National 2 (Spotlight Weekly)

Poll Is The Goal

Elections remain the only generally acceptable way out of the knotty political impasse the nation has been subjected to for the last one and a half years

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

After a brief slowdown following the Maoist attack in Bhojpur headquarters, Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa has re-launched his poll rhetorics.

“I urge all my party colleagues to be united and be prepared for the polls,” PM Thapa said at a tea-reception he hosted last week to patch up the differences within his Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP).

PM Thapa has been making it quite clear over the last couple of months that only the polls can untangle the difficult knot of Nepalese politics.

Political Leaders : Pricked by polls

When he invited all the central committee members of the RPP at his official residence on Tuesday (March 9) in an effort to patch up the differences between his government and the party, he urged all to come together on a common front as a preparation for the polls.

The government has also said that it has already initiated homework to prepare for the general elections later this year. Moreover, King Gyanendra, in his Nepalgunj address, too, had stated about the polls.

Home Minister Kamal Thapa added momentum to the poll rhetoric saying that the government was already preparing on administrative, constitutional and security front to hold elections. “The unified command has been able to defeat the Maoists providing a basis to hold elections,” he said.

As such the poll rhetoric seems to be gathering steam. Even the international community has hinted that they would be happy to see the elected government take over as soon as possible.

The only major forces still resisting the elections, ironically, are the political parties apart from the Maoists themselves. The political parties have been maintaining that the elections cannot be held amid the prevailing situation of insecurity.

The meeting of all the former elected representatives of the House of Representatives and members of National Assembly held on Thursday (March 11) in Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu came down heavily against the government as well as the King and vowed to spearhead its agitation against the regression. The meeting, chaired by the eldest member Girija Prasad Koirala, president of Nepali Congress (NC), also criticized the government for making pledges to hold elections.

The party leaders have said that the words of holding elections are nothing but a gimmick. “By talking of elections, the Thapa government is only trying to lengthen its stay in power,” said Koirala.

Likewise, Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML), also trashed the government’s commitment to hold elections.

But political pundits argue that given the circumstances, polls still remain the only viable option that can restore the derailed democratic process. “If the earlier parliament cannot be restored, then there is no alternative to holding elections as soon as possible and bringing elected representatives at the helms of state affairs. The constitution does not envisage the prolonged governance of state in absence of parliament,” said an analyst.

While nobody disagrees about the relevancy of general elections, the problem is the state of law and order. “How can the government hold elections when the administration is not active outside the district headquarters?” asked a central leader of the Nepali Congress (NC).

But there are others who differ. “The political parties must nor shirk from taking part in the elections. Elections have been held in many regions torn by conflict and there is no reason that it cannot be held here,” added the analyst. He further added that the political parties might be supportive of elections but they might be averse to taking part in a one held by Thapa government. “If an all party government can be formed, general elections can certainly be successfully held.”

The year 2004 is expected to witness general elections in as many as 72 countries around the world including the United States, India, Malaysia and so on. Whether Nepal, too, will be added in this list, remains to be seen.