Kathmandu, Aug 21: Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa has said Nepal cannot afford another political “adventure” at this point.
Speaking at a book launch event titled “Loknayaks of Dolakha” in Kathmandu on Thursday, he said Nepal does not need another political “adventure” now.
He said the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) had secured a public mandate to run the government for five years and should therefore be allowed to govern for the full term. Thapa said the Nepali Congress was preparing to take over the government after five years. He said the party would learn from the past, correct its mistakes and move forward and also urged new political forces not to repeat the mistakes made by established parties or go through the crises they had experienced.
Thapa urged the government to shed the misconception that having a larger numerical strength alone guarantees political success. He said the Nepali Congress and CPN UML had previously ignored public dissatisfaction, believing that their majority and mandate were sufficient, and were now facing the consequences.
Even with a two-thirds majority, he said, a political force becomes weak once it loses sustained public support and moral leadership. Thapa stressed the importance of moral leadership in a democracy. He said the government must retain the trust of both citizens who voted for it and those who did not.
“We looked only upward, at the power and prestige we had gained. That alone cannot take us to the right place. This is what we learned from the past. We want to correct ourselves based on that experience and change the way we move forward. To our new colleagues, I would say: we have gone through things that you have not. Why should you go through the same things we did? You should avoid them. I have repeatedly said that Nepal should not embark on any new political adventure now. Nepal cannot withstand it,” he said.
He added, “The Rastriya Swatantra Party has been elected and will lead the country for five years. After another election in five years, we will prepare to do better than them. We will come with new ideas, new thinking and new people. If we win, we will take over. If not, they will continue to run the government. But do not embark on a new political adventure in Nepal. To prevent such an adventure, however, all of us need the continued support of citizens. You need it, and we need it too.”
Thapa also questioned the dignity of Parliament and the responsibilities of lawmakers.
He said MPs must take seriously every word they speak and every decision they make after entering Parliament. He accused lawmakers of currently saying whatever they please without considering the consequences.
People’s News Monitoring Service
Login to add a comment