Kathmandu, Nov.9: As King Birendra called for an objective evaluation of 10 years of multi-party democracy, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said there was no need to amend the constitution.
” We will only be inviting instability if we seek repeated amendments of the constitution. All political parties should instead live up to the constitutional norms and values for political and economic stability, “Koirala said.

Nepal Wednesday celebrated the 10th anniversary of the promulgation of multi-party constitution replacing the Panchayat constitution after the partyless system was toppled in 1990 through a revolutionary change. ” We should gear all our efforts to uphold the provisions of the constitution in its letter and spirit rather than seek its amendment,” Koirala said.

But Madav Kumar Nepal, strongman of the main opposition in parliament and general Secretary of the Nepal Communist Party( Unified Marxist Leninist ) thinks differently. ” The need of hour is to go for change and reform all sectors including the constitution if the country is to take a stride forward in the development front,” he said.

The present social structure is a major obstacle for change and development, Nepal said. ” A decade of democratic exercise has seen extreme politicization of all sectors. The constitution has been used as a means to gain power,” former Speaker of Parliament and lawyer Daman Dhungana said.
” It is immature to talk of amending the constitution. This is the best constitution so far. Politicians, bureaucrats, and social workers share the blame for the shortcomings not the constitution. Political discipline has been broken by those in power. Corruption emanates from there. If this continues, democracy has no future, ” Speaker of Parliament Taranath Ranabhatt said in a biting comment.
” Political workers, their conduct and behaviour in the last decade are responsible for the failures, dissatisfaction and aberrations seen in society and to some extent the constitution, ” C.P. Mainali of the Nepal Communist Party ( Marxist Leninist) said.

” The constitution should be amended. The preamble has restricted the sovereign right of the people to change the constitution,” Rajeshwor Devkota of the rival Rashtriya Prajatantra party said.
But for five years Maoists have fought for revolutionary change in Nepal through an insurgency to topple multi-party democracy and monarchy and establish a communist state.