The President of Nepal Must Solicit Maoist First to Lead the Coalition Government
Prakash Bom
July 23, 2008
In democracy those political party leaders who are either afraid of competing refrain from the ballot, or compete only if all-party consensus is reached for making sure to win or compete with the peculiar warning – "if you do not elect us, we will walk out from our responsibility" have indeed no respect for democracy because they do not like to comply with its protocols but want to win in any way. Lately, Nepal´s presidential elections have exposed these categories of leaderships out of four main political parties - Maoist, NC, UM & MPRF.
Eventually, democracy processed right candidates for the nation to begin with the professionals who with their discipline and thought are sincerely committed to keep the national integrity intact. It is very important to the people and nation that the elected president and vice-president must keep their political protocol – "political speech" and political profile – "political party agenda" in defense to the national integrity. For example, they must not drag themselves into the federal state (s) restructuring disputes that are based on false and anti-nationalistic claim of certain political parties even of which they were nominees. But once elected president and VP they must represent entire nation and people of Nepal composed of multi-culture, multi-lingual and multi-ethnicity.
To the point, Nepal is restructuring its state into the federal political system of government from the unitary system of its old establishment because the local units of governments (states, and city/village-counties) must be governed by the elected representatives of people in order to make government system more efficient and progressive. Therefore, Nepal is neither restructuring its state with the false analogies of former Soviet Russia nor with the union based structure of the United States of America or India.
It has to be absolutely clear to the president and vice-president that the former Soviet Russia was never formed under the electoral federal political system of government and nor the states of the United States of America or India are declared autonomous and self-governing states in their respective constitutions. United States of America can only be disintegrated with the majority vote of thirty-two states if thirty-two states out of fifty states decided to disintegrate themselves from the union. Whereas former Soviet Russia was the unions of nations of communist ideology committed to the tyranny of Stalin for their national security in order to prevent access to and from the democratic capitalism.
Therefore, Nepal has no relevant political components with none of the above nations´ political history for justifying demands of federal states with the autonomy and self-governance. However, autonomy and right to self-governance are the build-in mechanism of electoral federal political system. Therefore, declaration is not mandatory but the implementations.
Since Nepal has its unique set of aboriginal culture and linguistic factors of indigenous nationalities from Neolithic period, which can be too complicated in identifying its specific political geography, for example, locating territory of Tharus, Magar, Kirat and Rajbansi in terms of ethnicity. Therefore, Nepal as a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-ethnical (religious) nation has to find unique and scientific method for restructuring the state with units of state and local governments that are governable under the electoral federal political system of governance.
It is clear that the first presidential election has not only put an end to the ethnocentric thinking in politics but also has paved the way for Maoist to lead the formation of the unity government to accomplish the fundamental objectives of Constituent Assembly. Therefore, it is Maoist leaderships´ responsibility to form a consensus based government as per the mandate of people given to a major political party of Constituent Assembly. It will be irresponsible if Maoist Central Secretarial Meeting eccentrically decides not to lead the formation of a unity government or take no part in the government because their presidential candidate lost the election. It will be dishonoring people´s mandate if Maoist refrain from taking such responsibility.
As a matter of fact, it was the failure of the leaderships of three main political parties in overplaying politics of consensus above the electoral democratic process. Maoist was the first party, which has broken the alliance of main three political parties in a separate coalition with UML without realizing the underling desire of UML to make the history – not with UML candidate that Maoist recommended but with the former general secretary. This is where Maoist leaderships made blunder.
However, that blunder has made the turning point in the contemporary politics of Nepal that the political consensus cannot be manipulated for sake of the power or glory of one party but it has to reflect the aspiration of people of the entire nation. If the decision of the main political parties´ central committee or secretariat compels the party not to take in the government against the mandate of Constituent Assembly elections then the committee or secretariat is composed of egotistical-arrogant-eccentrics.
Therefore, if Maoist Central Secretariat makes the decision that Maoist will not lead the new government formation despite it is being a major political party in Constituent Assembly is unfortunate. Just as in life in general one always cannot get what one wants losing a ballot in democracy is not the end of the world because if Maoist Central Secretariat could have realized the significant of political consensus in alliance it would have never made impulsive decision for selecting its own presidential candidate dictatorially. Such an ideological attempt to glorify Republic was irrelevant to the aspiration of people of Nepal for democracy.
However, none of the other main political party – NC or UML or MPRF should rush to take the unnecessary advantage of the situation in forming a new government without the participation of a major political party of Constituent Assembly. Now it is the responsibility of the unholy alliance of NC, UML and MRF to persuade Maoist in goodwill to lead the new coalition government. Any attempt to take unnecessary advantage of the situation will not only jeopardize the peace and democracy but also the nation might fall in the trap of civil war and disintegration.
It is time for the entire nation and people to persuade Maoist leaderships for leading the new government as a major political party from Constituent Assembly to the streets. Members of Civil society of Nepal must be concerned about how political power might be getting out of the balance if the major political party Maoist is sidelined by other main political parties in violation to the modus operandi of Constituent Assembly.
Finally, it has now become the formal responsibility of the president of Federal Democratic Republic Nepal to invite major political party of Constituent Assembly for forming coalition the government before the right of the major political party is violated by three other main political parties. The president must first therefore solicit Maoist to lead the formation a coalition government with the simple majority of Constituent Assembly.
Nothing can justify Maoist Central Secretariat´s decision not leading the formation of a new coalition government, at this point in history, after twelve-year´ people´s war and successful people´s movements – April Uprising. The cause of current political commotion in regard to the first presidential election wasn´t the foreign conspiracy but was the failure of the politics of consensus among main political parties. Therefore, the most responsible thing for Maoist as a major political party of Constituent Assembly is not to repeat the same mistake again by refraining from leading the formation of a new coalition government to accomplish the fundamental objectives of the Constituent Assembly.
Eventually, democracy processed right candidates for the nation to begin with the professionals who with their discipline and thought are sincerely committed to keep the national integrity intact. It is very important to the people and nation that the elected president and vice-president must keep their political protocol – "political speech" and political profile – "political party agenda" in defense to the national integrity. For example, they must not drag themselves into the federal state (s) restructuring disputes that are based on false and anti-nationalistic claim of certain political parties even of which they were nominees. But once elected president and VP they must represent entire nation and people of Nepal composed of multi-culture, multi-lingual and multi-ethnicity.
To the point, Nepal is restructuring its state into the federal political system of government from the unitary system of its old establishment because the local units of governments (states, and city/village-counties) must be governed by the elected representatives of people in order to make government system more efficient and progressive. Therefore, Nepal is neither restructuring its state with the false analogies of former Soviet Russia nor with the union based structure of the United States of America or India.
It has to be absolutely clear to the president and vice-president that the former Soviet Russia was never formed under the electoral federal political system of government and nor the states of the United States of America or India are declared autonomous and self-governing states in their respective constitutions. United States of America can only be disintegrated with the majority vote of thirty-two states if thirty-two states out of fifty states decided to disintegrate themselves from the union. Whereas former Soviet Russia was the unions of nations of communist ideology committed to the tyranny of Stalin for their national security in order to prevent access to and from the democratic capitalism.
Therefore, Nepal has no relevant political components with none of the above nations´ political history for justifying demands of federal states with the autonomy and self-governance. However, autonomy and right to self-governance are the build-in mechanism of electoral federal political system. Therefore, declaration is not mandatory but the implementations.
Since Nepal has its unique set of aboriginal culture and linguistic factors of indigenous nationalities from Neolithic period, which can be too complicated in identifying its specific political geography, for example, locating territory of Tharus, Magar, Kirat and Rajbansi in terms of ethnicity. Therefore, Nepal as a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, and multi-ethnical (religious) nation has to find unique and scientific method for restructuring the state with units of state and local governments that are governable under the electoral federal political system of governance.
It is clear that the first presidential election has not only put an end to the ethnocentric thinking in politics but also has paved the way for Maoist to lead the formation of the unity government to accomplish the fundamental objectives of Constituent Assembly. Therefore, it is Maoist leaderships´ responsibility to form a consensus based government as per the mandate of people given to a major political party of Constituent Assembly. It will be irresponsible if Maoist Central Secretarial Meeting eccentrically decides not to lead the formation of a unity government or take no part in the government because their presidential candidate lost the election. It will be dishonoring people´s mandate if Maoist refrain from taking such responsibility.
As a matter of fact, it was the failure of the leaderships of three main political parties in overplaying politics of consensus above the electoral democratic process. Maoist was the first party, which has broken the alliance of main three political parties in a separate coalition with UML without realizing the underling desire of UML to make the history – not with UML candidate that Maoist recommended but with the former general secretary. This is where Maoist leaderships made blunder.
However, that blunder has made the turning point in the contemporary politics of Nepal that the political consensus cannot be manipulated for sake of the power or glory of one party but it has to reflect the aspiration of people of the entire nation. If the decision of the main political parties´ central committee or secretariat compels the party not to take in the government against the mandate of Constituent Assembly elections then the committee or secretariat is composed of egotistical-arrogant-eccentrics.
Therefore, if Maoist Central Secretariat makes the decision that Maoist will not lead the new government formation despite it is being a major political party in Constituent Assembly is unfortunate. Just as in life in general one always cannot get what one wants losing a ballot in democracy is not the end of the world because if Maoist Central Secretariat could have realized the significant of political consensus in alliance it would have never made impulsive decision for selecting its own presidential candidate dictatorially. Such an ideological attempt to glorify Republic was irrelevant to the aspiration of people of Nepal for democracy.
However, none of the other main political party – NC or UML or MPRF should rush to take the unnecessary advantage of the situation in forming a new government without the participation of a major political party of Constituent Assembly. Now it is the responsibility of the unholy alliance of NC, UML and MRF to persuade Maoist in goodwill to lead the new coalition government. Any attempt to take unnecessary advantage of the situation will not only jeopardize the peace and democracy but also the nation might fall in the trap of civil war and disintegration.
It is time for the entire nation and people to persuade Maoist leaderships for leading the new government as a major political party from Constituent Assembly to the streets. Members of Civil society of Nepal must be concerned about how political power might be getting out of the balance if the major political party Maoist is sidelined by other main political parties in violation to the modus operandi of Constituent Assembly.
Finally, it has now become the formal responsibility of the president of Federal Democratic Republic Nepal to invite major political party of Constituent Assembly for forming coalition the government before the right of the major political party is violated by three other main political parties. The president must first therefore solicit Maoist to lead the formation a coalition government with the simple majority of Constituent Assembly.
Nothing can justify Maoist Central Secretariat´s decision not leading the formation of a new coalition government, at this point in history, after twelve-year´ people´s war and successful people´s movements – April Uprising. The cause of current political commotion in regard to the first presidential election wasn´t the foreign conspiracy but was the failure of the politics of consensus among main political parties. Therefore, the most responsible thing for Maoist as a major political party of Constituent Assembly is not to repeat the same mistake again by refraining from leading the formation of a new coalition government to accomplish the fundamental objectives of the Constituent Assembly.
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