NC Unification

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and NC(D)leader Sher Bahadur Deuba held the latest round of parley to finalize and seal the process of NC unification .At a time when the country is at the political cross roads the party should not be allow itself to be divided. Nepali Congress, if one takes cues from history of democratic struggle and innovation, has been the premier political organisation which is credited to have fought for democracy and political modernization. Moreover, the party has been consistent to its commitment to democracy, pluralist values and welfare state, and it has never flinched from its well cherished goals and values despite the situation of political topsy turvy in the country. When democracy was jeopardized on the eve of the sixties , Nepali Congress, under the leadership of late B.P.Koirala, held high the banner of struggle against authoritarianism imposed in the country.

The struggle against the partyless undemocratic polity lasted for thirty years before it collapsed under the weight of popular revolt in 1990. It was NC leader late Ganesh Man Singh who converged all the left and democratic forces against the authoritarian polity and fought to restore multiparty democracy lost out to the autocratic King in 1960. Again in April 2006 the seven party alliance led by Nepali Congress fought against the despotic monarchy and demolished its apparatus. Going by its history and contribution to the political modernization and development, Nepali Congress has always been a champion of unity and solidarity. But it is a matter of paradox that the party itself is riddled by factionalism and split. At a time when the country is going for polls to the constituent assembly and the role of political parties is very crucial to spearhead the process of democracy building, it is necessary that the Nepali congress stay united and consolidated to offset the challenges faced by the nation. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has already recognized the need for unity of the party and given full backing to further the process for unification of NC and NC(D) . Former prime minister and NC(D) president Sher Bhadur Deuba is all committed to NC unification for consolidating it to take on the challenges of the time. It is high time the unification process was furthered and completed and a strong NC was made to secure an enlarged political space in the country.

Source: The Rising Nepal, August 29, 2007

Unresolved issues: Political conference necessary for CA

Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay

Last week witnessed certain developments on the political front that have increased uncertainties surrounding CA polls scheduled for November 22 although the Election Commission has published a detailed poll schedule. The ongoing agitation of Tarain groups and Janajatis, political party’s lethargy in educating the masses on the importance of a constituent assembly, the indifference and opposition of the Madhesis and Janajatis and the new political position taken by the CPN-Maoist are factors which need serious attention.

On August 22, the Tamang National Liberation Front declared a successful bandh against the indifference of the coalition government to Janajatis’ demands. On August 23, the MJF declared that unless their demands were fulfilled within a week it would declare a movement for the ‘liberation’ of the people. The same day a statement by the UNMIN head Ian Martin urged the political parties to go to villages to motivate the people with regard to CA election. He made it clear that most of the reports he had received concerned inactivity of political parties.

One of the gravest developments was the Maoist demand for postponement of CA election till April-May 2008 and declaration of a republic in order to curtail conspiracies against the election. The formation of the coalition government and the interim parliament had acknowledged the Maoists as one of the three major political parties. On the basis of such an acknowledgement, the Maoist stand has to be taken up seriously.

There are 84 days to go for the scheduled election. But how can any credible election be held in an atmosphere of uncertainty and violence? In order to create an atmosphere conducive to free and fair election, dissenting voices have to be listened to and talks have to be conducted with a view to arriving at consensus. However, the government team that is conducting negotiations is lethargic and biased. Even before the talks are conducted a member or two of the team makes his ideas public and spoils the atmosphere for the talks.

Dialogues with different dissenting parties should have the single objective of arriving at consensus among negotiating parties. Such consensus cannot be achieved by listening to the grievances of a particular party only, as issues involved have wide dimensions and affect multiple parties, communities and groups. So a new mechanism has to be created to promote interaction among all dissenting groups and eight party alliance.

How serious are the political parties about holding the election on time? Till date, only the CPN-UML seems serious about the need for timely election. Smaller parties like Jana Morcha and NWPP are also seen active in election campaigning. And yet other major political parties have not made any initiative to go to the people. The question of maintaining the eight party alliance is also crucial to achieving the mandate of Jana Andolan II. However, one can easily discern that the partners in the alliance are drifting apart.The question of proportional representation has been raised by a big segment of population. The MJF as well as Dalits and Janajatis have been demanding adoption of a single system of proportional representation. CPN-UML is the only political party which took this stand from the very beginning. Now the Maoists have thrown their weight behind proportional representation. To ridicule the Maoists for shifting their position from their stand during the signing of draft interim constitution is insensitive in a democratic society. The Maoists have fathomed the popular will in favour of proportional representational system and have followed the people’s will by displaying their democratic credentials. In a democracy, it is only right that any individual, group or party change its position in honour of public opinion. It is hypocritical to assert that one has to stick with a pre-conceived opinion come what may.

The issue of proportional representation was not received well by others in the beginning because this was thought of as a CPN-UML agenda. Today the question of convening a political conference is not being considered as this is branded as CPN-Maoist agenda. Such an attitude is not good for maintaining the alliance or honouring popular will. In order to solve the numerous issues of grave importance, convening of a widely participated political conference has become inevitable. Only such a forum could address the issues before the nation and provide a sound guideline for the CA which is to be the baseline of a new Nepal.The political conference should include all those who are willing to negotiate and even those unwilling to negotiate and create law and order problems. Thus, they can be isolated, divided and punished. Because of the constraint of time a political conference must be convened, which could, in turn, also tackle the issue of whether a new Nepal would be a federal republic.

Source: The Himalayan Times, August 29, 2007

Inconvenient truth

The ongoing stir in Kathmandu of Badi women from western Tarai has brought the world’s oldest profession into focus. Badi women have jumped on to the bandwagon of countless agitations that followed the April Uprising. They descended on the capital in dozens, and have been protesting for the past week in various ways, including their novel “semi-nude” demonstration in front of Singhadurbar last Wednesday. They have threatened to protest by stripping off fully if their demands are not addressed. In yesterday’s demonstration outside Singhadurbar, more than a dozen Badis were injured in police baton-charge. They are demanding an alternative to the sex trade they live by. They want the government to give them land and their children free education. A number of Badi women, though unmarried, have children and, in many cases, the fraternity of their children has remained unknown.

The government ought to do what it can to rehabilitate the willing among the Badi sex workers in other more respectable occupations. Badis are a special community with a history, many of whom have plied their trade as something of a tradition handed down from one generation to the next. After all, they have been doing nothing different from what tens of thousands of other girls or women across the country are doing — selling sex willingly, under compulsion or under coercion. There is no clear-cut legislation on prostitution. The law has neither recognised prostitution as legal, nor categorically made it a punishable activity with clear penalties. That is why those arrested on prostitution charges are booked under the Public Offences Act. The accused are released soon, often after some time in police cells. This state of affairs has gone on for decades. In this legal vagueness, malpractices have flourished against women. And these malpractices often happen to be more punishable than the accused women’s offence.

Sadly, others often go unpunished while sex workers find themselves at the receiving end. This state of affairs must end. Unscrupulous policemen often take undue advantage of the fact that female sex workers are on the wrong side of the law. Besides, many others also play on these women’s vulnerability. As tens of thousands of the “weaker sex” continue to receive ill-treatment at the hands of men, and even women who live off their earnings, it is deplorable that clear legal provisions do not exist. This profession has existed from time immemorial in the most regimented regimes as well as in deeply theocratic societies prescribing harsh punishment for the sin. So, unsurprisingly, this trade goes on, perhaps even more briskly, in societies that are more tolerant. On top of that, prostitutes also fill a biological, and some say, a social need. These realities call for a clear law for governing the profession. It would appear sensible to consider permitting the willing to practise it, of course, with reasonable restrictions and safeguards. And these safeguards should include a legal deterrent against anybody else who may try to exploit women for their selfish ends.

Source: The Himalayan Times, August 28, 2007

Congress unification: A story of leadership failure

Ajit N S Thapa

Ever since King Gyanendra dumped Sher Bahadur Deuba’s government for its inability to hold elections on time on Feb 1, 2005, there have been demands from all quarters for the merger of the two parties — the NC and NC (D) — in order to strengthen democracy and fight regression. Responding to this demand, PM and NC president Girija Prasad Koirala made a clarion call for the unification with the promise that the members of both parties would retain the positions they held in the mother party prior to the split. Deuba-led NC (D) did not react positively and dubbed the unification call a ruse to entice NC (D) members to NC.However, unable to withstand mounting pressure for unity from party workers, well-wishers as well as the international community, Koirala and Deuba agreed to take the process forward and constituted a six member team to recommend merger modalities. For some reason, this committee did not work with the sense of urgency that the situation warranted and failed to come to any kind of consensus. With CA election barely three months away and as international pressure mounts, the two leaders have apparently agreed upon the following points.

The united outfit will have a central committee consisting of 37 members from NC and 27 members from NC(D); the general convention and general committee (Mahasamiti) members of both will continue in their respective capacities; the active members of both will be included; district presidents and chairmen of electoral constituencies will be decided on the basis of seniority, positions during the 10th general convention and their contribution to Jana Andolan II; GP Koirala will be No 1, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai No 2 and S B Deuba No 3 in party hierarchy, while Sushil Koirala will be No 4; and acting president in the united party and Deuba will be consulted in all major decision making processes.Meanwhile, it is learnt that NC (D) has come up with a set of demands which among others stipulates that the two vice-presidents and the general secretary retain their respective positions and that the current party spokesperson too continue in the same capacity. This demand does not bode well for party unity since it undermines the seniority and capabilities of more deserving colleagues on the other side.

At this juncture, it might be useful to delve into the genesis of the split. While Koirala can be lauded for his grit, determination and stamina to fight for the cause of democracy, his capacity for institution building, fostering internal democracy and decentralisation leaves much to be desired. It was his intention to monopolise all power that prompted him to dump four cabinet colleagues without consultation with his two senior colleagues when he was the PM in the first elected government in 1991. This resulted in formation of a group of 36 dissident MPs who opposed the PM. During a budgetary vote in the parliament, the dissidents made themselves absent. The PM could not muster a majority and dissolved the parliament (again without consulting his colleagues) and sought a new mandate.

In the mid-term election, the NC fared badly and came out second biggest party after CPN-UML, which formed the first communist-led government in Nepal. After the fall of the UML government, Deuba became PM and led an unsuccessful coalition which could not secure a vote of confidence in the House owing to the deliberate absence of two NC MPs. This aggravated the intra-party conflict.In the third general election, KP Bhattarai was proposed as NC’s PM candidate and the party won a comfortable majority. Unfortunately, Bhattarai soon began to face obstacles from his own party.Ultimately, he was forced to tender an emotional resignation. Koirala, who succeeded Bhattarai, also had to resign in the wake of Holeri, when the army refused to attack the Maoists.

Deuba assumed prime ministership again and soon declared a state of Emergency, also mobilising the army against the Maoists. At the behest of the army, he wished to prolong the six-month-long Emergency, but the NC leadership refused to co-operate. Sensing a foul play, Deuba dissolved the House and announced mid-term polls. This prompted the party leadership to annul his party membership for three years and in turn Deuba split the party. Deuba’s inability to hold polls enabled King Gyanendra to usurp power.In this backdrop, it is clear that NC management is weak and leadership myopic, self-centered and ineffective. After the split, the two parties have fared even worse, NC (D) more so in terms of lack of internal democracy and direction. We hope that the two leaders will be able to unite two parties. They should also pave the way for a new generation of leaders who will be able to manage the united party more effectively by instituting internal democracy, decentralisation, worker evaluation, and financial viability and equip the united NC to cope with the challenges of the 21st century.

Source: The Himalayan Times, August 28, 2007

Parties Moving Slowly For CA Polls

Narayan Upadhayay

The nation is hurtling to wards the November Constituent Assembly (CA) election, but the skepticism whether the polls would be held in a fitting manner in the stipulated date has refused to die down. The statements and reports coming from various quarters and some incidents taking place are alarming as they suggest the path to CA polls is still strewn with many complexities that need to be sorted out before any awkward situation comes to pass.

The Code

Even as the government, composed of eight political parties, has come up with code of conduct for the CA polls, the parties are blamed for their lackadaisical response to the pre-CA polls campaigning. The prevailing mood among the political parties is they have not yet jumped into the electioneering bandwagon. Lately, the Elections Commissioner himself has, in a round about way, admonished political parties for failing to create an environment for polls and lacking in initiative to stir up the real interest among the electorate for polls. The commissioner?s very suggestion that the political parties must now expedite for the polls drops a hint that the political parties have not yet fully geared up for what many believes an epoch-making November 26 poll. It is sad to see that our political parties, almost all of who are never tired of professing their respect for democracy and freedom, had to be given the ?wake-up? call by none other than the commissioner himself.

In democracy, it is the political parties that must remain at the forefront to take the proactive role in launching various activities while they seek electorate?s vote for them through an election, agreed upon by the existing constitution of the nation. Likewise, in a democratic political set-up, the onus of making the electorates attentive and responsive to any kind of polls and the post poll consequences that will have far reaching implications on the well-being of a nation rest solely on political parties. There are several reasons that have slowed the three major political players- Nepali Congress, the Nepali Congress (Democratic) and CPN-Maoist. They have been sluggish in their approach to the CA election. In other words, they have their own axe to grind before the epoch-making poll is conducted.As far as two Congresses are concerned, they seem to be in grip of nagging fear that it would be suicidal if they go into the polls without being united.The fractured Congresses are a worried lot and are also under fire from the party workers for failing to take an unambiguous stance in the fate of Monarchy and issue of republicanism. While many party top brasses are reluctant to support the idea of republicanism, plenty of the congresses? workers are supporting the idea. The raging controversies within Nepali Congress might have delayed the party?s election manifesto.

For the Maoists, the results of the mock elections conducted by the Election Commission are not encouraging while the ?persisting? issue of declaring the nation republic before CA polls and the issue of proportionate election in all seats for CA- have been consuming their time and energy. The two demands however, are at variance with the Maoists? various agreements and understandings with government and other political parties. The Maoist party leadership is also in the know that some activities of the party workers in recent time have done nothing good in raising the popularity of the party. And, of late, the party?s submission of 22-point demand to the government has made the task all the more difficult for those who want to create the conducive environs for holding CA polls. The Maoists are pressing to see their demands come to the fruition. But the problem for the authority that have power to fulfill these demands too need some time while many of the demands are not likely to be duly met, because they are against the 12-point agreement.

The position of CPN-UML on the upcoming CA polls is slightly different. It is the only party that has declared to be doing its homework for CA electioneering. But the sad part of it is that the party as big as UML has not been able to prepare its manifesto to catch the attention of its supporters and the electorate as whole even when the much-talked about polls are less than three months away.A cursory glance at the present position of the major political parties makes it obvious that these parties are mainly engaged in their own party interests rather than for the nation?s and people?s. The fear that the CA polls would once again be deferred for new date is all the more glaring.But the psyche in the nation is against any deferral of the poll. Almost all of the foreign donor agencies, the United Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) diplomats from India, the USA, the UK and other nations form European Union, who have provided assistance in cash and kind for the polls and restoring peace, are voicing their concern that the epochal polls must be held in its stipulated time. They are pressing hard to liven up the political parties for polls, because like all of us, they too are aware that the future of this nation and its restructuring are closely connected with the success of the CA polls. Now this nation can not do away with CA polls. There is no denying that the nation will be pushed into new crisis in case the polls can not be held in peacefully.

Unity Vital

However, in the face of mounting skepticism, one can be fully assured that the vital poll can be successfully held, if the eight parties, the true representatives of the people, go for it in united manner right now. To do this, the ruling elite must rise above their narrow party agendas and must shake off petty interests.

Source: The Rising Nepal, August 27, 2007