All the players in politics seem handicapped to overcome the crisis

By KESHAB POUDEL

“The constitution will not be a barrier if there is an understanding between the King and the democratic forces,” said B.P. Koirala, in the hardest period of party less Panchayat system when he was pursuing for negotiation with the King. “The constitution is merely a scrap of paper.”

His thrust was that political understanding between the King and democratic forces was important than the modalities of constitution. When B.P. Koirala was pursuing his argument, there was a constitution that barred to hold any party activity. The Constitution was authoritarian and committed to party-less political system whereas the present constitution has all basic ingredients of democratic system which was drafted under the popular uprising of 1990.

However, the present political leadership including Congress leader and brother of B.P. Koirala, Girija Prasad Koirala who has been working under a liberal democratic constitution which guarantees multi-party democracy, independent judiciary, individual rights and press freedom- is ignoring this.

Instead of showing willingness to reactivate the constitution building through understanding, what political leaders are demanding with the King is to initiate a process paving the way to go for Constituent Assembly. The King, too, is half-heartedly inviting political leaders for dialogue aiming to activate the constitution.

Although the country has been passing through very critical phase, there is a vacuum of a political leadership that can speak and take decisions like B.P. Koirala to overcome the political impasse. Nepal ‘s western friends including the United States have been making every effort to pursue the King and political parties to reach out to each other for certain understanding but Nepalese leaders are showing their handicap.

In his message on Democracy Day, King Gyanendra called for a dialogue but used word like “willing”, which is politically unnecessary. “I call upon all willing political parties to come forward to speedily activate the derailed political process in the broader interest of the country,” said King Gyanendra.

Through this statement, King Gyanendra has shown his handicap to overcome the political process. In his recent remarks, first vice chairman Dr. Tulsi Giri, who is known for his provocative remarks and is reportedly projected as a person who is barring reconciliation between the King and political parties, used all kinds of words to destroy conducive environment created by Nepal ‘s friends. Interestingly, Dr. Giri’s remarks came just a few hours after the meeting between King Gyanendra and US principal deputy assistant secretary of state Donald Camp in Pokhara.

“Having appointed him at the highest position after two decade long self-exile to India , the King is not in a position to ignore first vice chairman Dr. Giri’s constant personal association with India ‘s top strategists in offering any political concessions to political leaders. Dr.Giri’s statements show that he was assigned a role to widen political polarization between the King and the organized political parties to the extent of point of no return,” said a political observer.

Similarly, there are also numbers of communist extremists in seven parties political alliance who have many commonalities with Dr. Giri so far as creating the rift is concerned. The right and left extremists – who hold completely different political ideology – are serving similar interest making the King and leaders of liberal democratic parties handicapped in taking independent decision.

“There will be no dialogue with the King as long as he does not agree to hold the elections for Constituent Assembly,” said senior leader of CPN-UML Bharat Mohan Adhikary, who was also a member of the Constitution Drafting Commission, which drafted the present constitution. These statements will benefit the extremists siding with the King.

The invisible alliance of extremists have rendered the leaders handicapped. “I will abide by the decision of seven parties. What seven parties agree is my own decision,” said former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

At a time when seven parties alliance is dominated by extremist communist parties, leaders of liberal democratic parties have nominal influence in its decision-making. Following the 12 point understanding with the Maoists, leaders like Koirala and Deuba have no option other than to defend them.

Handicapped by their own closer alliances with rightists and communist extremists, the King and leaders of liberal democrats, who have many commonalities of interest and who are close ally, are not in a position to unite for the greater interest of the country.

This is the reason political leaders representing liberal democratic political parties – who had forced King Birendra to sign the document as agreed by them – are unable to defend the same document as a meeting point to build further understanding.

“If there is a will and understanding, the constitution is not a barrier to find out ways to accommodate major political forces,” said the political analyst.

As all political leaders are handicapped and unable to exhibit courage and will as was shown by charismatic statesman late B.P. Koirala, it is going to be very difficult to overcome the current political stalemate.