Nepal is a strange land of paradoxes. If it is the most beautiful country, the majority of its leading politicians are most ugly. If it has an overwhelming majority of illiterate and uneducated people, it has an unaccounted number of intellectual prostitutes. If it has a large number of exploited and discriminated but dedicated junior civil servants, majority of its limited number of senior civil servants is not only pliant but of slavish mentality. If its giant neighbor encircling it on three sides does not tire loudly voicing its traditional friendship for the pigmy neighbor in public, she leaves no stone unturned to dig her roots to destabilize and disintegrate it in private. If all the political parties in power are crying hoarse for polls on the stipulated date, it is authentically reported none of them wants the polls to be held. Because they will lose all the luxuries and sinecures they must be the first in their dynasty to enjoy. If the honorable representatives of the United Nations, the United States of America and most European powers- the votaries of democracy, justice and equality for all – have not hesitated to openly hail the fall of the authoritarian government of King Gyanendra, they are keeping their mouths shut at the most undemocratic and authoritarian behavior of the eight political party government. We think these few examples are enough to prove our opening statement. As such it is for any body to guess or see which way the wind is going to blow in Nepal for the next few months.

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Since there is no semblance of democracy and fair play in the behavior of the eight party government, it is no use criticizing or praising its policies. Since this government had no mandate to make any policies of far reaching consequences and if it had genuine faith in democratic behavior, it should have resigned after the announcement of the polls date vacating the seat for a non-political government to conduct a free and fair election. It is needless to state their not resigning clearly manifests their intentions. We will suffice to say neither the budget nor the three year plans and programs for the nation prepared by the Vikas Parishad are legal and constitutional. And neither taking any party-affiliated – militant- organization to be merged with any national security forces will be legal or constitutional and even desirable. Since the Election Commission has not been able to function in an independent manner as it should and has become a stooge of the government, commenting on its behavior too will not be worthwhile. The nation does only apprehend that the elections, if they are held at all, might neither be free nor fair under the present management. We, indeed, can only hope that the newly appointed honorable Election Commissioners will realize their grave responsibilities and rise above their petty self-interest and boldly refuse to carry out any unjust, unfair and undemocratic directives of the government and set an example to others to follow.

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