On/Off the Record
By P.R. Pradhan
When the constitution was promulgated through a conspiracy, at that time, we had warned to the Nepali political actors that the Nepali politics has entered into a dark tunnel, where, there is no light or outlet even at the end of the tunnel.
We have wasted precious three decades, wh have destroyed all organs important to function a sovereign and independent nation. We spent 17 years in exercising the multiparty democracy from 1989 to 2006. In these 17 years, the anomalies created by the leaders in the multiparty democracy gave birth to the bloody 10-year-long Maoist insurgency killing above 17 thousand innocent Nepalis. In 2006, the next phase of the destruction of the nation started and now we are here to witness the act of those destroyers. In 2015, Nepal got a new constitution courtesy the European Union to destroy the nation further.
At present, the sick constitution is under the observation/consideration of the Supreme Court. We are sure, any of the medicines prescribed by the Court is not going to cure the disease of which the constitution is suffering.
Clearly, if the Court will restore the House of Representatives (HoR), PM Oli will have to face no-trust motion and perhaps Sher Bahadur Deuba or Pushpakamal Dahal will become the PM. May be, Ramchandra Poudel or JN Khanal will become the President after impeachment move against President Bidya Devi Bhandari. A hung parliament will continue to ensure horse-trading and conspiracy against the government.
If the Court will approve PM Oli’s decision of dissolving HoR, the nation either will go for a fresh election or Oli’s rival faction will launch another movement against “regression”! Oli’s rival group is defining his call for a fresh election as “regression”!
If there will be the general elections, sure, there will be a hung parliament ensuring prolonged political instability.
Defective constitution:
The provision of proportional election is the main reason behind making the politics instable. Those guys having no political contribution are being elected based on a financial contribution to the party leaders. Furthermore, in the name of inclusiveness, the political parties are found electing wives of the dominating political leaders. Such a trend has encouraged political level corruption and commission.
The constitution has introduced seven provinces and 753 local bodies along with other coordinating bodies. This has significantly increased the government expenditure by many folds just for the salary, allowances and other facilities of those elected employees. It is believed that around 80 percent of the country’s domestic revenue is being spent just on the salary of those elected employees. There left only 20 percent of the domestic revenue with the government to invest in the development projects. In such a way, we can never achieve the development goals set by the country.
Besides, corruption has become a serious disease in the country. Without the introduction of a strong mechanism to control corruption, we cannot expect the development of the nation. A new trend has been established in Nepal that those corrupt leaders are being regarded as the influential personality, instead of them being punished.
It is an exception that those who were responsible for violence and killings of innocent people have been rewarded in Nepal, those leaders who have been failed to lead the nation for the last 30 years, are still in a dominating power and they want to take their last breathe while remaining in power. In the nation-building process, first of all, those bad leaders involved in crime should be punished and those leaders should get compulsory retirement after enjoying power for two terms. Moreover, those educated people having patriotic background should have domination in politics. After all, politics should not be granted as a profession, rather than a service rendered to the nation and people.
Be that as it may, should the nation remain inside the tunnel without an outlet or should it return to the point from where the present journey was started! Of course, we should return if we are unable to find an outlet at the end. Perhaps, the proper solution could be an improved and modified 1990 constitution!
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