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| OFF THE RECORD |
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| OFF THE RECORD |
Partyless Culture When Nepal had a partyless system, politicians sought to master the culture of the multiparty polity through organized politics. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is enjoying a second stint as an elected prime minister under multiparty politics, but he seems to exhibit clear traits of a pancha. After he announced his populist land reform program in parliament, Deuba’s stock seems to have skyrocketed in the main opposition CPN-UML. While there are differences within the ruling Nepali Congress party over Deuba’s land reforms, leader of the opposition Madhav Kumar Nepal has already issued whip to UML workers to defend the prime minister. Is this the beginning of the resurgence of partylessness within multiparty democracy? Blame Others CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has described opponents of the "revolutionary" land reform program announced by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as reactionaries and agents of landlords. Nepal's revolutionary eyes failed to see how the lives of comrades, including himself, have resembled those of the nouveau riche. Nepal is content with remaining the leading advocate of the poor as long he gets to accumulate all the riches he can get his hands on. In Nepal’s rich vocabulary, those who oppose him are anti-poor and agents of feudals. Deuba’s Dilemma Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is trapped by his own actions. When CPN-UML-led opposition obstructed the entire winter session of parliament, Deuba and his supporters threw their weight behind opposition leaders. A similar situation has arisen in parliament against Deuba but the prime minister is in no position to request Speaker Taranath Ranabhat to restore order in the house. Ranabhat has declared that he would not conduct house proceedings as long as misunderstanding exists between the ruling and opposition parties. Although Rastriya Prjatantra Party and Nepal Sadbhavana Party have only 16 members in the lower house, they have been able to disrupt proceedings for 10 days. While he might be puzzled by the way the tail is wagging the dog, Deuba may be able to do little else than see how long the two smaller opposition parties can flex their muscles.
Playing Truant Although Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Surya Bahadur Thapa is a former pancha — a member of that tribe who, by conventional definition, had little tolerance for the views of others — he regularly attends the House of Representatives. On the other hand, Congress leaders Girija Prasad Koirala and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai seem to have lost patience with parliamentary politics, given their poor attendance. Will Thapa help the Congress septuagenarians regain their enthusiasm for legislative proceedings? Or have age and dashed ambition already taken too big a toll?
Small And Strong Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) leaders are busy these days wooing other members of parliament. They have organized a couple of press conferences since they began stalling house proceedings. Whether NSP leaders will able to lure enough members from other parties to their side to block the prime minister’s land reform proposals remains unclear. Given the way the NSP has been able to stall parliament, however, you have to admire the strength of the small parties. NSP leader Gajendra Narayan Singh has not found allies to disrupt proceedings in the upper house. But don’t count him out, because he may just be about to spring a surprise. |
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