NATIONAL11 [ (Spotlight Weelky)]

Power Games

In the absence of the prime minister's authority to discipline party Mps even a strongman like Girija Prasad Koirala cannot hope to inject stability in Nepalese politics

By KESHAB POUDEL

Barely hours after the announcement of a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on Wednesday, party dissidents led by former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba criticized the move, saying their voices were ignored.

If the immediate response of the rebel camp is any indication, it shows that even a 37-member cabinet will not be able to provide much-needed stability to the country. As various interpretations of the Supreme Court limit the authority of prime minister to dissolve the House of Representatives, no prime minister can feel safe even with so many of his MPs in the cabinet.

Even after appointing 18 ministers, 14 minister of states and 5 assistant ministers, Koirala cannot expect to build unity in the Nepali Congress. Until the prime minister gets back his stick to discipline the members of parliament, no majority government would be able to provide stability.

"Politicians are winning votes through magic phrases. However, as long as the restrictions laid out by the Supreme Court in 1995 are not reversed, a majority house will not look very different from a hung parliament," said political analyst.

SPOTLIGHT had predicted in its April 30- March 6 1999 issue that stability by a majority government would appear doubtful as long as the prime minister is stripped of his authority to dissolve the house.

Koirala was compelled to constitute such a big cabinet this time in view of two specific circumstances — the emergence of a powerful rebel camp endorsed by the party convention and almost the entire opposition gunning for his resignation. A person once known for firm and decisive action, Koirala has not been able to assert the authority of his office.

In the face of the changed political scenario, the prime minister has to compromise with seen and unseen forces. At a time when the prime minister is primarily focused on securing his chair, the country can only expect new rounds of political instability.

In his first tenure as prime minister, Koirala ran the country with a 22-member cabinet for three years with relative stability. Despite the large size of his cabinet this time, Koirala does not seem confident of smooth days ahead. Simply put, his political fate is still hanging in the balance.

The cabinet was reshuffled after an effort of nearly three months. If the rebel MPs had accepted his invitation to join the cabinet, Koirala would have announced his new line-up long ago. The prime minister was virtually forced to draw up his own list, after failing to get names from the dissident camp.

The rebel camp's collective refusal to join Koirala's cabinet is mysterious, as they had urged the prime minister to form a balanced government during party central committee meetings. "Prime Minister Koirala has not adhered to the unity plan we thought he would implement," former minister Chiranjibi Wagle told SPOTLIGHT after the reshuffle. "We will issue our formal reaction to the new cabinet tomorrow (February 8) as parliament convenes," added Wagle, a bitter Koirala critic who challenged the septuagenarian leader for the party presidency four years ago.

As the prime minister ability to impose his authority on his ministers and MPs has been seriously undermined, members of parliament belonging to the ruling party have shown remarkable bargaining skills. It is not entirely clear whether the government is being led by the prime minister or by a frequently changing alliance of ministers.

The situation now is so unpredictable that seasoned analysts believe anything can happen any time. Specifically, there is no guarantee that the recently inducted ministers would not switch loyalties if they were offered better promises by the rebel camp. "How long can Prime Minister Koirala survive by compromising on everything with every MP?" a political analyst asked. The new cabinet line-up is a mosaic of the party, including 'Mr Efficient' Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, the wily 'numbers man' Khum Bahadur Khadka, and the outspoken Govinda Raj Joshi who quit as Koirala's home minister just a few months ago after the daring Maoist attack on Dunai. A known loyalist of former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Omkar Prasad Shrestha, has also found a place.

Interestingly, by appointing Prakash Koirala — the eldest son of B.P. Koirala — as a minister, Koirala has indicated that he is not assiduously promoting his own daughter, Sujata, as his critics claim. Political analyst see Prakash Koirala’s appointment as a big jolt to Sujata, who has publicly blamed Prakash for having her nomination papers rejected during the recent Congress Central Working Committee elections in Pokhara. Koirala could not have accommodated every Nepali Congress MP in the cabinet and not all ministers have been given the portfolio of their choice. In view of the dissatisfaction these two facts are likely to breed, the latest cabinet reshuffle may do very little to end dissidence in the party.

The new council of ministers

1. Girija Prasad Koirala — Royal Palace Affairs and General Administration
2. Ram Chandra Poudel — Deputy Prime Minister and Home
3. Khum Bhaadur Khadka — Physical Planning and Works
4. Govinda Raj Joshi — Local Development
5. Chakra Prasad Banstola — Foreign Affairs
6. Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat — Finance
7. Mahanta Thakur — Law Justice and Parliamentary affairs
8. Siddha Raj Ojha — Population and Environment
9. Omkar Prasad Shrestha — Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation
10.Palten Gurung — Labor and Transport Management
11.J.P. Gupta — Agriculture and Cooperatives
12. Mahesh Acharya — Defense
13.Ram Krishna Tamrakar — Health
14.Amod Prasad Upadhyaya — Education and Sports
15.Surendra Prasad Chaudhari — Science and Technology
16.Bal Dev Sharma Majgaiya — Water Resources
17.Shiva Raj Joshi — Information and Communication
18.Prakash Koirala — Forest and Soil Conservation

Ministers of State

1.Mohamad Aftab Alam — Land Reform and Management
2.Krishna Prasad Sitaula — Industry, Commerce and Supplies
3.Kamala Panta — Women and Social Welfare
4.Narendra Bikram Nembang — Agriculture and Cooperatives
5.Dilendra Prasad Badu — Education and Sports
6.Gopal Rai — Finance
7.Surendra Hamal — Labor and Transport Management
8.Suresh Malla — Physical Planning and Works
9.Tirtha Ram Dangol — Health
10.Hari Prasad Sapkota — Home
11.Mahadev Gurung — Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation
12.Benup Raj Prasai — Water Resources
13.Pushkar Ojha — Information and Communication
14.Shiva Kumar Basnet — Forest and Soil Conservation

Assistant Ministers

1.Ram Hari Dhugel — Agriculture and Cooperatives
2. Keshar Man Rokaya — Local Development
3. Romi Gauchan — Foreign
4. Mahendra Kumar Raya — Industry, Commerce and Supplies
5.Janak Raj Giri — Land Reform and Management