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OFF THE RECORD |
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OFF THE RECORD |
Chand's Fun One of the important personal characters of
Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand is his penchant for taking personal matters in an
easy manner. Regardless of how tense a situation may be, Chand can laugh it off. At a time
when is leading a cabinet comprising people of various strata of life, this quality has
come in handy for Chand. Although his cabinet colleagues are impatient with his inaction,
Chand seems to have mastered the art of avoiding confrontation.
RPP Rattle At a time when the newly elected central
committee of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party was convened with a call for unity, the
absence of the central committee member who won the most votes in Pokhara, former
spokesman Kamal Thapa, has sent shockwaves in the rank and file. Although party stalwarts
are trying to play down the significance of Thapa's absence, it is a bewildering sign. The
party of former panchas does not lag behind when it comes to harping the cause of unity,
but it is yet to bring all its factions together. The RPP is yet to come up with a
compromise formula weeks after the Pokhara convention. Rabindra Nath Sharma and Dr.
Prakash Chandra Lohani, who Pashupati Sumshere Rana defeated for the post of RPP
president, are yet to attend the central committee.
Factional Fights Factionalism is an acute disease of the
Nepali Congress, as well. United or split, the house of Congress is always full of
controversy and contradictions. Six months ago, then-prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and
his allies were expelled from the party as part of the crackdown on dissenters. But former
prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala continues to lead a truncated party. Unity calls
continue to be made, but factions use it only to advance the own political agenda. A large
number of Congress workers, still inspired by the party's legacy, remain clueless about
the decision-making process. When the power and interests of factions determine policy,
what else could they expect?
Personality Cults Like communist parties around the world,
Nepalese comrades have a history of breaking and uniting on personal grounds. Despite
strong ideological factors, Nepalese communists have always chosen to stand on a
personality cult. As the general convention of the CPN-UML approaches, differences are
appearing on the basis of individualism. General secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and powerful
leader K.P. Sharma Oli have kicked up their election campaign harping an agenda devoid of
political meaning or ideological strength. Whatever situation emerges, the party faithful
will follow the winner. The problems will fall squarely on the losing side. Role Reversal Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies
Mahesh Lal Pradhan has charted his own course in the cabinet. A former president of the
Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pradhan has announced that he
would resume production in industries closed down in recent years. Since his ministry does
not have enough money, Pradhan, a champion of the private sector, has requested funds from
the Ministry of Finance. Interestingly, Finance Minister Dr. Badri Prasad Shrestha, known
as an old anti-privatization hand, is said to have declined to help. Many senior
bureaucrats were surprised to see the ideological role reversal in the cabinet. |
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