Nepali politicians considered Nepal as their private property

-Khom Datta Baral, M.A( Political Science), Kathmandu

He is a sensible and responsible political scientist. He is well abreast with the country’s contemporary situation and feels pained when he sees no solution in sight of the ongoing sad happenings in the country.

He is Khom Datta Baral who did his Masters in Political Science discipline and is concurrently is a Law Graduate as well.

Add to this, Mr. Baral is a diploma holder in Human Right from Denmark who also got himself trained in Colombo on "Effective Loan Management".

Mr. Baral has scores of writings to his credit. Mostly he writes on economic, legal and contemporary national and international events.

He is currently engaged in many commercial and social activities.

Last week, we approached this modest scholar for a tete-a-tete to which he readily agreed. Below the results—chief editor.

TGQ1: The country is on a constant slide, politically and economically. Who is to be blamed for all these deteriorating situation? Your comments please?

Mr. Baral: At the present time, situation in Nepal is worsening. Among all others political systems, multi-party is thought to be the best. In Nepal, the system went into the hands of greedy and corrupt leaders. Their inability to handle the various national issues gives enough evidence that they are solely responsible for the present situation of the country.

TGQ2: Do you think that external players are on play in the internal politics of this country? Are they pushing their agenda for the betterment of this country or were doing so to exploit from the political mess? Your opinion please?

Mr. Baral: It is really a shameful matter to suspect that external forces have their hands in our internal politics. Generally, it is seen that leaders in Nepal bow their head to the external forces. Unless and until this trend continues external forces will enjoy playing with us.

But here what I would like to add is that in the treaty of Mahakali, India tried to guide our government and badly influenced the political parties now in agitation. Due to our internal weaknesses, and moreover due to our corrupt leaders we are unable to defend the directives of external forces.

TGQ3: Comrade Madhav Nepal went to see the Maoists in Lucknow. Now Indian Ambassador appeals the Nepali leaders not to misuse his country’s territories for such clandestine meetings. Do you see any meaning in between the lines? Mr. Baral your comments please!

Mr. Baral: The question is why Madhav Nepal being the General Secretary of a highly prestigious political party of the country went to Lucknow. I think, Mr. Nepal should have sent his junior colleagues instead of going himself. In effect, he should have met the leaders only after his junior friends in the party would have finalized the negotiation. On the contrary, he met the leaders in India but the political society in Nepal has yet to discover the result of their meetings in India. It has not yet been said by the UML as to what tangible results did this meeting offered this troubled country.

It was the bounden duty of the Indian Ambassador to clarify his position. However, his statement is incomplete. In essence, the Indian authorities should transform their saying into actual deeds. Moreover, if the Indian authorities were not liberal towards the Maoists, how come the Maoists would have access to large amounts of arms and the ammunitions.

TGQ4: Comrade Prachanda says his party is ready to join hands with any political party in Nepal to correct the political aberrations. His statement comes at a time when the political parties are in their tenth phase of their agitation against the King’s October 4 moves. How you Mr. Baral take Prachanda’s fresh appeal in the given context?

Mr. Baral: I don’t believe that his sayings would be translated into action. Situation here is not in his support. There is a vast gap in between the meeting points for those who support Maoists views and those who prefer the prevalence of a constitutional monarchy. The present set up does not view the other camp’s views sympathetically.

Yes! Since the agitating parties so far received no support from any quarter so they are in need of some sort of support for their agitation. It could be that Madhav Nepal went to Lucknow to garner support for the agitation. However, Krishna Mahara made unfriendly statements after Madhav Nepal’s Lucknow trip. I think this speaks that the UML and the Maoists have many things politically and ideologically to differ in the present day context.

Indeed if the Maoists could mix their republican model with what is existing now in the country could give birth to completely a new model of democracy.

TGQ5: The country is in a mess. The political parties are up against the King. The donor community is expecting a change in the status quo. The academic sector is silent. The King too appears reluctant to proceed. What should the media and the civil society do in such a situation? Has the academic sector a role here?

Mr. Baral: Let me put it frankly. The parties pushed the King to take over the charges. They failed to provide good governance. The leaders acted as if the nation were their private properties and misused their authority while being in power.

Deuba’s postponement of the election dates prompted the King to take this unhappy decision.

The tussle in between the King and the political parties is not a good omen for the country. It is time that they settle the issues themselves by coming closer to each other.

Yes I do agree that the civil society and the media were silent spectators. However, the media could play a crucial role if it desires to do so. Small newspapers are really independent but their voices are small and hence less influencial. Academicians are timid here. History is witness that academicians can play an effective role. The problem with our academicians is that they too are not free from the disease of partisanship.

It is time that the King, the political parties, the media and the academicians come closer and work in the larger interest of the nation.

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