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CABINET EXPANSION |
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CABINET EXPANSION |
'Practical' Politics With the exclusion of the
major political parties from the cabinet, King Gyanendra seems to have opted for a
'practical' course By KESHAB POUDEL King Gyanendra inducted eight ministers and
five assistant ministers into the government at the recommendation of Prime Minister
Lokendra Bahadur Chand. The King chose the new ministers from the smaller political
parties, members of the business community and professionals, ignoring the big players of
the last 12 years. Monday's expansion has raised the number of
ministers to 22. From longest-serving MP and former journalist Ramesh Nath Pandey to
anti-corruption crusader and Green Nepal Party leader Kuber Sharma and from water
resources expert Dipak Gyawali to industrialist Mahesh Lal Pradhan, the cabinet boasts of
people from all strata.
President of the newly formed Nepal
Samta Party and retired colonel Narayan Singh Pun has been included as a minister and
Jagat Bahadur Gurung, member of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Nationalist), as an assistant
minister. President of Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rabi Bhakta Shrestha
has also secured the position of assistant minister. Another renowned surgeon and former
Congress member Dr. Asharfi Shaha has been appointed as an assistant minister. Two former members of the CPN-UML Devi
Prasad Ojha and Kamal Prasad Chaulagain and Badri Narayan Basnet, die-hard supporter
turned archenemy of Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala, have also been
brought in. The inclusion of two people from Morang district - Deputy Prime Minister Badri
Narayan Mandal and Basnet - is particularly significant. Chaulagain, who recently resigned as
central committee member of the UML, won the election to the House of Representatives in
1991 as a candidate of the United People's Front. Gore Bahadur Khapangi, a leader from the
indigenous community, was already in the cabinet. From leaders of small parties to former
ministers and some former influential political leaders to technocrats like Gyawali and
neurosurgeon Dr. Uprendra Devkota, Dr. Shaha and social worker Anuradha Koirala, the
cabinet mirrors the diversity of Nepalese society. However, it lacks the political content of
the governments of the post-1990 years. With Nepal passing through a very critical phase
in its history, the country needs mass mobilization of people for a common national
endeavor. Who will mobilize the people when the major political parties, the Nepali
Congress, UML and Rastriya Prajatantra Party, have been sidelined? In every political
system, there are certain mechanisms to mobilize the party. In multiparty democracy, this
task is done through political parties. Parties' Doublespeak The major political parties are to blame
for the present scenario. They could not come up with a coherent stand on the formation
and expansion of the government. From their comments on the exercise of Article 127 of the
constitution to dismiss the Sher Bahadur Deuba government and to appoint the new
government, the political parties acted in a very childish manner. Even after the
appointment of the Chand government, the leaders changed their stand so frequently that
they have contributed to complicating the situation. The UML and Nepali Congress expressed
publicly that they would not join the Chand government unless the palace "corrected
its mistakes" in forming the Chand cabinet. When the King expanded the cabinet, the
leaders of both parties criticized the move as a way to break the harmonious relations
with parties. UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal
has issued three statements following his return from Sri Lanka last week. Upon arrival at
Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal indicated the possibility of his party joining the
government if the palace issued a statement saying that the cabinet had full executive
power. Nepal's stand changed the next day when he
declared that his party would not join the government even if King gave all executive
power to the Chand government. Nepali Congress leaders, for their part, stuck to their
demand for the reinstatement of the House of Representatives to solve the political
crisis. Interestingly, the political parties that
declined to join the government have again criticized the move as unconstitutional and
unacceptable. "This is a very unfortunate move of the king," said UML leader
K.P. Sharma Oli. Nepali Congress spokesman Arjun Narsingh KC believes the move will widen
the gap between the King and political parties. Despite overtures from the palace, signaled
by the talks the King held with Koirala and Oli last week, the quick shift of stand by
major parties paved the way for the expansion of the cabinet. In the absence of
participation by the major political parties, even if the government brings peace, the
country may have to bear a heavy price. After the completion of new cabinet, Nepal has
entered a new experiment of 'practical constitution' and 'practical political course'. Cabinet Expansion His Majesty King Gyanendra expanded the
Chand cabinet on 18 November 2002. The division of portfolio is as follows: Lokendra Bahadur Chand: Prime minister and
Minister for Royal Affairs and Defense Badri Prasad Mandal: Deputy prime minister
and Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives and Local Development. Ramesh Nath Pandey: Minister for
Information and Communication and General Administration Devi Prasad Ojha: Minister for Education
and Sports Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha: Minister for
Finance Narendra Bikram Shah: Minister for Foreign
Affairs Dharma Bahadur Thapa: Minister for Home and
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Gore Bahadur Khapangi: Minister for Women,
Children and Social Welfare Dr. Upendra Devkota: Minister for Health
and Science and Technology Narayan Singh Pun: Minister for Works and
Physical Planning Badri Narayan Basnet: Minister for Land
Reform and Management and Forest and Soil Conservation Kamal Chaulagain: Minister for Labor and
Transport Management and Population and Environment Kuber Sharma: Minister for Tourism, Culture
and Civil Aviation Mahesh Lal Pradhan: Minister for Industry,
Commerce and Supplies Deepak Gyawali: Minister for Water
Resources Mrs Anuradha Koirala: Assistant Minister
for Women, Children and Social Welfare Gopal Dahit: Assistant Minister for
Population and Environment Rabi Bhakta Shrestha: Assistant Minister
for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation Jagat Bahadur Gurung: Assistant Minister
for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Rabindra Khanal: Assistant Minister for
Education and Sports Dr. Asharfi Shah: Assistant Minister for
Local Development Prakash Chitracar Pariyar: Assistant
Minister for Land Reforms and Management |
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