What Logics of Nepali Congress can Establish National Consensus from Opposition?
Prakash Bom
November 03, 2008
First of all, it has become a question whether Nepali Congress leaderships are serious about the multi-facet national crises that can drag entire nation to a civil war with the probability of socio-economic anarchism if the political consensus among major political parties failed.
Therefore, it has become not only an issue of logic regarding the role of a major opposition party in the current politics of a nation that has yet to establish institutions of multi-party democracy but also it has become a grave concern whether the top leaderships of Nepali Congress party can see the need of the rapid socio-economic transformations of the entire nation.
For example, it is a historical inquisition whether there was an opposition political party representation among two hundred and seven representatives of Constituent Assembly of India during two years, seven months and seventeen days processes was a thing to enquiry before rushing to the conclusion. Similarly, it is important to look into the history of other major democratic nationsī Constituent Assembly to find out whether there were opposition political party representations and if there were then what creative role they had played in their Constituent Assembly.
Even if there were no opposition political party representations in the history of Constituent Assembly formation of all democratic nations as per the choice of Nepali Congress its political destiny solely depends on what creative role it can play to bring all political parties to a national consensus. If it fails to play thoughtful role, for instance, with its dry and illogical democratic rhetoric of opposition then obviously Nepali Congress leaderships have not yet become serious about the urgency for the rapid socio-economic transformation of the entire nation.
The choice for Nepali Congress as a major opposition political party of Constituent Assembly is tough and cannot be usual politics of past. This is a challenge of creating a new nation with the multi-party institutions of democracy for the federal democratic republic setup to flourish for generation to come.
The task demands epiphany after epiphany for purgation of the state of minds of Nepali Congress leaderships who easily assume to know processes of democracy from top to bottom. The purgation must transform the conscience of "me & my-party" in all levels for the sake of socio-economic conditions of the nation without which the democracy will not reach that far for people to get justice, equal opportunity and liberty.
So far there has been no creative input of Nepali Congress as an opposition party of Constituent Assembly for accomplishing its fundamental objectives except for threatening Maoist led government with the political rhetoric from the angle of a self-exiled opponent.
One of the creative roles lately touched the horizon for the first time from Nepali Congress opposition is the demand of equal representation in Special Commission for Army Integration. It will be difficult if not impossible for peace to reach to a logical conclusion without the political consensus of all major political parties. Unlike NC leader Ram Sharan Mahatīs claim, PLA integration is one of the major elements of Peace Accord. PLA must be blended into professionalism of Nepal Army in order to terminate their party affiliation.
It is also true that the army integration is not the PLA militias "wholesale" merging into Nepal Army to become National Army. Rather it is the integration of those professional militias of PLA into Nepal Army for blending in to terminate their political affiliation. Nepali Congress leaderships who have reached to this point have the purgation of epiphany to see the political reality that is urgent to address the deteriorating socio-economic conditions of the nation for rapid transformation.
Therefore, politics for the sake of politics without the rapid socio-economic transformation nation cannot deliver democracy to people as a whole in a nation like ours. To this point, the top leaders of Nepali Congress party need to be thoughtful beyond their own preconceived ideas of democracy for economic developments which might have already been obsolete.
Therefore, it is not a time for rhetoric of opposition for opposition politicsī sake. But it is time for constructive role for Nepali Congress to play even though it has chosen to indulge an opposition role.
In my opinion, Nepali Congress leaderships should challenge themselves for more roles to play from within its party mechanism in Maoist led government for sake of accomplishing fundamental objectives of Constituent Assembly.
Objectives of Constituent Assembly are the objectives of all political parties and people of Nepal who have elected them to represent Constituent Assembly. Therefore, there is no question of opposition because the people and major political parties are committed for national consensus in regard to these objectives.
The most responsible role could have been to join the government with its proportional representation that is led by major political party. Failure to reach to a political consensus has thus put Nepali Congress in opposition. And it is the failure of not only of Nepali Congress but also of the most major political parties.
Similarly, how honestly Maoist leaderships have tried to bring Nepali Congress to the government might have been the politics of catch-22. None the less, it has formally tied yet with the mischievousness of the formation of the Special Commission for the Army integration is one of the instances of Maoist politics.
For that reason, in every commission of Maoist led government that engages in process such as army integration for peace to reach logical conclusion, process in drafting constitution, and process of restructuring state Nepali Congress must have proportional representation.
This can only be assured if Nepali Congress leaderships suspend the thoughtless politics of rhetoric but become actively engaged in playing creative role particularly to accomplish the fundamental objectives of Constituent Assembly that have reached national consensus.
At this point, the Maoist dominated Special Commission for the army integration must be re-formed with the proportional representation of the major political parties of Constituent Assembly. If not the army integration processes initiated by Maoist dominated commission will not be legitimate. By all means the lately formed commission is distortional with the overrepresentation of Maoist party.
Certainly, the task initiated without the proportional representation of Nepali Congress in all commission such as īSpecial Commission for Army Integrationī will not only be illegitimate but also will be against the spirit of national consensus that has brought the nation to this point in the history.
On the other hand, if Nepali Congress perpetuates its position of opposition with the politics of rhetoric as usual it will be blamed for obstructing the possibility for socio-political and economic transformation of the entire nation. Frankly, in a time when nation needs national consensus the allocation of opposition in Constituent Assembly is specious unless Nepali Congress encapsulate the logics to play creative role in nation building processes.
Therefore, it has become not only an issue of logic regarding the role of a major opposition party in the current politics of a nation that has yet to establish institutions of multi-party democracy but also it has become a grave concern whether the top leaderships of Nepali Congress party can see the need of the rapid socio-economic transformations of the entire nation.
For example, it is a historical inquisition whether there was an opposition political party representation among two hundred and seven representatives of Constituent Assembly of India during two years, seven months and seventeen days processes was a thing to enquiry before rushing to the conclusion. Similarly, it is important to look into the history of other major democratic nationsī Constituent Assembly to find out whether there were opposition political party representations and if there were then what creative role they had played in their Constituent Assembly.
Even if there were no opposition political party representations in the history of Constituent Assembly formation of all democratic nations as per the choice of Nepali Congress its political destiny solely depends on what creative role it can play to bring all political parties to a national consensus. If it fails to play thoughtful role, for instance, with its dry and illogical democratic rhetoric of opposition then obviously Nepali Congress leaderships have not yet become serious about the urgency for the rapid socio-economic transformation of the entire nation.
The choice for Nepali Congress as a major opposition political party of Constituent Assembly is tough and cannot be usual politics of past. This is a challenge of creating a new nation with the multi-party institutions of democracy for the federal democratic republic setup to flourish for generation to come.
The task demands epiphany after epiphany for purgation of the state of minds of Nepali Congress leaderships who easily assume to know processes of democracy from top to bottom. The purgation must transform the conscience of "me & my-party" in all levels for the sake of socio-economic conditions of the nation without which the democracy will not reach that far for people to get justice, equal opportunity and liberty.
So far there has been no creative input of Nepali Congress as an opposition party of Constituent Assembly for accomplishing its fundamental objectives except for threatening Maoist led government with the political rhetoric from the angle of a self-exiled opponent.
One of the creative roles lately touched the horizon for the first time from Nepali Congress opposition is the demand of equal representation in Special Commission for Army Integration. It will be difficult if not impossible for peace to reach to a logical conclusion without the political consensus of all major political parties. Unlike NC leader Ram Sharan Mahatīs claim, PLA integration is one of the major elements of Peace Accord. PLA must be blended into professionalism of Nepal Army in order to terminate their party affiliation.
It is also true that the army integration is not the PLA militias "wholesale" merging into Nepal Army to become National Army. Rather it is the integration of those professional militias of PLA into Nepal Army for blending in to terminate their political affiliation. Nepali Congress leaderships who have reached to this point have the purgation of epiphany to see the political reality that is urgent to address the deteriorating socio-economic conditions of the nation for rapid transformation.
Therefore, politics for the sake of politics without the rapid socio-economic transformation nation cannot deliver democracy to people as a whole in a nation like ours. To this point, the top leaders of Nepali Congress party need to be thoughtful beyond their own preconceived ideas of democracy for economic developments which might have already been obsolete.
Therefore, it is not a time for rhetoric of opposition for opposition politicsī sake. But it is time for constructive role for Nepali Congress to play even though it has chosen to indulge an opposition role.
In my opinion, Nepali Congress leaderships should challenge themselves for more roles to play from within its party mechanism in Maoist led government for sake of accomplishing fundamental objectives of Constituent Assembly.
Objectives of Constituent Assembly are the objectives of all political parties and people of Nepal who have elected them to represent Constituent Assembly. Therefore, there is no question of opposition because the people and major political parties are committed for national consensus in regard to these objectives.
The most responsible role could have been to join the government with its proportional representation that is led by major political party. Failure to reach to a political consensus has thus put Nepali Congress in opposition. And it is the failure of not only of Nepali Congress but also of the most major political parties.
Similarly, how honestly Maoist leaderships have tried to bring Nepali Congress to the government might have been the politics of catch-22. None the less, it has formally tied yet with the mischievousness of the formation of the Special Commission for the Army integration is one of the instances of Maoist politics.
For that reason, in every commission of Maoist led government that engages in process such as army integration for peace to reach logical conclusion, process in drafting constitution, and process of restructuring state Nepali Congress must have proportional representation.
This can only be assured if Nepali Congress leaderships suspend the thoughtless politics of rhetoric but become actively engaged in playing creative role particularly to accomplish the fundamental objectives of Constituent Assembly that have reached national consensus.
At this point, the Maoist dominated Special Commission for the army integration must be re-formed with the proportional representation of the major political parties of Constituent Assembly. If not the army integration processes initiated by Maoist dominated commission will not be legitimate. By all means the lately formed commission is distortional with the overrepresentation of Maoist party.
Certainly, the task initiated without the proportional representation of Nepali Congress in all commission such as īSpecial Commission for Army Integrationī will not only be illegitimate but also will be against the spirit of national consensus that has brought the nation to this point in the history.
On the other hand, if Nepali Congress perpetuates its position of opposition with the politics of rhetoric as usual it will be blamed for obstructing the possibility for socio-political and economic transformation of the entire nation. Frankly, in a time when nation needs national consensus the allocation of opposition in Constituent Assembly is specious unless Nepali Congress encapsulate the logics to play creative role in nation building processes.