felt that neither the government of the day could be called a functioning one nor could it be termed as the one which delivered goods to the people during the past ten years of the order.

The question that was raised by most of the participants was: "Who is responsible for all these sad events and non deliverance of goods to the people and who is to be primarily blamed for the blunders?

Pat came the reply from the participants that all the responsibilities must be "shouldered" by successive governments formed in the past by various political parties and more specially by the congress which ruled the nation for most of the period of the advent of the new order.

The seminar had been organized by the Nepal Forum for Human Rights and Development and the topic brought under discussion was "Consolidation of Multi-party democracy in Nepal: Inter Party relations.

A paper on the topic was presented by Dr. Gopal Pokhrel who is teaching political science at the Patan Multiple campus.

Dr. Pokhrel presenting his paper amidst the presence of the qualified gathering maintained that Nepalese politics had taken a very ugly turn because the major political parties could not rise above their petty political interests.

"The parliamentary practice should have already taken a definite direction which it could not", lamented the paper presenter.

He also opined that there was the absence of national consensus on main national issues which had disillusioned the national population for obvious reasons.

Dr. Pokhrel expressed his regret over the shift seen of late in the NC’s professed goals as manifested in its election manifesto.

"The NC which claims that it is a party adhering to democratic socialism lacks perhaps social justice in its actual practice", lamented the scholar.

He also felt pity for the current stalemate seen in the ruling party which in the scholar’s opinion could lead the nation to uncertainty and chaos should the two factions prefer to go their way at time of the voting at the parliamentary party.

Speaking from the chair, the chairman of the Forum, Mr. Subash Pokhrel, dwelt at length on the objectives and the goals of the seminar. In his opinion, the seminar had been organized to gather valuable inputs from the attending scholars on how to consolidate the system now in force so that it continues for long in the country. He also said that his forum looks after, besides holding seminars of the present sort, human rights issues as well.

"Our forum has directed its entire efforts on ascertaining as to how should the inter-party and the intra-party relations be in and among the political parties so that the democratic order gets strengthened and consolidated for the benefit of the majority of the people", added Subash Pokhrel.

Nepal’s Press independence is at stake?

Kathmandu: The Hritik Roshan episode took its heavy tall in Nepal in more ways than one. The whole unsubstantiated affair paralyzed the country for almost a week or so. The flames could still be traced in some parts of the nation. To put it bluntly, the Hritik Roshan story not only brought about a disaster in Nepal but it was about to bring in some unpleasant happenings in Nepal-India ties. However, the prompt reaction from the Nepalese side and the subsequent "friendly" remarks from the other side saved the bilateral relations going out of hand and from taking an ugly turn of the sort of the 1989 March, to recall.

Yet the fact is that a sort of communal disharmony does exist in between the Nepalese belonging to the hill and the Terai community.

The fact is that we the Nepalese have never experienced such sort of communal disharmony at times of crises and have lived together sharing both our pains and pleasures.

Undeniably, the Hritik Roshan episode got a negative phillip the moment the Nepal government through an order instantly declared that henceforth Roshan’s films will be banned in the Kingdom sine die. It might have been done to save the would be damages in the country but things boomeranged.

This was followed by the Koirala government’s decision to stop the screening of Hindi films through the government owned and controlled Nepal Television.

This was not all. The government committed yet another major blunder by ordering the Radio Nepal to scrap the broadcast of the Hindi language news from its program until further instructions.

This prompted the smaller FM radio stations to toe the government line for obvious reasons. For they feared wrath both from the government and the enraged public and preferred to stop the broadcast of Hindi songs which perhaps continues till to-date.

Finally this compelled the Space Cable Networks to scrap its Hindi channels for fear of inviting the public ire.

And the news that Jamim Shah-the chief of the Space Time Networks and who also publishes Space Time Daily, had been summoned by the local government and interrogated for whatever he printed in his daily regarding the events circling around Hritik Roshan and the sad events that followed in the country has alerted the newsmen of the country.

Media men have taken the government’s stance acquired against Jamim Shah as a move designed to curtail the rights of the newspapermen. A hosts of newspapers have taken it in a very bad taste.

They opine that "it should be the communications ministry and the minister manning the ministry primarily to be interrogated which hastily took the decision to ban Hritik’s films, scrap Hindi films from being screened in theaters which in essence contributed in boosting the morale of those who wished this to happen.

"It should have been the minister in effect who should have been interrogated at the first place", say responsible journalists.

Fortunately enough, the situation has calmed down to a greater extent. However, since the Teraians still possess some reservations, it will perhaps take some more time when the Hill people will intermingle with their Teraians brothers as usual and vice versa.

Be that as it may, the fresh interrogation of Jamom Shah bodes ill for the nation’s journalism and hints at the fact that some more journals and its editors could well be invited for similar interrogations.

It is timed perhaps that the journalists unite to defend their rights. Failing to do so would boost the morale of the establishment. If it is Jamim today then it could be another gentleman from other newspaper(s) on any preferred pretext or the other.

Congress party under tremendous stress!

Kathmandu: The stage is set for yet another fierce battle in between the two arch rivals in the congress-Prime Minister Koirala and President aspirant Sher Bahadur Deuba.

To recall, Koirala’s opposition camp led by Deuba has already filed a motion of no confidence against the Prime minister at its parliamentary party office.

Reports have it that this Thursday will decide the fate of Koirala or conversely that of Deuba at the parliamentary committee meeting that is scheduled on that day.

A question is being asked everywhere that what would happen if Koirala loses the game or for that matter Deuba meets the same fate?

To find its exact answer is quite difficult at the moment. However, what could be safely said that if Koirala is declared the loser, a sort of chaos in the party as such will prevail in the party for long and that this declaration will push the career of not only Koirala but his supporters to doom.

"More than Koirala himself, the greatest impact would be felt on the political career of the young generation leaders belonging to the Koirala inner coterie and kitchen cabinet members", said an intellectual who possesses some sympathy for the Koirala faction.

He however, also said that as a person Koirala is an honest political creature. It is the kitchen cabinet and his inner coterie men who misguide Koirala to meet their personal ends.

Conversely, if Koirala manages victory for himself, the days ahead would be chaotic for those who sided with the opposition including Deuba himself.

A victorious Koirala will crush his opposition and will emerge almost like a dictator, say congressites that wish the party to be run with consensus. " The party would be run then as per the preemptory dictates of Koirala and no one would dare to challenge his orders", commented a Deubaite when asked to comment as to what would happen if Deuba’s present move goes to the dogs.

Similarly, if Deuba bags victory, that would mean that the ongoing Koirala legacy would come to a grinding halt. This in essence will facilitate the younger generation leaders to keep the party in their grips.

"If Deuba emerges victorious, not only the party but his government as well will in all probability toe the Palace line for obvious reasons", said a Koiralaite who was asked to comment on the eventuality of Deuba bagging success in his motion against Koirala.

However, the Deubaites summarily reject this allegation and instead say that a Deuba victory would mean "early resumption"of the abruptly suspended talks with the Maoists insurgents.

"Peace would dawn in the nation through the talks with the insurgents", divulged a Deubaite.

All said and done, the Himalayan question is that whether the impending election that is to decide the very fate of Deuba or Koirala would be conducted in an open or secret manner.

Koirala section has already made it clear that the elections during the voting should be an open affair to which his opposite camp rejects.

Deuba and his supporters appear reluctant in humiliating their own president-prime minister by voting against him openly at time of the election and hence demand secrecy. This section also holds the view that if the voting is a secret one, many declared Koirala supporters would join them in favor of Deuba.

Be that as it may, both the camps apparently remain busy in snatching each other’s voters to bring the election results in their favor. A sort of unprecedented "Horse-Trading" has already begun with the prices fluctuating in between 20 to 80 lakhs each vote. As per Punarjagran, the price has reached a Himalayan figure of one crore each vote. Sounds incredible indeed.

However, these rumors might not be correct, as there is a rule in Nepal to malign the other opposite camp with such wild allegations at times of crises of the sort of the one in which the congress is in.

The congress as a party is definitely under tremendous stress which possesses the potentials of a vertical split if things do not go in an orderly manner on the fateful afternoon this Thursday.

The Deuba camp has hinted that it can go to the Supreme Court if his rival camp insisted on conducting the elections in an open manner.

The moot question is that whether key man Khum Bahadur Khadka sticks to Deuba or changes his side. In effect it is Khadka’s favor that will decide a Deuba or Koirala victory.

Have the Maoists’ insurgents entered the valley?

Kathmandu: The Maoists’ insurgents have hinted that they were very much in the Kathmandu valley and that they can target their explosives towards any politician. Minister(s) or any other political functionaries.

This they apparently exhibited by exploding three separate explosives in the quarters of three congress active members.

The selection of the personalities where the explosives exploded is surprising. If the first bomb exploded in Sushil Koirala’s house then the next one saw the blast occurinng in former minister Govind Raj Joshi’s private residence in Pulchowk.Similarly the third bomb exploded in the house of education minister Dilendra Badu’s house.

To recall, all these congress personalities possess hardened posture against the Maoists’ insurgents. Junior Koirala, to recall, sees this insurgency as a terrorist act. We all know former minister Joshi’s hard stance taken against the insurgents while he was the home minister. This also means that the insurgents still recall Joshi’s tenure in government.

What is frightening is that the Maoists have hinted that this process would continue and their next targets could be corrupt leaders, bureaucrats and the businessmen.(See Punarjagaran weekly dated 2January 2001).

The intellectuals and the lay men remain dumb founded over the spate of bombings in the capital and think of their fate if such gelatins and its explosions take place more in the days ahead.

Interestingly enough since the Maoists insurgents have already claimed responsibility to have bombed these houses of the congress bigwigs which has left the people and the politicians to remain under constant panic and threat. This also means apparently that the insurgents have been emboldened by the current stalemate in the congress camp for obvious reasons. The accompanying letter to the editor printed in the last page of this issue hints at the fact that the insurgents have big plans for Kathmandu. However, who has sent the letter is yet a mystery.

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