Employing Engineers

Political leaders seem to be competing with one another to appoint engineers as private secretaries. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba started the trend by appointing Ratan Aiyer, an engineer with Nepal  lectricity Authority, as his personal secretary. Former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who considers Deuba a major rival, seems to have been influenced by his one-time lieutenant's choice. The Nepali Congress president went a step further by naming former chief engineer Rambabu Khanal as his personal secretary. How Koirala's latest appointment might affect developments in the highly volatile party remains to be seen. For now, at least, Koirala has a more dominant secretary than Deuba.

Unpredictable PM

Nobody is willing to bet on how long Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba can keep his pledge. In a recent instance, the prime minister showed he couldn't stick to his words even for a few days. Deuba had announced a week ago that he would not attend any public function as long as the state of emergency was in force. Before that message trickled down to the people, he was seen inaugurating a program organized by All Nepal Women's Association. Or did Deuba make an exception because women organized the program?

Statute Squabble

Mainali (right): Shifting stands

The country seems to have nothing more important to debate than amending the constitution. Be it in parliament or in public forums, scholars and politicians are busy supporting or opposing the amendment call. At a recent gathering, former chief justice Biswonath Upadhyaya, who headed the panel that drafted the constitution, and CPN-UML leader Radha Krishna Mainali began trading charges. As soon as the floor opened for debate, the dispute between Upadhyaya and Mainali degenerated to a level short of physical fighting. The verbal fighting stopped following the intervention of former state minister of home Niranjan Thapa. Upadhyaya and Mainali were on the same side when the constitution was drafted 12 years ago, while Thapa belonged to the camp that had just been forced out of power. Now Mainali and Upadhyaya are in rival camps, with Thapa having to act as the referee.  

Nepal's Warning

CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal has declared that the country would have to face a serious disaster in case parliament blocked the proposal to amend the constitution. The leader of the opposition did not explain what kind of disaster he was contemplating. With the country already passing though what is perhaps the most difficult time in its history, however, what could Nepal's threat imply?

Nationalist Slogan

Nepalese communists are known for their mastery of the art of doublespeak. Communist leaders believe anti-Indian slogans are the best way to flaunt their nationalist credentials. When the Soviet Union was in existence, Nepalese communists harped anti-American slogans to prove themselves as hardcore nationalists. Their anti-Americanism seems to have survived the USSR. At a time when communist leaders failed to appreciate the sacrifices of Nepalese security personnel, the American ambassador visited sites of the Maoist attacks and hailed the courage of the army and police. But, Urbadutta Panta, a CPN-UML member in the upper house, criticized the government for allowing the US ambassador to visit Achham and Salyan. Panta proved himself a typical communist nationalist. But does he know whose interest he is serving by criticizing the visit?