NATIONAL 4 - (Spotlight Weekly)

‘The Arrogance Of Big Parties Has Created Problems’

— KUBER SHARMA

President of Green Nepal Party, KUBER SHARMA is the first chartered accountant of Nepal. After the restoration of democracy in 1990, he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Nepali Congress candidate. After the mid-term polls in 1994, he quit the Nepali Congress and floated his own party, to launch a crusade against corruption, among others things. The energetic leader spoke to SPOTLIGHT last week before leaving for Dang and Salyan as part of his efforts to build up a national base for his party. Excerpts:

How do you evaluate the recent general convention of the ruling Nepali Congress party?

It was a big 'mela' where the problems of the country were not discussed. It's a pity that Nepal's oldest and largest party has no solutions to the problems the country is facing today. The big gathering at the convention only showed its hollowness.

What about the money spent on the convention?

Well, there were two kind of costs. Direct costs included expenses on fooding and lodging for nearly 2,000 people over five days. The indirect cost included expenses involved in traveling to and from Pokhara from all over the country. Kathmandu's streets were empty because almost all government-owned vehicles were taken to Pokhara. This shows that a fabulous amount was spent in organizing the NC convention and there was rampant misuse of the government authority and resources.

Do you expect some change in the Koirala government's style of functioning?

What do you mean by change? If the leadership is the same, change has no meaning. Sycophants will come and go. As long as Koirala is the leader of the party and government, changes in the subordinate level have no meaning. You can expect changes in the physical faces or in compromises with the opposition. But the country needs change in the style of governance. The Nepali Congress government is known for bad governance. And I do not see any sign of change in that direction.

Why is Nepal still suffering from political instability although we have a majority government in place?

Every revolution brings political instability. To restore stability, it needs more sacrifice. In the period of struggle, there was no power, no authority and no material gains. But once the political forces reach power they have to resist their temptation, they have to continue their sacrifice. But that did not take place in case of Nepal. Rather, political leaders have added fuel to the fire. Corruption is rampant. Authority is slackened, indiscipline is prevalent everywhere. In countries where the post-revolution leadership is honest, capable and sincere, political stability has been sustained and economic development has taken place. Where leaders after the revolution have turned corrupt, the entire country has been doomed. I am very sad to say that our revolutionary leaders have failed in the task of nation building. They have proved to be corrupt and incompetent.

The government is going to set up an Armed Police Force through ordinance. Will it help resolve the Maoist problem?

There is a very old saying: violence generates violence. Wars have not solved problems and authoritarian governments could not suppress violent revolutions. Based on the historical facts, creating a paramilitary force in Nepal is not going to solve the Maoist problem.

What should be done to end the Maoist insurgency?

First, the democratic forces - those who believe in parliamentary democracy — must correct themselves. They must institute an anti-corruption drive. If necessary, they must penalize their own leaders and cadres. That will restore some public confidence in the leadership. Secondly, we must have economic programs that directly benefit the landless and the poor. Third, we have a caste system. The so-called lower caste people in our society have not benefited despite the liberalization of politics. We must have social upliftment programs for them. Backward castes and communities must be given opportunities in government employment, in education and in economic programs. That will give enough political support to the democratic parties to neutralize the Maoist violence.

How can the Maoist rebels be brought to the negotiating table?

The government has the responsibility to maintain law and order and create a congenial atmosphere in society. Therefore, the government should take initiatives to bring the Maoists to the negotiating table. The government should talk not only to big parties, but should also seek the support of the smaller parties. The powerful parties tend to forget that the trouble created in the country is an outcome of the activities of the small parties. To solve political problems, the cooperation of small parties must be sought. The arrogance of big parties has not been able to solve the problem; rather, it has created more problems.

It is said that there is a need of an alternative democratic party in the country. How do you see the role of your party?

Of course, there is a dire need of an alternative democratic party. Unfortunately, in Nepal's 50-year-old democratic history, there has not been a formidable democratic party to challenge the Nepali Congress. The communist parties have become the alternative to the Nepali Congress. Communist parties, I must admit, are a large and formidable force in the country. But communism as a system has not survived in the world. Neither has it been able to deliver. So, a communist party can’t be an alternative to the Nepali Congress. There is a need of an alternative democratic party. We are trying to build the Green Nepal Party as a party of honest and educated individuals committed to the welfare of the people and the nation.

Since the Nepali Congress government has failed to deliver, what alternatives do the people have?

When you sow a seed in the field, it germinates after some time. The seeds of change have already been thrown and the people expect that change will bring better results. The change that our society is going to face cannot be averted and that change is not going to be for the better because what you sow so you reap.

How long do you think your party will take to become a formidable force in Nepalese politics?

The world lives on hope and success lies in positive thinking. I am very positive because the country needs an alternative democratic party. The second thing, the Green Nepal Party is not just a party limited to Nepal. It is part of the Green Peace revolution of the world. If Green parties are coming to power in Europe, they will also come to power in Nepal. Our party has good contacts in more than sixty districts. In almost all the terai district we have already established a strong popular base. The frustrated people have selcomed our policies, specially anti-corruption drive. We have some resource crunch. Once we manage that we will be on our way to power.

What are the programs of your party?

First, we believe that corruption is the root cause of all evils. We will try our best to prosecute corrupt politicians. Second, we must have balanced development and we must have programs for the poor and backward classes. These programs should produce results in a short period of time.

Why is your party calling for a greater role for the constitutional monarch?

There are a lot of contradictions among the big political parties and personalities in the country about the role of the king. They say under a constitutional monarchy, the King has no role to play. The reality is quite different. The monarchy is the oldest, most stable and most popular institution in Nepal. All changes in the past have been with the concurrence of the royal palace. The monarchy has always been a signatory to agreements that have brought changes in Nepal. If you want to ignore the monarchy after the changes, that is not possible. The efforts by the Nepali Congress, UML and even royalists to isolate the king from national politics have brought chaos in the country. Now everybody says the king should have more power. We say the king has certain powers within this constitution and he should exercise them.

How do you assess Nepal's foreign policy in the region over the last 10 years?

Nepal’s foreign policy has been directionless for the last few years. If it has any direction, it has only one: like a river, it flows to the south. SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) has almost collapsed and Nepal could do nothing. Nepal is suffering from the pangs of Bhutanese refugees. In fact, they should have been refugees in India. Tamil rebels have made their base in Kathmandu. Afghan refugees, gold smugglers, drug smugglers, everybody has found shelter in Nepal. If the government doesn’t know about these activities, then what is the use of having a government in the first place?

Do you really believe there is no future for SAARC?

Looking at the relations between the member nations and looking at the SAARC Charter - which stipulates that a summit cannot take places even if one member objects - this organization has become non-functional.

As both India and Pakistan have become nuclear, does this spell insecurity to the smaller nations of South Asia, especially Nepal?

Oh, yes, it's obvious. If two elephants fight, the grass is crushed. Any nuclear war is going to destroy all the countries in the region, not only the smaller nations. In foreign policy and statecraft, there is a policy known as balance of power. Since there are two nuclear powers in South Asia, Pakistan and India. This factor must act as a deterrent for both, and the smaller nations as well.