Challenges Ahead

His Majesty the King has appointed Girija Prasad Koirala as the new Prime Minister as per the Article 36(1) of Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990, Prime Minister Koirala has become an historical personality in the sense that this is his fourth stint as Premier, twice as the leader of the majority Nepal Congress Government and twice as the Prime Minister of coalition governments during a decade after the restoration of the multi-party system. This time being the tenth Prime Minister is all the more important as he has become premier after being elected as the leader of the Parliamentary party in the first ever elections held in NC for the post.

Now Koirala at the helm of power once again and with the formation of 25-member Council of Ministers mainly comprising of tried and experienced ones who had proved their ability time and again in the past whenever they were given opportunity and the induction of some young, energetic and committed lawmakers in the government it is but natural for general populace to be optimistic that there would definitely be some concrete measure to tackle myriad problems the country has been facing., In fact, Koirala has been repeatedly stressing on his commitment to maintain deteriorating law and order situation, curbing corruption and ensuring good governance with administrative reforms. Nobody should doubt on its implementation aspect as it has come from a man of word and deed who has a record of fulfilling his commitment whatever hindrances may have been created or come. It should be noted with gratification when he said ‘I have taken the mantle of PM to fight the challenges, including poverty, violence and unemployment and have the responsibility of fulfilling people’s aspirations. This speaks volumes of his determination to lead the country towards peace and prosperity and overall development of the country. Koirala’s appeal but with a condition to Maoists who have been killing innocent people in the name of so-called’ People’s war’ since last four years that ‘the door for peace talks is always open but they have to give up the arms before sitting for dialogue’ reasserts his topmost priority to maintain law and order and there can be no compromise on peace and security of people.

It is true that after the restoration of multiparty democracy the expectations and aspirations of people have gone very high but due to the limited resources available in the country and the unstable political situation prevailed as a result of coalition governments and also due to behaviour of some of the lawmakers who were more concerned for their perks and privileges they could not be fulfilled and people seem to have been indifferent towards successive governments. Worth remembering here is the oft mentioned fact that there are still some people in the country who are always active to fulfill their vested interest by creating instability and disturbance.

Against these background it definitely looks certain that the days ahead for Premier Koirala is indeed full of formidable challenges. But with himself at the helm of power and with equally committed Council of Ministers to run the state affairs the general populace is more than certain that the challenges will be successfully and effectively met in his tenure. But what should not be forgotten is the fact that Koirala and his new team need unconditional support not only from his NC colleagues but also from all the political parties so that the country can be led towards political stability, economic prosperity and overall development which has so far eluded us. At this juncture keeping in mind the time and situation he has taken over the mantle of power, Koirala and his team deserve genuine congratulations and wish for successful implementation of its plans and programmes.