Indepth Analysis

Girija move to topple Deuba on!

Kathmandu: The move to topple Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is on. His rival former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has launched two broadsides. The first is the call for an all-party government. The second is the charge that Deuba has lost confidence of the Royal Palace.

G. P. Koirala's new call for a consensus government is pleasing to the Opposition parties who have been demanding a role. However, Koirala seems to have forgotten that merely weeks before he had been denying the need for non-congress participation in government on grounds of decisive majority in the parliament. After moves in the congress central committee failed to flip Koirala in power on plea of Deuba's utility having eroded because of the failure of the talks with the Maoists, the need for Deuba to step down for larger unity has been a consistent theme these days from among the Koirala camp.

The latest ruse to be used has been the spate of interviews in the media of the King. In the absence of sensationalism tempered by the emergency His Majesty the King's meetings with media persons have received widespread coverage. This has been focus of much politics lately.

Some how the Koirala camp does not appear comfortable with the media focus on the King. Curious interpretations on the constitutional monarch's statements now emanate from this camp.

One such interpretation is to do with the King's statement that it was not his wish to declare the state of emergency. This is being interpreted as grounds for distance between the King and the Prime Minister who recommended the emergency. It is conveniently forgotten in this argument that the King has said elsewhere that the circumstances that led to His constitutional endorsement of the recommendations by the Prime Minister for the emergency compelled Him to acquiesce to the emergency. Granted that the Girija machinery sees benefit from seeing a discord between the King and His Prime Minister in order to declare Deuba's utility eroded. But former Prime Minister Koirala must preach from the pulpit on the need for the monarch to remain silent as evidence of constitutionalism at work. It is this that must be noted. Girija appears blissfully unaware that he should leave the monarchy to itself in order to keep that institution above politics. This, despite the fact that interpreting the King's statement to suit Deuba's downfall may benefit him.

It is another matter that the King appears to have made concerted attempts in his various statements to stick to his constitutional role. Regardless, the political establishment appears to be making much of His statements on the current situation. Yet another example in this line of thinking is the King's frank statement that the Nepali army is "defensive" in nature. This is being taken by the Girija camp as an unwarranted exposure of strategy as if the Nepali army could afford to be "offensive". Amidst much hue and cry over the army returning to its barracks there is deliberate attempt to try and show a distance between the army and Deuba in the logic that Deuba must go because he has lost the confidence of the King and the army and his talks have failed with the Maoists. In the process, the message is lost that, in accordance to our constitution, Deuba can only go democratically when he loses the confidence of his party. Whether Girija babu can use the supposed distance between the King and Deuba for the purpose of ousting him is apparently for politics and not for the constitution to decide. It is enough that he has so decided that it is to his political benefit to cast aspersions at the King's constitutional statements.

How Deuba will shield his regime from attacks?

Kathmandu: Nepal's already conspiratorial politics appears to be heading towards taking yet another conspiratorial turn which if materializes would definitely be to the political disadvantage of the incumbent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The sudden bonhomie seen in the congress' Girija Koirala camp and the main opposition led by Madhav Nepal of late is not only intriguing but also possesses the potential to give a big jolt to the existing Nepali politics.

Madhav Nepal and Girija Prasad Koirala speak almost the same voice. Both express the same concern. Both claim to speak the "grievances" of the people more specially after the imposition of the state of emergency. The two stalwarts make statements, which indirectly hints that the incumbent regime led by Deuba is lost in the midst of the existing state of emergency. At times both hint that the nation very needed a sort of political consensus among the democratic minded political parties in order to safeguard the system which apparently, according to them, is facing danger to its very existence.

While President Koirala's outbursts against his arch political rival could be understood in the sense that the former begins talking any thing under the sun as and when he is out of power. Similarly, Koirala sees every thing to have gone from bad to worse when he is not in power.

But why Madhav Kumar Nepal is siding with President Koirala at this critical juncture is a thing that needs thorough analysis.

If the past performances of the UML were any indication, then what could be said of the party is that it was this party which clandestinely supported Deuba-Bhattarai combine at time when Koirala was in power. To recall, it was this UML which created havoc during the winter session of the parliament last year. It was this session, which could not work for even a single minute because the UML had one point agenda and that being the summary ouster of Prime Minister Koirala from the chair.

Now it is the same UML, which apparently has sided, with Koirala and for what gains in return no body knows.

However, UML as a communist party is comparatively a clever party indeed. Those who understand UML better say that the party initiates actions against any person or for that matter any political faction or so only when it calculates that the end result will definitely be in its "political interests".

However, what political benefit this time the UML will bag by aligning itself with the Koirala faction of the congress is yet unclear. It is also not yet clear as to what political benefits Koirala could have assured to the UML in case their joint actions topple the government of Sher Bahadur Deuba?

The question then again arises: what plans do they both possess for the ouster of Deuba and what procedures could be acquired for the ouster of Deuba at time of the continuing emergency?

And the final question that comes to our mind is that will not Sher Bahadur Deuba utilize the state of emergency in shielding his regime from the frontal attacks coming as it does from his own party and without?

Pondering over COAS Rana's TV interview

Kathmandu: In what could be described as a rare tête-à-tête with the national media, the nation's chief of the military staff has spoken his mind regarding the current situation more so specially after the imposition of a state of emergency in the country and the mobilization of the army to disarm and concurrently tame the Maoists insurgency.

Chief Saheb, COAS Monsieur Prazzwal Rana talking to the Nepal Television Monday evening made it known to all and sundry that "had we been not mobilized at this critical juncture, the nation and its security would have been badly jeopardized".

In the process of the interview, Prazzwal Rana made following observations which is as follows:

a) We would have come out of the barracks had we been provided the proper mandate as per the constitution; b) we have been attacking the Maoists terrorists only after they attacked us; c) at the moment we are in the offensive indeed; d) we will act as per the government's instructions; e) we been telling the government in the past that provide us orders constitutionally so that we could act; f) we are the military of the nation, we were as well the military of security; g) our objective is not politics but nation's security; h) we do not wish to indulge in politics or whatsoever, however, we keep ourselves abreast with the existing national politics but yet we do not possess slightest wish to interfere into the domain of politics; I) since we were not provided proper mandate by the government in the past and hence we did not come out of the barracks and now that the government has provided the required mandate as per the constitution and thus the mobilization of the military has been possible; j) we too wish that no civilians become the victim of our attacks on the Maoists; k) the government is cooperating with the nation's army at the moment, however, the other organs of the state appear reluctant in extending their support to the army; l) no time frame could be said of the disarming process because of Nepal's topographical position. However, the time frame could be shortened should we all come together and face the issue by joining hands in hands; m) the press has vast role to play at such times of crisis. We have been supplying all the available information to the press, however, the details of the "operation" can't be made public; n) One has to go deep into the origin of the issue: o) was it due to mal or mis-governance ? and finally the Chief of the military staff exhibited his pain as well in having been in a mission wherein Nepalese were being killed.

These were the important points, which the chief of the military staff divulged, in his perhaps maiden interview to the Nepal Television.

Among the many points the chief of the military staff made known for public consumption, we wish to analyse a few points raised by the chief of the Royal Nepal Army.

What becomes pretty clear is that the nation's army remains well abreast with the ongoing politics of the nation though they do not possess a desire to interfere in it.

Equally important is Mr. Rana's revelation that in the past, more so during the Premiership Koirala, the nation's armed forces were not provided the required mandate as per the constitution for the mobilization of this force. To recall, a section of the congress paraphernalia had then wished to publicize that even if the government wished the military to go into action, the military did not obey the government orders. Mr. Rana's fresh divulgence puts to rest the previous rumors, which were all aimed at maligning the glorious past of the Nepali Army.

More so, the military too wishes to go deep into the possible causes of the "origin" of the issue now in question. Implied perhaps is that the nation's military too considers the emergence of the Maoists insurgency to be some thing related to abject poverty and lack of development in the country.

Lastly, the military too thinks that a fixed time frame for taming the threats of the Maoists insurgency can't be bluntly declared at this juncture for the existing Himalayan terrain apparently were causing hurdles in accomplishing their "declared mission".

This perhaps means that the state of the emergency could well be extended for yet another round.

Telegraph/FES media seminar this week
Intellectuals to criss-cross state of "governance" in Nepal

Kathmandu: At a national media seminar to be held this Thursday afternoon, the nation's renowned scholars together with the media personalities will discuss the role of the media in promoting good governance in the country.

Of late, the words like governance, good governance and bad governance have become catch words in Nepal's political spectrum. However, seminars on this topic though have become a routine affair, much less is known as to what impact such seminars on the above mentioned topics have imparted upon the government's day to day activities.

Nevertheless, government authorities keep on talking on this subject and at every seminar they assure the attending participants that they do realize the importance of good governance and were all set to provide good governance in the country so that the lay men enjoy the benefits of good governance.

The ground reality is that, say majority of the population, we have no governance and hence the people's disillusionment regarding the suitability of the system itself.

The media seminar on the "Role of media in promoting good governance" is being organized by The Telegraph Weekly in close cooperation with the German Foundation, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung on 20 December in Kathmandu.

University Professors noted Nepali media personalities, Kathmandu based diplomats and members of the civil society are expected to attend the seminar.

Herr Rudiger Lemp, the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany is the chief guest of the seminar. Ambassador Lemp is expected to enlighten the attending participants with his country's thinking on "good-governance" which the organizers believe will give some inkling into how the Western democracies think of the existing Nepali governance.

Likewise, Robert Kerr, the Director at the American Center will deliver his keynote speech wherein he is expected to touch upon the role of the media in promoting good governance in a nascent democracy like ours.

Mr. Kerr is concurrently the Public Affairs Officer at the US embassy.

Two Nepali scholars, Mr. Lal Babu Yadav and Mr. Ajay Ghimire, are presenting their papers at the seminar.

Mr. Yadav is at the moment teaching political science at the Patan Multiple campus. Mr. Ghimire is the executive director at the ACE Finance company.

Professor Sri Dhar Khatri and senior journalist Shrish Rana have agreed to chair the two sessions.

To recall, Ambassador Klaus Barth, the predecessor of Ambassador Lemp was the chief guest at a similar media seminar on civil society organized by this Weekly in the year 1999.

Veteran Sri Lankan diplomat highlights UN role

Kathmandu: The Nepal Council of World Affairs last week invited a very distinguished Sri Lankan diplomat at its premises for a lecture on "'The Role of the UN in present day".

Ambassador Dr. Vernon L.B.Mendis is considered to be one of the pillars of the Sri Lankan Foreign Service who worked there since its very inception in 1949.

Ambassador Vernon talking on the topic opined that the biggest contribution of the UN system to the world has been the emergence of democratic systems in the globe and of the governance as well.

"It was the spirit of the UN which made it possible that scores of countries came out of the clutches of colonial powers and gained independence in the truest sense of the term.

"In effect, after the UN system came into being the decolonization process started vigorously.

Achieving global peace and security; furtherance of the economic and social development in the world and the future of governance in the world were the three main objectives of the UN system which it apparently has achieved in the past decades.

In all, Dr. Mendis had all the praise for the UN and the role it is at the moment playing for "peace-keeping" in the world.

Dr. Mendis, however, to a query of the Telegraph weekly said that the UN system in essence became helpless so far as the lifting up of the continued sanctions on Iraq after the Gulf war was concerned.

President of the NCWA, Ambassador Keshav Jha and GS of the Council introduced the Sri Lankan celebrity.

Apart from the presence of Nepali scholars at the lecture program, Ms. Pamela J. Deen, the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Nepali court also graced the occasion.

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