Off The Record (Spotlight Weekly)

Thapa : Taking it easy

Political Pranksters

Senior leaders of major political parties often behave as if they have become little more than jokers. Remarks leaders like Girija Prasad Koirala, Surya Bahadur Thapa and Madhav Kumar Nepal made at the recent all-party meeting organized by the CPN-UML showed this abiding penchant for prank. The top three leaders, who came to the meeting accompanied by big delegations, declared they would issue a consensus statement on fresh constitutional steps required to resolve the current national crisis. They ended up postponing the meeting for a few days. Double-speak thrust them into their present plight. How can they expect to come out of it without changing their ways?

Proletarian Plea

Known as a man of steely resolve, CPN-UML leader Bam Dev Gautam is equally firm when it comes to presenting his views. Appearing before the high-level property probe commission, Gautam did not hesitate to speak his mind. Replying to queries concerning his property, the proletariat leader said he was worth no more than Rs.2.5 million. When many of his colleagues have

Deuba : Passing the buck

accumulated billions of rupees, what is wrong with wanting to keep such a small amount of property?

Blaming Others

Former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has built a career on an image of humbleness. When his first government survived in a dramatic order after he sent five of his ministers to Thailand on holiday, Deuba said his ministers had contracted some unidentified fever. A few months later, when two of his MPs were absent in the vote of confidence resulting in his ouster from power, Deuba blamed dari (Sushil Koirala) and sari (Shailaja Acharya) for his fate. This time Deuba, who was sacked for incompetence to hold the elections on schedule, revealed that he dissolved the House of Representatives under pressure from somebody else. Until a few weeks ago, Deuba blamed representatives of other parties for creating the political crisis. Like his gurus, Deuba has found it convenient to shift the

Nepal : Intrigved

blame.

Secret Powers

Secrecy is a central feature of the lives of politicians. If someone threatens to breach secrecy, the impact is clearly visible. CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal was upset when former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba declared that he would disclose the political intrigues associated with his ouster. At the UML-organized tea party, attended by almost all senior party leaders, Deuba's threat seemed to trouble Nepal until the very end. What did the former prime minister say to disturb the UML general secretary? Well, that's a secret.

Hapless Ranabhat

House of Representatives Speaker Taranath Ranabhat seems to have too many enemies close to home. In the first Nepali Congress government, prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala dismissed Ranabhat over a seemingly small disagreement. When Ranabhat was aspiring for a cabinet position after the 1999 election, he was forced to accept the post of speaker. Despite his long history of struggle in the party, Ranabhat lost the election for a place on the Nepali Congress central working committee. When he was one of the few remaining choices to replace Sher Bahadur Deuba as premier, no one in his party considered recommending his name.