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Kathmandu Wednesday August 08, 2001 Shrawan 24, 2058.
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More or less corrupt ?
Girija Prasad Koirala resigned from the post of
Prime Minister more due to intra- party differences than UML pressure. In the aftermath of
his resignation, many Nepali Congress bigwigs, including incumbent Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba, tried to sell "I am less corrupt than others" image. How long
will the new PM retain this image remains to be seen. And if past is any guide, this is
unlikely as long as he remains in power. However, one thing must be made clear that
"there is none who is clean on this planet." Man by nature is corrupt. It is the
law of the land that should be able to prevent, contain or minimize corruption. Koirala
did not realize this nor did he bring corrupt to book. He stood for them at cost to his
own future.
If Deuba does not do anything against his
corrupt cabinet ministers, he too will lose his balance. But to take action against
corrupt is not an easy task. He has to begin with the Lauda Air deal. The question who
were involved in the Lauda air deal is now an open secret. Deuba knows it too, and he is
by no means a "clean" leader. In his first innings, he not only made himself
corrupt but also the ministers and people around him. He seems to be too generous when it
comes to showering lavish favours on MPs of political hues and how to stitch together a
shaky coalition. The people are not interested in how Deuba evaluates himself, because
they can judge themselves.
Rajan Chhetri
Buddhanagar, Kathmandu |
