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Intellectual Distraction
National Assembly Chairman Mohammed
Mohsin is one of the well-known intellectuals of the opposition Rastriya Prajatantra Party
(RPP). Following his election as the chief of the upper chamber of parliament, Dr Mohsin
has found himself thrust to the center of national politics. Although Dr Mohsin has cast
himself as a "rational" thinker over the decades, his actions sometimes indicate
otherwise. When he started to talk on the issue of Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden with a
foreign ambassador recently, those around Dr Mohsin were forced to take a second look at
one of Nepal's most prominent Muslims. During the conversation, Dr Mohsin expressed
greater concern about religion when the focus of discussion was on ways of countering
terrorism. A well-read man like Dr Mohsin should be the last person to mix up the two
issues. Equal Opportunity
What happens when a short man finds
himself discussing a burning national issue in the middle of two prominent six footers?
When former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala and CPN-ML general secretary Bamdev
Gautam found the diminutive Rajeshwor Devkota in their midst, the two lanky men felt a
little uncomfortable. But Devkota, whose sharp insights fire up political discussions, was
not about to let the tall guys dwarf him. Koirala and Gautam pulled three chairs to
include Devkota in their discussions. They could have sat while allowing Devkota to
express himself standing. One doesn't know how Devkota would have felt, but that would
certainly have leveled the debating field. Boycott's Downside If you want some advice on making wads of
money without working, go and ask members of parliament. During the last session, members
of the CPN-UML and other parties got their salaries and allowances by boycotting the
house. Now Nepal Sadbhvana Party (NSP) is doing the same thing. Party chief Gajendra
Narayan Singh has given standing orders to his MPs in the lower house to boycott
proceedings after chanting slogans against the Land Reform Amendment Bill in front of the
speaker. Singh, a member of the upper house, does the same thing before walking out of the
chamber. This tactic is certainly not trouble-free. Since they are the only ones
boycotting parliament these days, NSP MPs are finding it difficult to kill time. Positive Thinking Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is
extremely busy inaugurating public events in different parts of the valley. At this rate,
one of the milestones of Deuba's first 100 days in office is going to be the number of
programs he has inaugurated. From book launches to dance programs and from seminars on the
drainage system to talks on martyrs, Deuba seems to be enjoying the opportunity to make a
beginning. Deuba's followers are right, the prime minister doesn't know how to say no. But
think about it this way. When saying yes doesn't hurt things, why should the prime
minister even think in the negative? Words Of Power Nepalese communists seem to have a problem
trying to prove that they are different from other parties. While one communist faction is
waging war against the system from the jungle and other smaller factions are busy raising
radical slogans from the streets, what options are left for the CPN-UML? During the winter
session of parliament, the UML demonstrated its sturdiness by refusing to allow the house
to convene for a single day of business. However, such tactics cannot be a permanent way
of proving one's communist credentials. Until they come out with something more
imaginative, UML leaders Madhav Kumar Nepal and K.P. Sharma Oli seem to be depending on
the power of their words. |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
