NATIONAL 1 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Suicidal For Congress

Former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala's proposal for a broader democratic alliance will erode the influence of the Nepali Congress

By KESHAB POUDEL

With his proposal for a broader democratic alliance, or national consensus, former prime minister and ruling Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala has rattled the five-month-old government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Koirala's proposal may also significantly change the political status of the Nepali Congress, transforming the majority party into a mere faction of the putative alliance. Despite this clear political risk and growing opposition from his own party, Koirala continues to press ahead with the proposal.

Koirala : Kick-starting controversy

Like his critics say, Koirala may have other strategies in mind in proposing a broader democratic alliance. What is intriguing about the entire affair is his willingness to risk the strength and influence of the Nepali Congress by becoming part of such a coalition. Once the alliance is set up, the Nepali Congress would have to forget it is the country's largest party and would have to share equal rights with other alliance components.

"When the country is facing such a grave situation because of the ongoing Maoist terrorism, I want to bring all political parties together in an alliance to strengthen constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy," said Koirala addressing a mass meeting marking National Reconciliation Day. His brother, B.P. Koirala, returned to Nepal 25 years ago ending an eight-year exile in India with a call for cooperation between nationalist and democratic forces. "This alliance will be based on political, economic and social reform and will have a program to control corruption and enhance development activities," the Nepali Congress president said.

Even if the motives of the proposal are as genuine as Koirala claims, such an alliance would hardly be able to achieve its professed goals. For one thing, it would comprise ideologically diverse political parties represented in parliament that have failed to build consensus in the 12 years since the restoration of democracy. Among the seven political parties represented in parliament, four, including the main opposition CPN-UML, adhere to Marxist-Leninist ideology. Furthermore, such an alliance would go against the basic principles of liberal democracy.

Can such an unnatural alliance be expected to advance the cause of democracy? One of the important political stands of B.P. Koirala was his refusal to make compromises with communist forces to weaken traditional forces. After the death of B.P, the Nepali Congress formed an alliance with several communist groups to launch a nation-wide "people's movement" to overthrow the partyless Panchayat system. Although the alliance succeeded in restoring multiparty democracy, its underlying contradiction paved the way for the radicalism, lawlessness and political instability that has marked the last 12 years.

Despite G.P. Koirala's effort to link his national consensus call with B.P. Koirala's policy of national reconciliation, the new proposal lacks the ideological or philosophical substance of the earlier one.

The immediately visible scenario created by Koirala's proposal is that it would reduce the Nepali Congress, which holds an absolute majority in House of Representatives with 113 members, into a faction of the alliance. The CPN-UML has 67 MPs, the RPP has 11, the Nepal Sadbhavana Party has six, the National People's Front has six, and the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and the United People's Front has one member each in the 205-member House of Representatives. Among 137 registered parties, the CPN-ML has a representative in the upper house.

If all opposition parties endorse the proposal and the alliance comes into being, Koirala's party will lose it decisive political role like it did in 1990, when the Nepali Congress was forced to go along with the communists. "When Koirala cannot unite his own party, how can he be so much optimistic about his new mission?" asked a political analyst. "Is the Nepali Congress president ready to become just one of so many leaders of the front he is proposing?"

Politically, the Nepali Congress will have to make many sacrifices. Nevertheless, Koirala is harping the mantra of a broader democratic alliance as if there is no other challenge in front of the ruling party. "A political personality with such influence like Koirala can play a more effective and constructive role in strengthening democracy and preserving the national interest. Girijababu has still time to prove himself," the analyst said.

For the opposition parties, Koirala's proposal has come as a good opportunity to curb the influence of the Nepali Congress. "We can develop national consensus on certain specific issues," said RPP leader Surya Bahadur Thapa. But Koirala's call has created confusion among all opposition parties, which have their own national-consensus proposals.

If the proposal is incomplete and ill defined, why is Koirala pressing it? "Girijababu is being misled by his advisers toward creating new instability, as they know his weaknesses and strengths," said a political analyst who has worked closely with the Nepali Congress chief. "In the name of his brother's national reconciliation policy, Koirala has been persuaded to raise the issue. Otherwise, how can the leader of the country's largest party float a proposal that would undermine the role of his own organization?"