NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Games They Play

The state of emergency gives the opposition time to set the stage. But nobody knows when G. P. Koirala will act

By BHAGIRATH YOGI

There were no signs of nationwide emergency, except intensified security at the southern entrance of Singha Durbar, on Sunday (Feb. 10) as the parliament met for the first time after the proclamation of the state of emergency in late November, last year. Members of Parliament could be seen greeting each others and shaking hands warmly forgetting their political differences. But when the time came to make statements on the first day of the meeting, as part of the formality, opposition leaders were all set to criticize the government to the hilt.

Koirala : Will he, won't he?

The combined opposition came down heavily upon the government alleging it of failing to provide security to the people even after the imposition of emergency. Leader of the main opposition UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal, alleged the government of failing to justify the rationale of imposing emergency. "While the Maoists are having the field day, it is the political parties that have to face the brunt," he said. He even demanded the premier's resignation for failing to resolve the Maoist insurgency through peaceful process as professed by Mr. Deuba while ascending to power. "How can you run the government with such a `lato taal' (the style of a dumb)?" he asked. (The following day, Mr. Nepal even went on to say that his party could show people how a government should be run.)

Former Prime Minister and Rstriya Prajatantra Party chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa warned that the country was on the verge of collapse and asked the Prime Minister to make way for more capable leader from his own party. "If you don't have strong feet, make room for someone who is stronger one."

The heavy criticism by the opposition forced Deuba change his mind from reading a prepared text. He, instead, ventured to speak extempore to counter the opposition's allegations. The Prime Minister claimed that there had been visible improvement in the security situation in the country since the imposition of emergency. "Where in the world has it (the insurgency) been controlled in just three months?" he asked. He, however, sought opposition's cooperation in dealing with national problems. He even offered them to join a ënational government' even while the emergency was on, if they so wished. Aware that the opposition had stalled House proceedings for nearly two months last year demanding then premier GP Koirala's resignation, Deuba said, "First let's have some compromise within the closed room. Then I am always ready to executive such consensus." He even complained for not getting compliments from the opposition for holding a successful SAARC Summit, hosting the brief visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell and NDF meeting.

It may not have been strange for Deuba to face harsh words from the opposition at a time when his own party colleagues were demanding his resignation. "If you want not to be the last prime minister under a democratic dispensation, you must resign," said Surendra Chaudhary, a Nepali Congress MP, at the NC's parliamentary party meeting. Central working committee members, said to be loyal to former premier GP Koirala, have also demanded the premier's resignation on moral ground (for his failure to resolve the insurgency through dialogue, among others."

A clever disciple of the Koirala senior, premier Deuba knows it all well that numbers' game is very much important for him to remain in office. He has refused to reduce the size of his 41-member cabinet saying, "It is essential to provide stability to the government." His close aides have even alleged Koirala of plotting a game to unseat him by proposing a ëbroad democratic alliance.' Interestingly, those very parties-- that asked their cadres to stop Koirala from getting into Singha Durbar while he was Prime Minister-- have agreed to join such an alliance proposed by Koirala.

Though Koirala has reiterated that such an alliance is necessary to fight Maoist insurgency and strengthen democracy, he has ventured little to expose ëforces of destabilization' that, according to him, are active in the country's politics. The failure of major political parties to decide on whether to extend the state of emergency (through voting in parliament) till the last minute shows that they are busy in calculating their own benefits, rather than looking in the broader interest of the country, say critics. As a matter of fact, the veteran of Nepali politics, G. P. Koirala can rock the boat of Mr. Deuba as and when he wishes to do so, say party insiders. At a time when the opposition, too, have set the stage—the million dollar question is whether the ruling party President will be able to provide much needed stability to the country.