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POLITICS |
Deepening Crisis All the political forces
must agree on a compromise formula to avert further rift. If they continue fighting for
their prestige, they will lose far more By KESHAB POUDEL CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal is on a
whirlwind nation-wide tour addressing mass meetings urging the King, in ominously
threatening language, "to correct his constitutional mistakes". The ministers of
the present government, who do not represent the major political parties, counter by
saying that the leaders of big parties have lost their mandate. Nepali Congress leader Girija Prasad
Koirala, who is one of the key people responsible for creating the current political
crisis, has been harping on the slogan of revival of the House of Representatives for
quite a long time. Although he has formed an alliance with UML general secretary Nepal,
the septuagenarian Congress leader's proposal has few buyers.
As the country has been passing
through a critical phase of political instability with an upsurge of Maoist violence,
there must be a common point where all the forces that believe in the present constitution
can unite. The UML is proposing the creation of a national government under Article 128 of
the constitution to hold free and fair elections, which the present government rejects.
The idea forwarded by Koirala may provide that common ground. As the UML has already organized mass
rallies in many parts of the country and is planning to hold many more to woo the public,
it seems that confrontation between the forces within the constitution is inevitable. If
this conflict spills onto the streets, it will thrust the country into a more chaotic
situation, and possibly break the constitutional process. Koirala, who is still keeping
his workers out of the streets, may not be able to hold them back for long. Constitutionalists, too, consider that a
prime minister appointed under Article 127 can recommend the revival of the House of
Representatives, as it was dissolved on the condition that the premier would hold general
elections for the new parliament. "If the prime minister cannot hold the elections on
schedule, the best option for him is to recommend the reinstatement of old house,"
says a political analyst. "It will settle all kinds of constitutional problems and
deadlock in the forum of parliament." Others see Koirala's idea as a political
joke. "It is impossible to revive the House of Representatives as the Supreme Court
has endorsed the decision. Koirala always harps on impossible agendas," said Devi
Prasad Ojha, Minister for Education and Sports. "One of the mandates of the
government is to hold elections and restore normalcy. So the solution will be to hold the
elections as soon as possible," he said. When the Maoists are stepping up their
violence demanding a roundtable conference with all the political forces, the UML is
pressing the palace to correct its constitutional mistakes. With ideas flying in different
directions, what options does the country have? With indefinite closure of the educational
institutions, the political crisis has reached boiling point. Basic consensus among the
political parties is required to pull the country out of the dark tunnel. As long as the country's major political
forces refuse to realize the power of their unity, the country will not have easy way out
of the present crisis. The alienation of the country's moderate political forces,
including the Nepali Congress, UML and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, will pave the way
for the rise of the radicals who have no faith in constitutional monarchy and multiparty
democracy. |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
