National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Polls Apart

The King wants to hand over power to elected representatives, the leaders want activation of constitution. Why can’t the elections bridge their differences?

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

The current political crisis in the country is complicated yet simple. The King has been advocating for polls to hand over power to elected representatives, whereas the political parties have been demanding that constitutional process be activated first. If reasons prevail, there appear very few differences among the constitutional forces. The difference is about the modus operandi for holding elections. Surprisingly, if it is a minor issue, what is stopping them to find a common ground?

With the advent of New Year 2061 Bikram Sambat, Nepalese people are looking forward to days sans violence and political differences. Having suffered through perennial bouts of political instability, they crave to live in peace and democracy in the days ahead.

In a fast-paced political development, elections remain the most generally acceptable way out of the current constitutional imbroglio, which has dangerously set apart the mainstream forces of the country.

If the new year messages given by the King and the political parties are any indication, reconciliation could be round the corner. After visiting many remote parts of the country and looking at the capability of Nepalese security forces, King Gyanendra seems to have drawn conclusion that the elections can be held.

If people can come to visit King at district headquarters, there is no reason to argue that they will not go up to the polling stations. The agitation of political parties also shows that they can still mobilize the people to hold the elections. Is it not a right time to settle differences over technicalities including the formation of all party government?

In his message to the countrymen, King Gyanendra has stressed for the ‘creation of an environment wherein governance of the country can be handed over to elected representatives by initiating elections to the House of Representatives within the current year 2061 B.S.’

The King has said that all those reposing faith in multi-party democracy must be able to participate in these polls without let or hindrance. “It is clear that peace and security are the Nepali people’s prime desire as well as the nation’s necessity, and since realizing the people’s aspiration is of paramount importance in a democracy, meeting this desire and activating, at the earliest, a representative form of governance must now top our agenda,” the King said.

In clear terms the monarch has expressed his willingness to hand over the power to elected representatives and has stressed to build necessary environment in which such elections could be held properly.

Among many other reservations expressed by the political parties regarding the polls, the major one is their apprehension that without a government of wide representation, there will be possibilities for rigging. As such, addressing this concern of theirs could pave the way for ending the disputes among constitutional forces.

Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala, who is leading the agitation, has underlined the need for ‘forgetting petty differences and moving ahead jointly’ in order to promote the democratic values and norms and protect the nation from perilous situation.

Many political observers believe that the current agitation of the five parties should also take up the issue of guaranteeing free and fair polls.

The decision by then government to dissolve the House of Representatives two years ago and the subsequent events leading up to October 4, 2002 step by King Gyanendra have unleashed a chain reaction, which has put the country in a difficult situation. The country which is having to fight fierce insurgency has come under a new wave of political instability frustrating not only the people of Nepal but all its friends overseas.

The ground reality clearly stipulates that the constitutional forces have no other option than coming together. Delaying this process will only bleed the nation further. A free and fair elections held with the wide participation of political parties will be a tremendous achievement at this juncture and will strengthen the nation’s hand to deal with the insurgency.