End the Immoral Politics

(Reposted, Courtesy of Dr. Khagendra N. Sharma)

The recent election for the President and the Vice President showed the most naked picture of immoral politics in Nepal. It has shown that everybody can cheat everybody else without the slightest sense of embarrassment. The leaders of the three major parties cheated the CA by not allowing it to start functioning. Then they cheated each other by failing to come to an understanding. They cheated the erstwhile seven party alliance (SPA) by marginalizing the smaller parties. They cheated the very purpose of consensus politics in Nepal. The NC and the UML cheated the Maoists in their attempt to have a common candidate for the president by posing their respective leaders as the indispensable candidate for the post. The Maoists cheated the UML by changing sides in favor of the Forum. They cheated the Forum by proposing their own candidate for the VP. The Forum cheated the Maoists by aligning with the NC and the UML. The TMLP and the SP cheated the Forum by aligning with the Maoists for the post of the president.

The NC leader Girija Prasad Koirala cheated the people by refusing to hand over power. His ambition to become the first president on the republic of Nepal was the root cause of the ensuing political smog in the country. If he had handed over power to the Maoists who got the largest seats in the CA, the country would already have gone ahead some steps in the direction of the constitution building process. But he stuck to his chair with one alibi after another for refusing to hand over power. The country does not still have a legal government.

It is to the credit of some part of fine elements in the political field that eventually Nepal has a President and a VP. But this was achieved at the cost of four very important features in the Nepalese politics for the past two years. The direct fallout of the collective cheating is the death of consensus politics. The consensus politics had steered Nepal into a republican state, but no sooner had the republic been declared than there was the death threat to the consensus politics. No leader seems concerned about the loss of this political culture that could have brought nothing but good results in making a new Nepal.

Another fallout of the death of the consensus politics is the apparent demise of inclusive politics which was the hue and cry for the past two years. The terai grabbed both the President and the VP in the sweep of politics of vengeance. At least one post should have gone to the indigenous or ethnic community or a woman. The President has had a good career record in democratic politics a he has already shown signs of rising above party politics by resigning from his party posts. This will definitely make him acceptable to all the power centres of Nepal. But the VP has a sour memory of bitter encounter with his fraternity at the fag end of his career. He is, therefore, advised not to take revengeful attitude towards his erstwhile fraternity and make seasoned contribution in the process of nation building. (Hearty congratulations to the President and the VP on their oath taking ceremony which progressed while I was writing this feature!)

The third fall out of the death of consensus politics is that the constitution is not allowed to even germinate. The legal pundits who drafted the interim constitution made an improbable provision that the constitution will be made with at least the support of a two/thirds majority if not by consensus. The ideal of a total consensus is a mere utopia. It may occur in insignificant provisions, but in substantive issues, a consensus is a reverie, the inert brain child of party-less politicians. With the Maoists at the head of the government, a simple majority may be possible if there is steep polarization with the entire left on one side. The tricksters in all the parties will not let the Maoists have a two/thirds majority by hook or by crook. With the Maoists not included in the government, the total strength is less than the required two thirds. So, in either case the two/thirds majority is a killing provision.

The fourth fall out is the threat to the integrity of the nation. The terai voice has been raised so loud as to show cracks in the foundation of the nation. The call for an artificial 'one Madhes one province' is so loud that, if not handled very sensitively, it will lead to the bifurcation of the nation. Some of our friends may find the feud palatable, and may be inciting it behind the curtain. It needs to have a thorough national debate during the course of the constitution making. The new leaders of the state should be very sensitive to safeguard the integrity of the nation.

A new government is yet to be formed. The largest party in the CA, the Maoists, have refused to form a government with the past memory still chilling their head. But if their stung ego is the cause of their staying away from the government, can they be rationally expected to support the government formed with their proven enemies in the presidential election? Will the other parties be able to run the government for the full term and also make the new constitution? The provision of the two/thirds will apply to them also equally. The Maoists have solid 229 votes in their fist. With this strength in their hands, they can preempt even the amendment of the interim constitution if by so doing the other parties can try to loosen the knot, because the amendment of the IC will also require two/ thirds majority.

So, what is required is not the removal of the killer provision of the two/thirds majority from the IC but the readjustment of the different school of thoughts to accept the pragmatic view and work accordingly. Pragmatically, the people have ordered the parties to work in unison rather than with partisan methods. The Maoists had asked the people to give them an outright support to run the government with an overwhelming majority (so had the other major parties!); but the people gave them just over a one third strength. However, the people did not give the combination of other parties even this much support in the hustings. The people are the sovereign authority according to the IC and the parties are not only signatories to it but they also have sworn by the same constitution. This denies the largest party, the Maoists, the choice to stay away from the responsibility. Similarly, the people have not given the other parties mandate to govern without the Maoists.

The penultimate inference is that there should be a government of consensus. The erstwhile SPA consensus is not enough; it does not engulf the newly emerging power centres, especially the terai parties who have been able to get the post of the VP with their ingenuity. So, there should be an alliance of the SPA with the new parties. The main task before the CA is the making of the new constitution for which not even the foundation has been laid. The day to day governance does not get eminence over this fundamental task.

Whoever leads the government has to accomplish the task of drafting the new constitution. Development programs can wait as they have waited for so many years of insurgency. But even the time for writing the constitution is being killed by the dirty politics of mutual mistrust. The people want the parties to end all this immoral politics and indulge in the primary task of making the constitution. Consensus government led by the Maoists is the implicit popular mandate and it must be obeyed by all means. That alone can save the integrity of the nation.

Related Posts:

Immoral Depletion of Scarce Resources
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/07/immoral-depletion-of-scarce-resources.html

The Great President Hunt
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/06/great-president-hunt.html

Endless Possibilities in the Republic of Nepal
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/05/endless-possibilities-that-accompany.html