COMMENT

Should Bhattarai & Koirala step down?

The saga of the internal struggle within the Nepali Congress continues. This party, which likes to call itself the “biggest political party of the country”, always seems to invite trouble whenever it is in power. And we are not talking of the present 10-year period after the restoration of democracy. Even in the old days back in the 1950s, when the NC was a young party and democracy had just been established after 104 years of Rana rule, the leaders of this party never seemed to get along.

There were internal conspiracies and break-ups and eventually King Mahendra took full advantage of the fragile political situation and introduced the one party Panchayat system, banning all political parties and suppressing different fundamental rights of the people. It took more than 30 long years before multi-party democracy could be restored with a popular “Peoples’ Movement” in 1990.

But it was proved that old habits die hard. Even in the midst of the euphoria of just having won back democracy after such a long time, the Congress leaders were in no mood to cooperate with each other. No sooner had the Nepali Congress won a comfortable majority in the first General Election in 1991, the leaders again started their wrangling amongst themselves. The three top leaders of the Congress, late Ganesh Man Singh, who was dubbed the “Supreme leader”, the just elected Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and party president Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, they all seemed to be going in different directions with their respective supporters.

Eventually this estranged situation led to the downfall of the majority government and the calling for another general election. The drubbing the divided Congress leaders received in the second General Election is history now. Ironically, even after such experiences, the party’s leaders don’t seem to have learnt anything. Barely six months after getting the opportunity to once more form another majority government, the Congress stalwarts seem to be at each other’s throat again.

Reports last week indicated that PM Bhattarai was sure to be ousted from his post. Party president Koirala publicly called for him to step down and quite a large number of NC MPs, also signed a memorandum seeking a change in the government’s leadership. It was indeed a grave situation for Bhattarai, though now much of the storm seems to have blwon over for him. Anyway the fact is still there that he has not been able to impress the people with his style of governance.

To look at PM Bhattarai’s seven months in office, there is not even one achievement which he can truly boast of. There have been hikes in the price of virtually all essential commodities, no long term projects have been implemented and worst of all, the law and order situation, as pointed out by Koirala, has deteriorated. The “impromptu” utterings of Bhattarai, which were considered “witty” before, are now being taken as irresponsible remarks and quite rightly so. There are hardly any reasons for people to be happy with PM Bhattarai or any of his ministers.

But can anything better be expected from Koirala? It is doubtful. Yet, perhaps he should also be given a six months period to demonstrate what he can do. If Koirala is able to only improve the law and order situation of the country, then he can be given a longer period to prove himself in other sectors. But if not, then he too will have to step down.

We are mentioning such quick changes in the PM’s post because it is high time the Nepali Congress gets a new and younger generation leadership. Leaders who hail from the Fifties generation and who don’t want to change with the times, must be considered outdated. The country can’t afford to suffer in silence as they indulge in their personal whimsical habits. A new lot of leaders must take the reins of the party and also of governing the country as long as the NC has a majority in the Parliament.

On the other hand, a thought must also be given to the extreme aspect of whether a time has come for the two different sides of this party to go their own ways? The party’s supporters may not like this argument, but perhaps the damages will be less, if this party breaks up when it is strong. At least that way it will be in a better position to move ahead.

For now, even if some sort of an understanding is hammered out between the leaders of the party, it is sure the problem will raise its head again after some time. But perhaps the party will have to live with this problem as long as the two old “Patriachs” continue to lead it, instead of handing over powers to the second generation of leaders.

Safety with a smile

I have been reading in newspapers that RNAC is planning to buy a new Boeing. Passengers would now feel safer when they fly in the new air craft; unlike now when they go through a lot of apprehension till the old aircrafts land safely.

I would also like to request  the  authorities of  RNAC to upgrade the standard of our air hostesses and ensure that they carry out their duties efficiently with a smile and lots of patience. After all they represent our nation around the world.

Yam Gurung
Jawalakhel, Lalitpur

Professional Excellence

The recently concluded convention of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) in Kathmandu was refreshingly different.

The election of a ‘professional journalist’, the President of the FNJ and the defeat of the two other candidates (incidentally backed by  two main political parties of the country for the coveted post), is indeed a welcome departure from the legacy of the past and portent of a new trend.

Indeed, wanton politicisation of  different professional associations has remained a bane in the contemporary Nepalese society. This denies one to excel professionally  through fair and constructive means.

One is seldom recognized in Nepal for his/her pursuit of excellence in  profession. On the contrary, people usually get recognition for their proximity with a political party or the existing political masters. The society remains terribly divided on the political lines.

Politicians do not refrain from dwelling on and lamenting about such division but few of them even try to curb the unhealthy trend.  Whether it is the Maoists’ problem, mass starvation of the people in the remote hills of the country or the outbreak of  diseases, politicians in Nepal do not  shy away from deriving political mileage out of such problems.

So, it remains for the citizens themselves to consciously de-politicize their day to day lives and not lose sight of the larger objectives of the society.

Federation of Nepalese Journalists by its unbiased and uninfluenced election has set a noteworthy example.

The cue shall hopefully be taken by other professional organisations  in the country. The people hopefully will be provided with a level playing field to vie with each other to excel in their respective professions. Kowtowing  to  political masters is a negative trend that the society can do well without today.

K.C. Bhatt,
     Kathmandu