Expectant mood for fresh option

January 19, 2005
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I n d e p t h A n a l y s i s
Kathmandu: The Kingdom is finally bearing the direct costs of conflict and negligence. The people can do little else but groan under the unavoidable economic measures removing subsidies and enlarging security coffers. The fact is that the empty layman’s purse has little in it for the additional expenses. The political parties must cash in upon this to galvanize their sagging street presence and the economic component of the agitation is likely to be the more effective spearhead. Not surprisingly, the UML must also jump in the fray and their presence in the street begins a new flirtation at populism with potential.

Of course, the political component of this potential lies in the new UML move to seek the possibility of the restoration of the parliament with Deuba’s Prime Ministerial seat ensured. Only naturally Girija Koirala has grasped this thread expressing possibilities of such an accord. The underlying intent of course is ever present. A restored parliament can help engineer a slide of Deuba members towards the mother Nepali Congress and procure for Girija a fresh majority to claim government.

Only naturally Deuba lies firm against the UML move and sees elections as the only possibility. Strangely neither the Nepali Congress nor the UML nor even intelligentsia advocates of restoration of parliament within and outside the country would want to pay heed to the first public pronouncement of the newly appointed Supreme Court Chief Justice who has negated this possibility at the very outset.

The logical constitutional solution remains what the King since the past two years has been striving for – a national government composed of political parties represented in the dissolved parliament and outside political forces that can decisively patch up for the conduct of the overdue national elections which done can restore parliament constitutionally.

This seemingly easy Royal proposition has proven a chimera much before the use of article 127 because of the primary need of political organizations to use government office for elections. Participation in an election government has been a race that has distorted the election process in Nepal contributing to the constitutional crisis itself.

This then, demands a realization that distortion in the election process be convincingly removed and a government beset with the purpose of assuring all that elections without these distortions will take place regardless they participate or not.

Of course, denied the advantage of their participation, the major political organizations that have had their grassroots usurped by the Maoists will clamor foul. It is unlikely that the population will chose the very candidates that deserted them after having created the mess at the bottom. This explains the reluctance of the UML to leave government.

Whatever, the race for election government continues. Deuba’s waning popularity and the UML double speak combined with Koirala’s classic adamance makes a gloomy picture for the existing status quo. A new option must be floated and this explains the mood of expectancy.