NATIONAL 3 -(Spotlight Weekly)

A New Role

The former prime minister remains a central figure in Nepalese politics

By KESHAB POUDEL

Like in the past, former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala returned to his refuge at the house of nephew Dr. Shashanka Koirala, the younger son of late B.P. Koirala. The septuagenarian Koirala seemed to be heaving a sigh of relief after exiting the tense confines of the prime ministerial residence in Baluwatar on Sunday morning.

From endless agitation and outright confrontation with the opposition parties to the chaos after the June 1 royal massacre, Koirala weathered storms of all intensities before tendering his resignation to King Gyanendra last Thursday. Had his party and the opposition supported him, Koirala might have been able to produce better results during his 15-month tenure.

Koirala : Tough politician

In his first term as prime minister in 1991, Koirala was largely inexperienced in governance. Heading an elected government was very different from organizing a party at the forefront of the struggle to restore multiparty democracy.

In a way, Koirala was allowed to make mistakes without serious opposition from his own party and outside. However, this time, when he tried to put the experience accumulated during three stints in Singha Durbar, Koirala could not get too many moments of relief.

Using everything between constitutional and extra-constitutional methods, the opposition and rivals within his own party made life difficult almost every step of the way. The escalation of the violent Maoist insurgency added to the problems of a prime minister confronted with meager resources and an array of lobbies and constituencies to please.

Koirala survived for 15 month in the midst of endless confrontation and controversy. He passed through difficult times especially after the royal massacre.

Although Koirala tried to cast himself in an entirely different image in parliament and within the party during his fourth tenure, many people simply refused to believe that conciliation and Koirala could ever go together. In the end, the country witnessed a replay of the perennial drama to oust the prime minister. In parliament, forces from the left to the right were united against Koirala. From their jungle hideouts, the Maoist rebels singled out the "Koirala camp" for their ire.

Having failed to see the "grand design" before it was too late, Koirala bungled his fourth inning. One of Koirala’s weaknesses this time was that he turned a virtual blind eye to the forces of destabilization. In the end, he was reduced to another power-hungry politician in the public eye.

Although Koirala did not leave any legacy worth remembering during his fourth stint as prime minister, he definitely changed his behavior with colleagues and rivals. It’s just that his personality transformation failed to impress enough people to have political meaning.

Despite the rigid approach maintained by the main opposition CPN-UML and other rightist parties towards him, Koirala visited many of his rivals at their homes. And these were the same people who called a three-day Nepal Bandh and blocked the proceedings of parliament for 64 days.

Koirala succeeded in showing greater magnanimity toward his opponents. He tried to act in accordance with the spirit of national reconciliation and may even have wanted to project himself in the statesmanlike mould of brother B.P. However, he was checkmated from the early days in power. Whatever position he holds — and he is still president of the ruling party — Koirala will remain a strong force in Nepalese politics.

"I have had a very positive experience while working with Girijababu, as is cooperative as well as compromising, and full of wit," said a senior official of a constitutional body. But Koirala rarely gets such warm words from colleagues in the party and other politicians.

Koirala survived for more than three years in his first tenure as prime minister when he was inexperienced and was influenced by shady characters. This time round, when he tried to be more accommodative and friendly, he was dismissed as just another power-hungry leader. Whether one like it or not, Koirala remains a central figure in Nepalese politics.