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Kathmandu Wednesday March 21, 2001 Chaitra 08, 2057.
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Predictable outcome
The predictable has happened. What Prime
Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had proposed, the majority of the Nepali Congress (NC)
barons endorsed. Despite disgruntled voices, he has emerged from the two-day NC jamboree,
as if he were the only choice for the premiership. The hurriedly called meeting has proven
to be nothing but an exercise in self-satisfaction. It ended on a predictable note,
neither as a surprise nor as a disappointment. But former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad
Bhattarai’s conspicuous absence at the meeting, at a time when his party president is
entrapped in a quagmire of controversies and scandals, has further accentuated the
widening chasm within the NC. While Koirala reels under the weight of his own
miscalculations, misjudgment and controversial decisions, Bhattarai does not appear in a
mood to bail him out of the mess. It seems that the simmering intra-party squabbling is
set to simmer on. The wrangling has spilled over into Parliament as well. The NC rebel
camp has alleged that the Speaker of the House, one of their own party members, has been
tricky and unnecessarily lenient towards the opposition.
Meanwhile, there has been a string of
corruption scandals and misuses of power, involving ministers long known to be die-hard
Koirala loyalists. Minister for Agriculture Jay Prakash Gupta and Minister for Local
Development Govinda Raj Joshi are fresh names linked with charges of massive corruption.
One of the two has also walked out on his long time mentor. Despite all this, Koirala is
not making any prompt moves to restore his party’s waning popularity. The rival camp
is also following suit, clamouring all out for the coveted post of Prime Minister.
With the opposition parties now threatening
to take to the streets, and the Maoist insurgents stepping up their activities across the
country, it will not be smooth sailing for Koirala. A cloud of uncertainty looms large
over the whole country. For more than six weeks now, the House has been in deadlock. The
country’s largest foreign exchange earner has been mired in uncertainty over its
controversial inclusion under the Essential Service Act, the fate of the Sixth Amendment
to the Citizenship Act is still undecided at the Supreme Court, not to mention the elusive
hopes for talks with the Maoists. By now, most Nepalis have already drawn their
conclusions as to what the high court would recommend over the highly controversial
Citizenship Bill.
Despite mounting pressure from within and
outside his party, Koirala is decidedly unwilling to hand over the reins of power to the
second-generation leaders. His lust for power might prove costly for the country. What
would happen to the country, if Koirala were allowed to remain in power, is anybody’s
guess. In all fairness, it has to be said that the Koirala administration has fared even
worse than that of Bhattarai, who was compelled to step down for failing to maintain law
and order last year. Millions of Nepalis, disenchanted with the Koirala government, expect
some light at the end of the tunnel, only when the incumbent Prime Minister retires
gracefully. Difficult times call for difficult decisions. Koirala cannot keep putting it
off for long.
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