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Kathmandu Wednesday February 07, 2001 Magh 25, 2057.
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Settle in Parliament
On the eve of the 19th winter session of the Parliament, the opposition
parties have officially demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
Predictable and mechanical it may sound, but this move is only a formal expression of the
growing distaste and distrust with the Koirala-led government. Mis-governance, corruption
and inefficiency seem to be the trademarks of the Koirala government. It is no
exaggeration to say the government has failed miserably on the law and order front. A
series of wrongdoing has been perceived, felt and expressed in public. Responding to the
call of the public, the opposition parties are soldering with their efforts to kick him
out of office. But the legislation procedure is basically a number game, and Koirala could
survive the no-trust motion, given his vice-like grip on state coffers and power as well
as a party workers who fail to see anything wrong with his leadership.
The sense of disillusion and disenchantment with Koirala is not just confined
to the opposition parties. His stubborn and arrogant attitude has created psychological
divisions within the Nepali Congress (NC), threatening the very stability of the
government. Much time and energy of the ruling party, especially that of the Prime
Minister, has been spent in trying to set the messy intra-party affairs back onto the
right tracks. Despite the brouhaha, the ongoing bickering seems nowhere nearing an end. It
may well be cost-free entertainment to many, but the endless wrangling means the
possibility of a split within the NC, triggering another unwanted and untimely mid-poll.
More than anything else, the cause of disgruntlement within the party is Koirala’s
leadership. It is, therefore, high time Koirala retired gracefully and handed over the
reins of power to the second generation leaders. Though there is no guarantee that the
ouster of Koirala would pave the way for dynamic and capable leaders who could steer the
country back onto the straight and narrow, it will be a move in the right direction.
In an endeavour to whip the lacklustre government, the opposition parties
should not go astray and adopt extreme measures. Another strike or mass demonstrations
will not help solve core issues confronting the nation. Instead of shouting outside the
Parliament, they must use its floors for rigorous debate to address the grievances of the
public. The forthcoming parliamentary session, it is to be hoped, should focus on other
crucial bills that have been gathering dust for a long while. The anti-corruption bill to
strengthen the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), if endorsed by
this session, would be a bold and commendable move in curing the cancerous corruption that
is eating into vital sectors of our economic, social and political life. Eliminating
corruption is not an easy task, and unless effective measures against it are
institutionalised, nothing can be achieved. Likewise, the amendment to the Civil Code bill
and the controversial 6th Amendment Citizenship Bill are other matters that must be dealt
with urgently. Instead of dilly-dallying with old and newly-introduced bills, as in the
previous session, this parliamentary session should ponder over these bills seriously and
decide their fates wisely.
Unnecessary tantrums and squabbles dominated previous parliamentary sessions.
Hopefully, this time around, it might be more fruitful. Whether Koirala resigns or not,
the government as well as anti-corruption agencies must get to the root of the Lauda Air
scam. Otherwise, the racket might invite unprecedented and aggressive approaches against
the government, already faring poorly on the popularity scale. And the opposition must dig
into controversial issues with the same gusto it has demonstrated thus far. Otherwise, the
people's power might again rise to the fore as it has done in other countries in Asia, and
take recourse to unconstitutional ways to solve the problem of corruption. We hope that
the parliament members are fully aware of the trust the people have placed in them will
utilise this session wisely and fruitfully.
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