Polls to end political crisis

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept. 6: Political scientists and intellectuals see the upcoming elections as an opportunity to end the current political crisis through national consensus on common agenda among the political forces.

At an interaction programme entitled 'The political road from now on' organised by the Godavari Alumni Association Forum here today, Prof. Krishna Khanal said that all the political parties should show strong commitment and present an effective agenda to hold the election on the fixed date for the sake of democracy.

Prof. Khanal criticised the political parties and their leaders for bringing the country to the present state of affairs. The country is in a state of breakdown due to lack of vision on their part, indecisiveness, selfish interests and over indulgence in power politics, he added.

"If the Election Commission decides to give the election symbol to the Nepali Congress led by Koirala, it will invite another crisis," said Khanal. "If that happens, what will be the position and role of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his government as well as the future of the election?"
Khanal also said that the PM should have thought about the consequences before recommending for the dissolution of the parliament.

He added that if there could be an understanding among the political parties to resolve the Maoists problem before the election, then the election could also be postponed with general consensus. "The existing crisis should be resolved as soon as possible in an integrated way within the democratic system framework."

The political parties should come out as major political players, and the army's role should be limited only to the hour of need, he said.

Commenting on Prof. Khanal's views, water resource engineer Deepak Gyawali said that the current political crisis was the by-product of our politicians and their irresponsible activities in the last 12 years. He said there is an utter lack of conflict management within the political parties.

"The country needs an able and visionary leader to safeguard the democratic system," he said. Hari Rokka, another commentator, said that there should be a balance of power among the political forces based on national consensus. "There should be decentralisation of power if the problems faced by the country are to be solved."

He said that the political parties and government should work to address the existing socio-economic and other problems from its very root.

All of them asked the Maoists to come within the existing political framework and pursue a political track instead of the non-political and the destructive activities they are following at the moment.

Other Stories

• Ayurvedic medicine should be prioritised
• 'Assist CIAA to combat corruption'
• All party meet held to remove tea estate encroachers