The sheer Faux pas

We the people have formed a habit to clap as and when the politician(s) make tall claims and thundering lectures. However, we forget to go deep inside his or her content contained therein in his or her buffoonery lectures. The other day it so happened that the “restored” luminaries at the interim parliament clapped with all the energy what they had in their reserve on the occasion when Prime Minister Koirala in an implied manner told the King to abdicate. The restored parliamentarians in the process forgot that the “head less” acting head of the state made a mockery of the entire budgetary system of the state and more specifically he implied that the CA polls can’t be held even in November 22, 2007. What a mockery of the Janaandolan-2? Let’s bear with that as we have no other option left other than to gulp the bitter pills provided by the political luminaries.

The parliamentarians were so glued to Koirala’s humiliating and insulting sermons being provided to the now already sidelined King that they forgot that Koirala as the country’s prime minister was luring them all with false promises. Undoubtedly, he said that the country now had been all set to go for the CA polls, however, he also attached certain tag either for the proper utilization of the new budget on time but also made it abundantly clear that since the upcoming three months were monsoon season and that the rest months ahead were the beginning of the Nepali festivities. In saying so he said that the upcoming three months, e.g. July, August and September would be consumed by the monsoon rains and thus no works could be accomplished during these months. This was not all. Koirala also abundantly made it clear that after the monsoon rains, the Nepali festivities, e.g. Dashain, Tihar and Chhatt will follow which implied that the months after the rains will be thus consumed by the festivals. IN Nepal, the festivals begin from October and last till November. So then what is left? Next November no this one, perhaps this is what Koirala meant to say to which his juniors at the parliament could not grasp. Clever Koirala indeed.

So the message was clear from the country’s acting head of the state hinting all and sundry to forget the CA polls even in rescheduled November this year.

The interesting part of the whole story had been that the restored parliamentarians clapped and clapped for Koirala’s remarks against the King but missed to catch the message contained in the rest of the Koirala speechifying.

Clearly, the CA polls, if one were to believe what Koirala said that very particular day, will not be held on time.

The reasons, among others, as outlined July 7, 2007 by the former Chief Election Commissioner, Surya Prasad Shrestha, at a Center for Economic and Technical Studies, CETS, was that for the successful conduct of the CA polls was the in his own words, “the recent disturbances and discontent among the Terai people and the Janjatis in the hills have given a bad signal against the peaceful conduct of the upcoming election”. A close look at what honorable Shrestha says is that until and unless the Terai and the Janjatis plus the Chure-Bhawar grievances are well addressed by the State much ahead of the polls, the conduct of the Constituent Assembly elections would be next to impossible to be held on time. Similarly, yet another intellectual, Nilambar Acharya in the same program held that the people must be allowed to a free and fearless environment at least three months ahead of the happening of the CA polls, or else the poll results might lose its legitimacy. Other luminaries present at the CETS sponsored seminar, for example to name a few, Dev Raj Dahal-the head of the FES Nepal Office, too held that the aims of the CA elections should include, proportionality of seats to votes, accountability of the elected to the voters, creation of a stable regime after the polls, equal social integration, inclusion of the minority and the likes. Dahal also aptly viewed that impartiality and fairness of the electoral administration, creation of a level playing field and sound oversight of civil society, media and monitoring agencies are crucial indicators of electoral fairness.

Dahal perhaps forgets that the ruling government is the preserve of the eight parties. No other parties other than the EPA have been allowed to take part in the elections. So what would be the result, if at all the elections happen in November, is any body’s guess.

Taking into account the fast deteriorating law and order system in the country, no sane people would believe that the State could arrest the ever worsening of the security situation well within three months. If it were so, and it would be so if Home Minister Sitaula is not sacked on time, the tall talks of the CA polls will continue ad infinitum thus adding confusion to the already confused people who in effect-read the majority of the populace-do not possess any idea for adequate knowledge about what they are going to have and what it will offer to them after the results, in case the polls do happen on time? Mind it that we have now Cobra, Snake, Tiger and Scorpion et al like groups agitating in Terai pushing their demands to be addressed by the State prior to the polls. The violence of late has thus increased instead of being the other way round. State appears to be missing some wherein the midst of EPA clash for political booties.

Frankly speaking, adequate preparations are to be made in order to make the event a successful one as suggested by Honorable Shrestha to which neither the government nor the election commission appear to have become ready. Add to this the monsoon and the festivities theory as pronounced by Koirala. All put together what comes to the fore is that there are the possibility that the government might push the CA polls for yet another new date. If the EPA does so and chances are that it would do so under compulsion, the legitimacy and the raison d etre of the entire EPA apparatus will cease to exist thus giving birth to yet another political stalemate of the Himalayan order.

The message should be clear to all and sundry.

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