Kathmandu: Prime Minister Girija babu is in a mess. As predicted in these columns, his strategy to take direct responsibility for talks with the Maoists’ has backfired. The propaganda effect of surfacing two leading Maoists’ in the media has turned against him. The Maoists’ have disappeared with public statements that government had extracted their media disclosure under duress. As a result the Maoists’ have called-off all channels of formal talks. The government has, predictably again, responded that they will use the security forces against their violent actions. Sunday’s Ramechhap action indicates that the insurgents are willing to take the challenge up.
Girija babu’s own house remains in disarray. The very elections to the general convention of the party general assembly have been challenged in legitimacy. The repeated warnings of senior congress leaders and the resignations of senior members of the congress election committee clearly reflect the lines that have been drawn within the congress party.
It is not for nothing that a scheduled cabinet reshuffle is now being taken skeptically. The Prime Minister has been restricted from including key Deuba supporters in the proposed cabinet and the capital he is expected to gain from a reshuffle, if and when it occurs, is likely to be minimal in terms of the fracas that appear now inevitable in the January convention. Indeed, it now appears predictable that the elections that are expected to ensue in the immediate weeks are so crucial that they will preoccupy the government party hence on.
It is not for nothing that the decade old practice of observing constitution day is now taking a back seat in the milieu of the congress fracas. Significantly, talk now in these ceremonies focus on the possibility of constitutional reforms. Significantly again, consensus appears to be emerging on the need for reforms.
Where the crux of the matter lies, however, is in the fact that constitutional reforms are the monopoly of the parliament where the very actors who contribute to the current constitutional crisis hold monopoly. Neither Prime Minister G.P.Koirala nor his shadow Krishna Prasad nor, for that matter, leader of the main opposition, Madhav Nepal, have ventured to talk of reforms. In such a case, the matter of the reforms become merely academic since it is these three who hold the two third counts in the parliament essential for constitutional reforms.
It is this that constitutes the crux that of an approaching constitutional crisis. The opposition including that within the congress, for example, take the Maoists’ problem as a political one, the government views it now as a law and order one while the Maoists’ see it constitutionally. One factor for change, therefore, now appears to be the Maoists’.
It is to no surprise then that privately expressed needs for constitutional changes are now being expressed more openly while the political process would want to be blind to it. It is this that is aggravating a constitutional crisis in the country.
Nepal, B’desh to work for the resumption of SAARC Summit!
Kathmandu: Nepal’s Foreign Ministry sources hint that Bangladesh foreign secretary is visiting Nepal at the end of this month.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary, C.M. Safi Sami, has been invited by his Nepali counterpart Mr. Narayan Shumsher Thapa, it is also learnt.
During the visit of the foreign dignitary, Nepal and Bangladesh are expected to take stock of the regional situation as it has obtained today specially after the abrupt suspension of the SAARC Summit which were to be held in Kathmandu late last year.
The two sides will also hold discussions on matters pertaining to the expansion of bilateral ties in all the possible levels more so on the trade and commerce sector and opening up of the tourist traffic route for the people of both the countries.
The two countries at the official level talks in Kathmandu are supposed to devise some sort of mechanism in order to convince the countries whose adamancy have apparently capped the possibility of the convening of the now suspended SAARC Summit.
Unconfirmed reports have it that Nepal and Bangladesh, both small countries in the region, will concentrate their dialogue on how to safeguard the security of the South Asian region from the proliferation of the nuclear weapons which is very much kicking and alive in their vicinity.
The Bangladesh side apparently wishes the proposed visit to materialize before RAMADAN which commences early next month.
The visit of Foreign Secretary Sami will facilitate the visit of Nepal’s Foreign Minister to Bangladesh which is long over due, it is also learnt from Shital Nivas sources.
Telegraph adds: The Nepal-SAARC Journalists’ Forum has expressed its strong desire to pay a courtesy call on the visiting dignitary from Bangladesh. However, the Forum is yet to initiate contacts with the Bangladesh embassy in Kathmandu regarding the possibility and the materialization of such an event. The embassy people were not available to confirm the arrival of their Foreign Secretary.