Tag Archives: nepali-politics

Nepali Congress

Nepali Congress, GO for Democracy

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One of the biggest reasons for the failure of democracy in Nepal in the 90s is the lack of democracy in the then largest democratic party of Nepal: the Nepali Congress. Girija Prasad Koirala, the paramount leader of the party- then and now- is responsible for that. He, along with other leaders like KP Bhattarai and Ganesh Man Singh, tried to run the party as if it was their club. No wide consultation was done before taking any vital decisions by a party so mass-based in Nepali context. The President of the party is like a dictator. The President, for the past several years, is Koirala. Continue reading Nepali Congress, GO for Democracy →

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Maoist Politics

Another Maoist Agitation: People Will Suffer

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Maoists have hit the streets from today aiming to topple the current government. They should have gone to the Constituent Assembly instead.

Sticking to their old demand that the presidential action over the sacking of the then army chief by the then Maoist-led government some four months ago be corrected, the Maoists have started today their ‘decisive’ agitation to bring down the Madhav Nepal-led government. This is clearly unfortunate not because the shaky coalition is at the helm putting the largest party in the Constituent Assembly, the Maoist, out of the government but because the Maoists are not honest to their demand and they are not fighting for the civilian supremacy as they tirelessly and consistently claim. Continue reading Another Maoist Agitation: People Will Suffer →

Peace Process 2

UN Says Nepali Peace Process Has More Challenges Ahead

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The Constituent Assembly has faced repeated delays in drafting the new constitution. The delays have led to growing public speculation and concern that the May 2010 promulgation deadline will not be met.

Report of the UN Secretary-General on the request of Nepal for United Nations assistance in support of its peace process

I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1879 (2009), by which the Council, following the request of the Government of Nepal and the recommendation of the Secretary-General, renewed the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) until 23 January 2010. UNMIN was established as a special political mission in 2007, with a mandate which included monitoring of the management of arms and armed personnel of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) and the Nepal Army. Following its merger with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unity Centre (Masal) on 13 January 2009, CPN-M was renamed the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M). Continue reading UN Says Nepali Peace Process Has More Challenges Ahead →

Nepali Politics 2

Happy Republic Day Nepal :)

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The Himalayan Republic Celebrates First Republic Day Anniversary
[From a year ago: 1. Nepal is Declared a Republic!!! 2. Minute by Minute Account of the Historic Session of the CA that Declared Nepal a Republic

Republic Day rally in Pokhara, Nepal
Republic Day rally in Pokhara, Nepal. Pic by Krishna Mani Baral

The first anniversary of the declaration of federal democratic republic of Nepal is being observed throughout the nation on Friday (today). Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people within and abroad the country are celebrating the first republic day. A large number of people thronged the capital to observe a special function organised at Tundikhel in which various cultural programmes and other vibrant displays were organised by the government appointed organising committee. Continue reading Happy Republic Day Nepal 🙂 →

Nepali Politics 2

Madhav Nepal, the Moderate Communist Leader, is the Prime Minister of Nepal

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“I announce that Madhav Kumar Nepal has been elected unopposed in the position of Prime Minister as per the Constituent Assembly’s Legislature-Parliament Business Advisory Regulations 2065.”

With that declaration from Subash Nemwang, the chair of the CA, today evening the moderate Marxist and Leninist leader became the third communist prime minister in Nepal. MK Nepal had previously served as the deputy prime minister in the nine-month-long government led by his Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist and Leninist)’s Manmonah Adhikari, the first elected communist prime minister of Nepal. That was in 1994-95. MK Nepal led the party for 15 years from 1993 to 2008 as the General Secretary. He took over the responsibility after the accidental death of charismatic communist leader Madan Bhandari. He resigned from the post citing moral responsibility for his party’s humiliating defeat in the Apri 2008 CA polls. He was later nominated in the CA. Continue reading Madhav Nepal, the Moderate Communist Leader, is the Prime Minister of Nepal →

Maoist Politics

Madhav Kumar Nepal Set to Become Prime Minister of Nepal

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madhav kumar nepal
Madhav Kumar Nepal, veteran communist leader of the Himalayan republic who have been tipped to be the prime minister of Nepal several times in the past and lost from both constituencies in the April 2008 CA elections, is finally set to become the third Communist prime minister of Nepal.

The leader of the moderate Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist and Leninist (CPN UML) who resigned from the post of party General Secretary owing moral responsibilities to his party’s disastrous performance in the CA polls, have already been the deputy prime minister in the cabinet of Manmonah Adhikari, the first elected communist prime minister of Nepal, in 1994 for nine months. He is considered the moderate and inclusive leader in the communist party that, unlike the Maoists, have been taking part in parliamentary democratic elections ever since democracy was restored in 1990. He is criticized as a leader who sometime becomes indecisive and can’t take any firm stands on hard issues.

After the country plunged into political uncertainty with the abrupt resignation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on May 4 the process of forming a non-Maoist government had started in the primary initation of opposition Nepali Congress. The hectic deliberations and possibly some amount of horsetrading finally appeared to have ended today (Sunday) when the CPN UML submitted the signatures of 350 lawmakers (out of 601 CA members) to the CA chairman to open up the way to form the new government. Madhav Kumar Nepal has been backed by 22 different parties representing in the CA including the second largest Nepali Congress. Continue reading Madhav Kumar Nepal Set to Become Prime Minister of Nepal →

Security 2

Army in Nepali Politics, Politics in Nepal Army [Everything You Wanted to Know]

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UWB note: The issue resulted in the resignation of the first democratically elected (and Maoist) Prime Minister of the Republic of Nepal after his split cabinet fired the Army chief only to be rejected by the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Nepal. The country is now into a constitutional crisis with the Supreme Court issuing a show-cause notice to the President’s secretariat as to why he ordered the army chief, who was sacked by the cabinet, to stay on. Maoists and some members of the civil society are hitting the streets saying the Presidential letter to the ‘sacked’ army chief was unconstitutional where as opposition parties representing more than 50 percent in the 601 seat constituent assembly feel the Maoist’s unilateral decision to fire the army chief was unconstitutional and improperly executed. Here is a research article, written before the resignation of PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal, that explains the issue that has almost threatened to put the fragile peace process in peril.
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By Bishnu Pathak, PhD

Setting

The confrontation between the United CPN (Maoist) and the then Royal Nepal Army began when the former first attacked the Army barracks in Ghorahi, Dang on November 24, 2001 and continued up to the initiation of the Popular Movement (Jana Andolan II) in April 2006. When the present Prime Minister (PM), Puspa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, first appeared in the media two years ago, along with Dr. Baburam Bhattarai at Baluwatar, he harshly criticized the Nepal Army (NA). Even his retraction soon after did not untie the knot that had developed in the relationship. The result of Constituent Assembly (CA) widened the gap. This gap intensified more due to the Maoists having their own army, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The anti-Maoists generals felt abandoned, and the national and international forces who were against the Maoists-led government were (are) able to exploit their feelings to serve their interests. Their traumatized psyche aligned them towards politics. They knocked on doors of their near and dear ones, forgetting their structured and disciplined duties and responsibilities. The NA generals, particularly the incumbent Chief of Army Staff, (CoAS) Rookmangud Katawal, started to deliver political lectures as if they were political leaders, against the Interim Constitution, elected government, peace process (integration or formation of a new national army), and so forth. The vested interests of a few generals fomented distrust with the civilian government. Continue reading Army in Nepali Politics, Politics in Nepal Army [Everything You Wanted to Know] →

Maoist Politics

Addressing the PLA Combatants, Prachanda Outlined How Maoists Wanted to Capture State and National Army

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Maos respond to the video: here


The video was first aired yesterday evening by Image Channel. YouTubed today by myrepublica.com

During the uncertain times just two months before the 10 April 2008 Constituent Assembly elections, Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” was addressing a meeting of People’s Liberation Army commanders and combatants at Shatikhor, Chitwan cantonment. In that 2 January 2008 speech, Prachanda talked about how the Maoist leadership had inflated the numbers of the PLA soldiers by almost five-fold and how the Maoist planned to capture the state and the national army. The speech was videotaped. The video was broadcast late yesterday night by Kathmandu-based network Image Channel. [Meanwhile, the elections did happen, which at the time of Prachanda speech, seemed uncertain because of differences between the Maoist and non-Maoist parties over percentage allocation for the electoral systems First-Past-The-Post (PPTP or direct votes) and proportional representation. Prachanda’s party emerged single largest in the CA and four months after the polls Prachanda formed a multi-party government that lasted until yesterday. The reason behind Prachanda government’s fall? It wanted to sack the army chief who, in the videotaped speech, Prachanda says is obstructing the PLA’s integration into Nepali Army.] Continue reading Addressing the PLA Combatants, Prachanda Outlined How Maoists Wanted to Capture State and National Army →

nepali-politics

Prime Minister Prachanda Resigns

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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ announced his resignation in a nationally broadcast TV address a while ago. With this the eight-month old Maoist rule has ended. This decision comes as a surprise to many while some have appreciated Dahal’s act as democratic. The Maoist party is the single largest in the Constituent Assembly that was elected in April 2008. The Maoist leader’s resignation comes in the wake of the controversy regarding the sacking of the chief of the army staff by his split cabinet yesterday. The cabinet meeting was boycotted by the alliance parter CPN UML who promptly took back its support to the government pushing it to the minority in the 600-seat constituent assembly. The cabinet decision was unilaterally taken by the Maoists. The decision was later declared unconstitutional by the President who reinstated the army chief. The Maoists have termed the President’s action as ‘constitutional coup.’ Finance Minister and senior Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has said that his party would hit the streets now demanding resignation of the President.

The President: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav issued a press statement just ahead of the Prime Minister’s address to the nation in which he said his yesterday’s decision to ask Army chief General Rookmangud Katawal to continue with post despite his dismissal by the cabinet constitutional. The President said his decision didn’t violate the constitutional provisions instead the Maoists sacked Katawal without consulting all its coalition partners in the government.

Peace Process 2

Why Nepal is Divided Over the Sacking of Army Chief?

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It’s not so important to ask why the Maoists are sacking the Army Chief as it is to ask why the other parties are apposing this so strongly. Three reasons:

By Neil Horning

In a democracy, the Army should not be a center of power in the slightest. It is supposed to carry out the will of the elected government within the confines of the constitution. To illustrate, when Obama was elected, it was considered a novelty when he did not replace the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Thus, in assessing this development, I feel it’s not so important to ask why the Maoists are sacking the Army Chief as it is to ask why the other parties are apposing this so strongly.

There a couple of reasons why this could be so. In increasing importance:

1. The Army Chief has important friends in elite circles

Even in the US it’s common to say, “it’s not what you know. It’s who you know.” This could not be truer in Nepal. While the country has gone through tremulous upheaval recently, nepotism, corruption, and crony-ism have hardly abated. While the Nepali Congress and The UML formally apposed the Palace, their upper crust, mostly Brahmin-Chetri members ran in the same social circles with royals and royalists, dined with them, attended the same wedding receptions, ran the same civic organizations, served on the same boards, etc. All in this elite class share the goal of, to one degree or another, preserving the power of their own class-caste. These are social contacts that nearly all Maoist members severed while going underground, if they existed to begin with, and they hardly have had time to return. The Army Chief Surely has many friends within the CPN UML and NC, if not relatives (which trump all), and many favors to call in. Continue reading Why Nepal is Divided Over the Sacking of Army Chief? →