I n d e p t h    A n a l y s i s
Political parties threaten 1990 Constitution

Kathmandu: The tempo is building. The System is stuck. Lame duck Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba chooses this moment for his trip abroad. The minister he picks to act on his behalf, Chiranjivi Wagley, is himself said to be in sheer trouble in the property probe launched by his own government. The government, if any, is paralyzed. The anti-corruption authorities cautiously appeal to the media for restraint in coverage.

At another level, the congress tussle for the TREE symbol is expected to conclude this week. One report citing undeclared authoritative sources talks of Deuba benefiting. As if anticipating this rival Girija Prasad Koirala threatens to go to the people and launch a new "'revolution" if that symbol is denied him.

At yet another level, along with talks for a united Left stand in the elections, the UML's Madhav Nepal is reported to have met with Maoists leaders' during his freshly concluded New Delhi pilgrimage. Much is yet to unfold of the results of his Delhi trip. That they will affect UML stance on the elections is clear.

And so this gives meaning to the emerging isolation of the Deuba government. A bureaucracy nurtured over decades for loyalty through corruption has been shaken. Political organizations and the organizers flush in their success of buying support from the spoils of the system have been threatened. A business class that fueled the "quick-money" concept in the politics of the organization is now being endangered. Add to this the approaching Maoists "ultimate putsch" and the mix is certainly volatile. This then explains the likelihood of the gradual emergence of demands for an interim all-party government. The fact of the matter, is that the constitution is silent on the issue. As close as this may be to the Maoists demand for an election government, the fact is that Nepal's constitution doesn't provide for it. What the constitution says is that the Prime Minister may dissolve the parliament but must do so with the promise of the elections within six months of such dissolution. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has done exactly that. The problem is that everybody else is organized politics appears to be opposing his action.. The constitutional process is thus at a breaking point. And everybody seems to be aware of this.

Deuba's extra confidence versus Koirala's utter frustration

Kathmandu: The confidence with which Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has left for his trip abroad almost indicates that he has done so when he knew that in the existing "'special" circumstances the Election Commission will award the congress the Tree and the Flag symbol to his splinter congress ultimately.

The president of the other half of the congress, Girija Prasad Koirala guessed that the would be decision of the EC and hence he decided to minimize the embarrassment by making a sudden dash to his home town -- Biratnagar.

Deuba's confidence and Koirala's frustration are two diametrically opposed political phenomena. If one would enhance its prestige and popularity with those "recognized" symbols then the other in absence of the same is sure to loose the impending countless battles that the two sides will have to face in the near future. Though the EC awarding the flag and the tree symbol to Deuba may appear a mere rumor for the time being, but as goes in this conspiratorial Nepal it is first the rumor that is spread which later becomes a reality.

President Koirala by this time must have clearly understood as to what it means being in power and in government?

Undoubtedly, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has exceeded his functions and the process of the abuse of authority continues unabated.

All that the opposition including the Koirala-Congress can do against the continuing government excesses is to protest and hand over a sort of memorandum to the EC and the Prime Minister as well.

The EC's hands are tied and it can only send letters to the government and advise not to abuse the authority. For the opposition, the issue in question is of high value for it knows that if the abuse of the government resources continued for long, it might disturb their election prospects which is what is apparently becoming clear.

More so, the government under Deuba is also giving an impression that it would terrorize the other congress-half by pushing some of the names of the rotten-eggs currently in the Koirala camp to the authorities which at the moment were initiating probes against those who might have amassed wealth while being in government in the past. One such name is already there which is that of Govind Raj Joshi who is considered to be the right hand of president Koirala. Joshi, according to rumors in Kathmandu, is a billionaire if not a trillionaire. Joshi defends and claims that he is one of the most honest person in the Kingdom but not a single citizen appear to take his claim at its face value.

However, a clever Deuba is attacking some of his own declared corrupt party-men and wishes to give an impression to the population that he meant business and would not spare his own right and left hands if found to have abused authorities while being in Singh Durbar chairs.

If Deuba really wishes to penalize his own party-men then he can do this by pushing the names of his own cabinet members who, as the rumors go, could yield, if squeezed, billions and billions.

But then, if Deuba pushes his friends to the wall then there is a possibility that his party will crumble like a house of cards. It is said that Deuba knows this well and hence has appealed to the "authorities" not to attack his "friends" at least at time of the elections. But the pressure from the civil society is growing on the CIAA which, say sources, is planning to have its second or even third major attack on the nation's politicians itself. Some even claim that Deuba left for the trip abroad to facilitate the CIAA's actions against his own cabinet members. In doing so he would be saved from the allegation that the Prime Minister did not favor their respective cases. However, the CIAA apparently is in a deep slumber for unknown reasons.

Summing up, leaving the nation in the grip of a host of pressing issues and problems, the nation's Prime Minister has left for a trip abroad with a battalion of officials. The main agenda of his trip is yet unknown. Is it a trip to Brussels to finalize the Arms deal? Or is he there to talk with EU high officials? Or will he proceed to Johannesburg?

Regarding the arms deal in Brussels, this he could have done by sending even a junior section officer. At best he should have waited till the Belgian parliament decided the fate of the arms sale to Nepal. Regarding his talks with the EU officials, the Ambassador there could have talked on the nation's behalf which is why diplomats are posted abroad. Coming back to Johannesburg meeting, he could have sent some one from his cabinet who possessed good command of English language who could have given Nepal's views in the ongoing Summit in South Africa.

But instead, he wished the otherwise.

Will Civil society appeal for declaration of cease-fire be honored?

Kathmandu: The tenure of the state of emergency comes to an end from today with fair chances of being imposed again.

The opposition parties including the seven Left parties plus the Koirala Congress have been opposing the further imposition of the state of emergency. In the process, the seven left parties the other day submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Deuba suggesting him not to extend the emergency any more as it might affect the outcome of the election results. Deuba is silent but has hinted that it would be re-imposed upon his return.

The Defense secretary of the government has indicated that the military with or without emergency will continue to be out of the barracks and will face the Maoists challenges as usual.

Men in the districts whisper that in the western part of the nation, any feeling of the presence of civilian administration is very feeble.

The Maoists have aired that they wish a sort of round-table conference of all national level parties to sort out the issue related to their insurgency.

Koirala congress opines that talks should resume between the establishment and the insurgents.

Opposition UML prefers the talks between the two warring rivals and the declaration of a cease-fire from the Maoists quarters and the subsequent declaration by the government.

Madhav Nepal after meeting Maoists leaders recently in Delhi appears now to have possessed a soft corner for the Maoists for unknown reasons.

The government remains undeterred and says no to talks. But clandestinely is in contact with the Maoists leaders.

The informed and the disillusioned civil society wishes the declaration of a cease-fire from both the sides so that the killings on either sides came to a halt, at least till the end of the approaching festival season.

The lay population ask the Maoists whether their September 16 Nepal Closure declaration is yet valid or has vanished in the thin air? The Maoists must answer this question before it is too late.

India's foreign minister has thrown the ball into the Nepali court and has suggested Nepal to inform his country through Indian embassy in Kathmandu on how and where the Maoists have misused the Indian territories against Nepal. This statement is almost the duplicate of what recently Ashok Kumar , the Charge de affaires of the embassy had told a press gathering in Bhairahava. Significant and meaningful similar statements indeed.

All put together, the Nepali political scenario becomes a hazy one. The Government's adamancy in not having talks with the insurgents unless they laid down their arms bespeaks of a posture that generally authoritarian establishments acquire and this the Deuba regime is doing when the entire nation is in favor of the talks. Add to this the wishes of the entire opposition forces who unequivocally wish the talks to resume so that peace is restored in the country and the elections held in a peaceful, free and impartial manner. The government's stubbornness also smacks foul to which the opposition forces are hinting at during these days. The latter is hinting that if the talks do not begin, the insurgents in the jungles might create havoc at the time of the election. This in turn might benefit the ruling power to conduct the elections in a haphazard manner in the face of the artificially lingered havoc.

Thanks that a strong section of a newly emerged civil society has reportedly approached both the government and the Maoists quarters and appealed them to observe restraints and declare cease-fire until the festival days were over. It is yet to be seen how the government and the Maoists react to the civil society appeal.

Is the CIAA in deep slumber?

Kathmandu: Whether the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, CIAA, will continue its actions against the rest of the financial defaulters is still uncertain. However, what is for sure is that similar corrupt lot seated in the finance, foreign, commerce and trade and transport ministries and the likes got ample time to cover up their misdeeds.

In such a case, definitely, the national exchequer is the ultimate looser. Whether it is by design or a mere coincidence but the fact is that the nation has already been stripped off astronomical amounts of money which the CIAA could have extracted had it taken similar, prompt and effective actions against similar defaulters.

The damage is already done and the CIAA is answerable.

The national population that hailed the CIAA's first and maiden move that brought 22 defaulters behind the bars and expected similar actions in series against others, remains now puzzled over the Authorities' stoic silence taken in this regard. Some even say that the CIAA appears reluctant in initiating actions against the sharks and the whales seated in the higher political echelons of the country for fear of the move rebounding against themselves.

Rumors also have it that even in the first raids conducted by the CIAA, some of its own high officials subtly leaked the matter to their "friendly" quarters which allowed some belonging to the "big 22" to "transfer" their illegal earnings to safe places.

If this is true then the CIAA chief must initiate action against its own rotten-eggs or else its further actions will be leaked much in the same manner as they did in the recent past.

The CIAA's house must be kept in order or else people will begin questioning the credibility of the organization itself.

The unnecessary delay seen in the CIAA's taking further stringent moves gives rise to two separate analyses. Firstly, the delay could be due to the meager strength of the officers at its own premises and the job they are supposed to do demands a greater number of man-power which unfortunately it doesn't have at the moment.

Secondly, a strong likelihood remains that the CIAA might already have come under tremendous pressures from various visible and invisible quarters on not to continue with the moves for fear of being dragged into the same net where the 22 souls now dwell in. Regarding this there is only one way for the CIAA – pay no heed to what traitors and their collaborators harp on and remain ready to face the worst. Should the CIAA be ready to do this then the entire population can rest in peace, our nation is on the way to salvation now.

Israeli ophthalmologists share their expertise

A three member team of eminent Eye Surgeons from Israel participated in a week long Parctical Training and Demonstration Program at the Nepal Eye Hospital, Tripureshwar last week. This program that lasted from 14 to 21 August organized at the active initiation of His Exellency Avraham Nir who invited Prof. Dr. Dov Weinberger, Dr. Moshe Lusky and Eng. Mr. Slomi from MASHAV Cooperation, Israel.

Speaking on the occasion, the leader of the team from Israel, Dr. Dov said that the program was not the last one to be organized in his team's cooperation but that he would continue with similar training programs in the future as well.

The program focused mainly on phaeco-emulification, a process that crushes the cataract and thereby takes it out with the help sophisticated equipment, that too with just a minor incision.

His Excellency Nir expressed the view that the government of Israel will continue such cooperation so that the Nepali Ophthalmologists benefit from the Israeli experience and know-how.

Dr. B. K. Malla of the Nepal Eye Hospital said on the occasion that this program would be vital in educating the Nepali eye patients and the doctors about the new technology and hoped that similar programs will continue in the future.

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