Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Dateline

Niraj Aryal

The business community that was virtually apolitical and remained ever silent during the past and the current political changes have become outspoken all of a sudden. The recent kidnapping taking place in the country targeting the Marwari community and the fresh incident in Nepalgunj where especially the businesses owned by the same community were targeted, the Marwari leaders using the platform of Marwari Convention held in Kathmandu perhaps for the first time threatened the government for further actions, if this community is not protected by the State.

To the surprise of all, the hue and cry among the troubled men from various sectors either from civil society or from the information sector, regarding the demands put forward by the bosses of big business houses for their representation in the interim parliament is indeed baffling. Analysts question if the members of various civil groupings who in the past failed to get popular support while representing various Political Parties or those bureaucrats who were declared as number one corrupts in the past have their right to look for a seat in the interim parliament, what is wrong with the Marwari demand to participate in the interim parliament? If the leaders of the civil society are awarded for their role in restoring people’s democracy, what is the harm in listening to this communities’ demand keeping into account their Himalayan efforts to provide the country’s economy with a gulp of air even during the Maoists led rebellion that promised to destroy the country’s economic infrastructure? Their contributions were immense even in the past.

If members of the pressure groups e.g. the civil society are inducted into the interim parliament there remains a danger that the civil society will be politicized too. In our case this is not baffling though. If we look into the demands forwarded by the Civil Society in the past and their activities in the streets of Kathmandu, they sufficiently indicate the formation of a ninth party that is looking for their share in the interim government as well. Here let us agree not to discuss the issue of media men forming an alliance to work for the establishment of a democratic republic in the country.

In another context, with the Maoists allowing leaders propagating differing view points to practice their political stunts in the Maoists controlled areas, there is suddenly a new life propping up in those areas. One might point out that the parties supporting the longevity of the Royals in Nepal are still not allowed to enter areas previously even not under the Maoists control, and then it is a matter of another discussion. The student wings of the SPA and the Maoists’ recently created havoc in Rajbiraj while the Nepal Sadvawana Party intended to organize a mass meet. This is just an example.

Now, coming back to the episode of the NC and the UML leaders entering the CPN-Maoists’ controlled areas, with this the same old political stunts are also making their way into the areas where there were Maoists’ firepower to shut differing view points in the past, keeping distance with various political tricks.

Mr. Sushil Koirala, a central committee member of the Nepali Congress, recently visiting a far-flung district adding on top of constitutional assembly elections and the establishment of a democratic-republic declared there would be a university established in the area.

Perhaps the election days are coming and with this the same old tactic to sway the voters. Here again the business community may feel the brunt as the doors to be knocked by the aspirant leaders belong to this community only.