People seem to have been convinced that the main political parties have only opportunistic agenda and ulterior motive in the name of doing people’s politics. Disillusionment to the system reached its peak with the month long stand off in the Parliament over the question of Prime Minister’s resignation. The sitting opposition party, instead of attacking the government on the Lauda, chose to take to the streets while Parliament was in session, and thus ignored the utility of Parliament as a means for discussion. The Prime Minister sacrileged the sanctity of parliamentary democracy by violating the rules enacted by the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament on the Lauda Air deal. As both the parties do not show their sincerity to the basic tenets of democratic system, national issues are neither discussed seriously nor are they settled on the floor of Parliament through debate and discussion. Important bills on vital issues are either dismissed with a sense of contempt or are passed without proper discussion as in the case of last year’s Citizenship Act.

Parliamentary system is regarded as a democratic system, assuming that the Parliament functions as a nerve centre of the entire country, as a mirror of national character, as a forum where the national issues are discussed and grievances of the people are ventilated, opinions from different sections of society are articulated, where policies decided, where laws are enacted and budgets are passed after debate and discussion. But our parliament presents a grim picture. Parliamentarians have no shame in drawing their allowances even when the Parliament is stalled throughout the entire session. We have been observing and watching with anger the utterly irresponsible behaviour of these so called people’s representatives. People are becoming increasingly mere spectators without being active participants in the governance.

The growing bitterness among the people is being generated by the divisive politics of NC and CPN (UML). Both parties are trying to score point over each other by wrecking up the Lauda Air and the China South West (CSW) deals. Culprits in both cases must be punished and accounted to without any discrimination. Both parties should come out with full facts and confess the crime sparing none, whatsoever his position stands. But the NC and CPN (UML) leaders are trying to minimize the damage to the image of their parties by undermining their role in the Lauda Air and CSW deals. Both parties should pay the price and all individuals including, Girija Prasad Koirala and Bhim Rawal, should be taken to court. Exposure of the CSW deal does not reduce the amount of crime committed in the Lauda Air deal. Both cases should be thoroughly investigated and the concerned persons must be given rigorous punishment for cheating the people and plundering the national coffers. The pathetic state of our democratic system reflects the nadir of degradation in politics within the span of eleven years.

People are alienated and disillusioned because the politics of principle has given a way to the politics of power and opportunism. Political leaders are openly indulging in corruption. Due to excessive petty partisan consideration, these leaders are unable to strike a consensus even on national issues, related to Kalapani, Tanakpur, Karnali and Laxmanpur embankment. Reports suggest that there have been intrusion and encroachment in 57 places between Nepal-India borders. Unfortunately, our leaders have failed to resolve differences to protect national interests. The UML and NC no longer have a clear philosophy or programme of action that could earn the people’s respect or arouse people’s hope in the coming days. They oppose each other but they have no distinctive agenda. Their manifestoes do not educate the people about alternative approaches to economic development and social change, by not embracing the privatisation, liberalization and globalisation blindly.

The country does not have strong economic self sustaining foundation. This is because elections are fought with the help of money and muscle power and candidates are chosen on the basis of wining chances by unfair or foul means. Such a state of governance and the political system will definitely alienate the people, who expect deliverance of goods and effective dealing with major problems like drinking water and satisfactory health and educational services. If the situations stand as fluid as it is now, the present leaderships cannot be expected to give their single minded effort and concentration on people’s suffering. It is in this light that there is a strong need for a reformative mechanism. People also feel that this situation should change and they are willing to do the needful on their part. They are simply allergic to the politics which has come to mean capturing power somehow and through that power improving one’s lot and that of one’s close relatives and friends. We feel that the present state of political affairs does not call for optimism; but there is still hope, if politicians earn sincerity. They should know that political activities should be directed to further the good of public life by giving the people greater say or role in politics.

The tragedy now lies in the fact that, for the people, politics is not what they do but what politicians do for them. Politicians should realise that without the full participation, cooperation and activities of the people; social, economic and other intricate problems facing the country cannot be solved.

Our intelligentsia is also greatly responsible for the political crisis. Many of us, so called intellectuals, are blind followers of particular parties and sycophants of leaders. Intellectuals approach political leaders for petty favour rather than forcing them to seek advice. We have not realised that, by behaving in such a way, we are making ourselves victims of the system. Intellectual and educated people should play a role of watchdog and encourage the able and qualified persons to stand in election, so that petty politicians or party loyalists do not occupy the entire politicalscape.

At a time when the CPN-UML along with other five left parties was pressing the Prime Minister’s rsignation for his involvement in the Lauda deal, it made a serious mistake by opposing the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)’s decision on CSWA. PAC has implicated Bhim Rawal, the party’s Central Committee member and former civil aviation minister in the CSWA) jet lease deal.

The CPN-UML is a political force to be reckoned with, but the party’s Central Committee’s decision to oppose PAC’s findings has not only tarnished the party’s image but has also weakened its moral strength. The party initiated various protest programmes against the Prime Minister, especially on the ground of the PAC’s decision. And now it is going against the committee’s decision, showing its double standard. Therefore, the CPN-UML has lost the ground to ask the resignation of Prime Minister. But this does not mean that the Prime Minister is clean and he need not resign. When a party like the UML maintains a double standard, what can the people expect from other so-called democratic forces of the country?

Moreover, the UML has about fifty per cent of its parliamentarians in the PAC and all the committee members had recommended to take action against Rawal and other former civil aviation ministers. By opposing the decision of the committee, the party has weakened itself. As the party is trying to prove Rawal innocent, it has created misgivings among the people whether the party had either directed him to siphon off the money he got from the CSWA deal to it or some of the top brass of the party were also involved in it. Otherwise, there is no need to defend Rawal when he had tendered his resignation on moral ground.

PAC has simply named Rawal guilty of giving permission for foreign exchange against the directives of the government and whether he would be indicted by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) remains to be seen. But he has resigned from his post, which should in fact prick his conscience to follow suit. However, the party’s decision has weakened the charges levelled at Prime Minister Koirala, giving the CPN-Maoists an excellent opportunity to cash in on their folly. The Maoist party issuing a press release immediately after the UML’s decision, said that both the NC and the UML were sinking in the quagmire of corruption and the Maoist party was the only alternative to them. Given the present scenario, it is hard to refute argument.

On the one hand, the Maoists are trying to prove that the present system of politics is not in favour of the majority of the people and on the other hand, the two major champions of democracy, the NC and the UML, are vying for proving each other corrupt.

Largely, the NC and UML are responsible for weakening the democracy, but until a couple of days before the UML was believed to have been reform-oriented, people were hopeful of having at least future leadership with clean image.

The UML is not only sure to lose the battle against corruption, but also to lose its public backing, if it did not withdraw the decision and take action against Bhim Rawal from the party. Therefore, it will be prudent for the UML to induct Rawal if the CIAA proves him innocent. And this will enhance the image and boost the morality of the party. It is worrisome that there are no leaders to back KP Sharma Oli’s stance of standing by the PAC’s decision, at least until the case is settled.

The rule of NC and the activities of UML have been the main factor for the common people either to join the rebel camp or to extend moral support to them. Both the major parties are making a farce of the democratic polity.

The left parties’ call for the three-day general strike drew scathing criticism from all quarters as frequent bandhs called mostly by the underground Maoists have tortured the people. Now people have begun questioning if the UML were serious about controlling corruption, why could not its top leaders go on fast-unto-death, instead of making millions of people suffer and vandalizing public and private property?

And the question is genuine. They can press the PM to resign by staging a fast-unto-death strike. Still there is time the UML took its decision on the case of Bhim Rawal and boosted up its moral strength to fight against corruption.

Earlier, the UML was accused of seeking the resignation of PM Koirala at the behest of some of the warring leaders of NC party. The UML raised the issue in Parliament and stalled the entire 19th session of the House, demanding the resignation of PM Koirala for his involvement in the deal.

Koirala became more adamant on his stand that he would resign only if he were implicated by CIAA. But the Commission sent a sealed questionnaire to the PM surrounding the controversial deal, which further boosted the moral of the UML and weakened the Prime Minister’s.

The CIAA in its final decision on the Lauda case indirectly stated that the PM was responsible for the irregularities in the deal and the decision was building more pressure on the PM to quit, but the UML not only spoilt the opportunity but also made a suicidal attempt by defending i Bhim Rawal involved in CSWA lease irregularity.