Following April’s popular uprising, a new trend is emerging in Nepalese politics

By KESHAB POUDEL

Six months after the restoration of democracy through popular uprising of April 2006 – when there was a high expectation in the mind of people that restoration of democracy would bring absolute change in their daily life- people in general now are uncertain about the future political trend.

There is obvious sign of frustration and pessimism in the mood of people because of lackluster performance of the government and its leaders. Every one is asking now: What has the change brought? Where the country is being led by the politicians? Which of the problems of the country has been tackled smoothly and satisfactorily?

The government-Maoists talk is yet to bring long-lasting peace and common people continue to suffer from all kinds of problems like extortion, intimidation and other law and order problems.

In such a situation, one has to take stock of the balance sheet of the performance of the government. The ceasefire declared by Maoists has not been sincerely observed. CPN-Maoists – which is a party – has army with military discipline. Usually, the communist parties have an impression that they are most militant and disciplined but all seem to be proving wrong.

“On the government side they have not yet decided the procedure of the elections for CA even after several rounds of talks. Although they have set six months target for CA elections, the first six months have already passed but leaders are still assuring to hold the elections of CA in next six months,” said a political analyst.

“Few months back, parties proposed to make an interim constitution in two weeks but it did not materialize. Now, leaders of seven parties and Maoists are talking to announce the interim constitution within few weeks. As the promises of CA are willingly postponed for indefinite period, now politicians are talking about the interim parliament and interim government,” said the analyst.

Ambassadors of more than 10 countries were recalled within hours after the government was formed but these six months have passed without ambassadorial assignments in even the top priority countries. Who else can be blamed for this except the fate of the people of Nepal .

Tribhuwan University , the oldest university of the country, which has more than 200,000 students, has no vice chancellor. On political side, the situation is not enthusiastic, either. Although they continue to sit with government, Maoists are neither full-fledged fighters nor the beneficiary of the government positions. The Maoist leaders are expressing frustration and anger.

“If our political demands are not addressed, we don’t hesitate to back to war as we did in the past when more than 12,000 people were killed,” CPN-Maoist leader reportedly told in Baluwatar summit. “We want final negotiations and time is running out.”

This long list of negative trends has made people disappointed. The permanent judges of Supreme Court and lowers courts are all the time being threatened by politicians in power stressing that the judges would have to get reappointment as soon as interim constitution is enacted. The law and the constitution have no meaning because the rulers of this country have a ‘mandate’ of uprising. “This is the government constituted through the popular uprising. We don’t know what the constitution is all about,” said Home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula.

“It is strange that they claim all the powers which the constitution gives to the politicians but when it comes to restrictions and control by the same constitution, they discard the whole constitution. The constitution had a model of check and balance in democracy. Rulers at present don’t’ want any kind of constitutional checks and they want absolute power,” said the analyst.

But there is also another trend emerging in the country which gives sufficient point about the claimant of the change and its priorities. The King was deprived of all constitutional privileges and powers. The army has been humiliated now by politicians or their pampered press. All the time Rayamajhi commission has been issuing torturous statements to the head of the state. Despite such provocative actions, the King has shown extraordinary patience to allow the new leadership to work.

Other security agencies like police and armed police also have been disrespected and demoralized by pick and choose method. People, in general, have all the time been called sovereign but nobody knows when the sovereign’s most privileged rights will come to be exercised.

Other Trends

Internal trend is dismal but the country has seen many changes in terms of its external relations as well. Soon after the formation of new government, expert committee was formed in haste to see Nepal ’s foreign policy and the committee came out with a report which is yet to come to public knowledge.

“It was reported in the press that the committee had an opinion advanced to the government that Nepal is no more a yam between two boulders, which was generally considered as the equidistance between the two big neighbors of Nepal ,” said the analyst.

“The government is also in a hurry to invite foreign investors in hydropower sector. Without any concrete commitment, almost all major water resources seem to have been engaged by investors, mostly from India . Some Nepalese experts who are either retired or still in job argue all the time explaining that projects like Upper Karnali has minimum cost and maximum rate of return which can be completed through the use of Nepalese skills and resources.”

Then came the most sensitive issue of citizenship in the country. The constitution of Nepal 1963 for the fist time determined the cut off date for domicile persons of foreign origin. The 1990 constitution maintained the same cut off date by consensus. Now the government did not wait either for Constituent Assembly or interim constitution but all ministers in seven parties in the government passed unanimously the draft of citizenship bill which is contrary to the article 9 and 10 of the constitution.

“This cut off date has very sensitive and dangerous implications, which can put the country into a crisis. Some vocal political leaders of regional parties like Nepal Sadbhavana Party have aroused a sentimental feeling of separation from the hills, if this proposed cut off date of 1990 is rejected. They have said Nepal will face scenario like that of war-torn Sri Lanka . If it is implemented in toto, the country may face the fate of Sikkim . None of the leaders of this country have time to think seriously in a long term perspective about these problems,” said the political analyst.

“If the parties do not support the bill, we don’t have any option other than to launch the war against state as in Sri Lanka ,” Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supply Hridayesh Tripathi.

Home minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula, who was supposed to sign the new extradition treaty with India, postponed his visit to New Delhi at the last minute citing that the Maoists opposed the treaty, which allowed India to seek any third country’s citizen from Nepal to investigate even for unspecified offense.

Although the government is interim in nature, it does not mind taking decisions of longer implications. Media is a powerful instrument known as the fourth estate but the government with short nature has already accepted the proposal of high level media committee to allow 49 percent of share to foreign media company. Even neighboring India has permitted only 25 percent of foreign investment in media sector. “This short term government has no moral and ethical capacity to enter into such agreement with long term implications,” said the analyst.

In the meantime, prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala sent his own emissary Dr. Suresh Raj Chaliese to Beijing to explain Nepal ’s political situation. The trend shows clearly that there are two kinds of priorities for the government. In its domestic priorities, the government has been lackluster. However, it has all the time been very prompt and responsive to other kinds of priorities – to maintain trust with an external power.

“Keeping the people all the time confident and optimist should have been the priority of the government. Unfortunately, present politicians in power who had experiences of last three parliament and government under it have no sense of urgency whereas the country is slowly and gradually entering into a domination under a proxy force,” said the analyst.

Courtesy : Spotlight

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