A new power balance in vogue!

President of the Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala has gone crazy. He, among the crowd of many in the similar "lucrative" position, is the one who claims to possess the right to utter any thing under the sun and yet expects that his utterances be given due respect and honor and in the process fails to understand that his expressions not only appear at times whimsical but also gives an impression that he has already become a politico who should take a total "rest" by renouncing "politics" altogether. If he does so would mean that the Nepali political history will have some jot of respect and honor left for this lanky politico who has remained instrumental in giving a very bad shape to the country’s politics since the advent of this new order for the restoration of which, his own colleagues maintain, he had extended least contribution, at the first place. Some even say that it was Koirala who wished that the 1990 popular movement should not be waged at that particular time for his own personal explanations. But as the luck would have it, it was Koirala who exploited to the hilt the system for the restoration of which he has had no offering, as stated earlier. The fact is that Koirala is the one political figure who forcefully provided a new definition to the democratic system which differed sharply with what others have defined. Koirala’s definition of the system revolved around his relatives, his party men and those who happened to rally around him either willingly or the otherwise. What is all the more shocking is his definition of the new order is that if he is in the chair, everything were democratic and conversely if he were out of power corridors, the entire politics were heading towards abyss and that it were only who if installed back to power could bring back the country back from the precipice. It is altogether a different matter that the precipice is his and only his creation. That he lacked tolerance in the first place got exhibited when this senior politico managed unceremonious ousters of his own party colleagues, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and of late Sher Bahadur Deuba. The way he is impeding the peace process that has already begun might create disasters for his future political career for it is the people who desire and long for peace. If this senior politico remains obdurate and sees conspiracy in every moves the country is heading for might one fine morning "delete" his name from the political history of the nation which would mean that the people at large would more than wish to forget his past distinguished political career that was there. Honestly speaking, the people at the grassroots still possess immense respect and honor for this strong personality. But the people too have their bearable limits. What if the people outrightly reject his utterances which appear to have no relevance in the recently changed political context. It is altogether a different matter that neither he nor his chum Madhav Nepal was consulted at time of the announcement of the ceasefire in between the maoists and the establishment. However, this should not mean that he has been cornered and that his political career undermined. If he feels so then it is a grave mistake. If he considers that his presence would have enhanced the process of the ceasefire announcement or would have provided legitimacy to the already declared ceasefire, then there could be some others who would have considered it just the otherwise. What if the people ask him: had the laymen been asked when Koirala signed a "treaty" with India? Had the people been asked prior to the happening of the Dhamija and the Lauda scandals? Have the people ever asked him about his connections with alien forces or for that matter the leaders?

The people at best have regarded him as one of the strongest leaders they ever had. The people ever took him as their own leader, good or bad. We in this paper possess high regards for this senior politician and wish that it was time that he convinced his communist chum to join hands with the monarch and facilitate an environment that ensured a sort of permanent peace in this country. We wish that Koirala remains instrumental in convincing the Maoists that theirs joining the mainstream national politics would enhance the popularity and the very credibility of the present order. We have confidence in Koirala for we consider that among the present time politicos he is the one who is respected and honored by his declared critics as well. He is senior. He is bold and strong. He commands respect and honor. There is no reason as to why the Maoists leaders should not listen to Koirala’s comments. We conclude: Koirala is a very strong political personality but is lost in the peripheral matters; that the country’s politics will sideline Koirala for ever if he ignored the peace process that is on at the moment. We also conclude that Koirala should understand that the triangular power balance that existed till October 4 has already been altered and that there has been a new balance which is apparently represented by the monarch; the parliamentary parties and the Maoists. This perhaps Koirala understands better. Given this power balance, Koirala will have to adjust his role or should find a role in the changed political environment. This could be a bitter pill for Koirala but he has to gulp this bitter pill. No way out. But then yet what could be said of Koirala is that the people will ever respect him for his genuine preference for the continuation and for the consolidation of the democratic order.

We wish his advisors told him that the nation needed his active cooperation not only with the monarch but also with other major political parties so that the nation comes out unscathed from the present swamp. We wish that the King too honored Koirala’s views. After all Koirala is a senior politician of this country and the King too out rightly can’t dismiss Koirala’s justifiable comments. But will Koirala listen to our outbursts? That’s a big question indeed.

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