Politics is about conflict. In any conflict the winner is the player with most power. Politics is no exception, the King or the Parties with the greatest power will be able to make decisions, according to their ideas and principles, about how the country is governed – the conflict will have been won.

Power is a relationship. In democratic countries a government’s authority is based on elections. Provided those elections are free and competitive but there are clear indications that the last General Election results were manipulated clearly by the Nepali Congress thus achieving a majority. Even so, the advantage was not used at its full potential, in three years we saw three different NC governments. Nepali Congress had created more uncertainty in the country; Congress had lost all its credibility. But to look at it on a more positive note, the three different NC governments could have avoided the present uncertainty by initiating dialogue with the Maoist, creating an atmosphere for national consensus, send development packages to rural areas, provided the police with better weapons or the army should have been deployed back in 1997. This problem should have been addressed with the introduction of development packages ever since its origin or with the use of force. Why did the NC then not form an all-party government? Even the RPP and the CPN UML had stressed on the importance of National Consensus and the formation of an all-party government under the house of representative.

All political parties including the Monarch should take an approach to collective responsibility. The parties must stay united over key national issues by including the Monarch. Nepal is on the verge of becoming a failed state. As far as the dissolution of the lower house is concerned, no questions must arise. It is the Prime Minister’s prerogative to dissolve the house if and when he chooses to. The UML had earlier agreed to this but later when they aligned with the NC, a change in ideology was noticed. Girija Prasad Koirala dissolved the house in 1994 after the Chattise group revolted.  The dismissal of the Sher Bahadur Deuba government reflects on its incompetence. It could not hold elections and most its senior members were arrested for corruption, an act brought into affect ironically by the then Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka.

So I assume arresting the corrupt with likes of Wagle, Khum Bahadur, Gupta and surely Girija in the future is motivated by the non-corrupt officials. The parties and Girija dominantly had demanded the removal of Deuba, no one but the parties had asked the King to dismiss an elected government. The parties by doing this had served all the options to the king on a silver platter. Deuba’s dismissal was followed by clichés of sarcastic comments from the parties. His removal was inevitable and it reflects at his incompetence. Why all the hysteria and confusion when all the parties asked for the removal of the Deuba government. The parties even more precisely Koirala and Nepal should have persuaded the King to appoint a Prime Minister from within the seven party alliances. The purpose of this alliance was defeated after Koirala and Nepal accepted the Kings nomination of Lokendra Bahadur  Chand. The intention of Koirala and Nepal were obvious, mass manipulation over a week Prime Minister but they were soon to be taken with surprise when the King appointed the Prime Minister and the Cabinet not compromising any of the larger parties.

The Kings move was indeed very well calculated. Article 128 of the Constitution clearly states the Prime Minister should be a member of parliament of the dissolved house of representative. Lokendra was not a member of parliament. So why then did Koirala and Nepal agree to an unconstitutional agreement? It is now obvious why the constitution has remained dysfunctional over the years.  What makes Koirala and Nepal so distinct from the others to interpret the constitution to their liking or are they above law by giving verdicts and acting on behalf of the judiciary.

Koirala is a man of opportunities. He has had opportunities that no other Prime Minister had to prove himself but all went in vain. The image Koirala carried in the early 1990’s was literally great; a demi- god like figure there was a great wave of hope and exception from him and the Congress. And what made him different from other Congress members was the family name he inherited “KOIRALA”. No one but Koirala eliminated himself. And the damage he has caused is irreplaceable. The present agitation lacks moral values and ethics. The wreckage caused by Koirala cannot be mended by putting the nation at a greater crossroads. Koirala has not been able to appreciate his own party governments will he have the patience to see a government headed by another party. He has been responsible for bring three of his own Congress government and one of them a coalition with RPP.

As a result of non-corporation from Koirala, Deuba dissolved the house; he too did not resign leaving the future of democratic process questionable. One of the present crises in the country is obviously due to intra party conflicts but more importantly due to the differences within the ruling party. The party was responsible was lead the country against all the hurdles. Congress failed to provide the middle line it was placed with such an advantage taking into fact UML being a left wing the RPP a right wing party.

The demands of the parties have already been met. Surya Bahadur Thapa has been vested with executive powers to induct cabinet ministers on his recommendation to form an all-party government. The Prime Minister  has left key portfolios in the cabinet empty even three months after the initial induction of the new cabinet. There still remain differences in the demands of the major political parties and some leaders have even opposed the agitation.

The revival of the house of representative of the old house of representative will activate corrupt leaders once again in the political main stream. This will lead to inconclusive meets and more importantly it will ask the king to revoke the decision taken by the Supreme Court making him even more powerful. This demand itself contradicts the views of the parties in regard to the Monarchs power.

So it is now understood when the situation favors the parties it legitimizes the king to make unconstitutional moves. The only solution is the election to the house of representative. Though elections should be held in phases in regard to the security situation.  There are approximately 150,000 security personnel and providing security to every election contesters, voters, voting booths and EC supervisors will be impossible. Therefore, the parties and the government must work together in planning phase wise election. The security forces must be applauded for keeping law and order in the best way they can. It is an arduous task to fight the Maoist who has adopted guerrilla warfare. At no time should the Army be used for political means and nor should be politics intervene. It will inevitably demoralize the security forces they are a professional unit. Today if the parties and the monarch remain united it will take long before the Maoist are defeated. The Maoist should be defeated first by positive propaganda, developments, and then by mass military exercise, in any case they must be eliminated. Why do the Maoist stress on Sovereignty when they were in no position to accept the most direct form of democracy. Referendum for constituent assembly, people are directly involved in decision making.

The newly elected house of representative will activate the democratic process. Reforms could then be adopted on piecemeal basis as and when is seen fit. Reforms must include the introduction of an electoral system based on proportional representation, fixed terms for parliament, provision for more women representation, inclusion of ethnic minorities, reforms of the Upper House and the Monarchy. The house of parliament should be made in to function as a professional institution. Such an approach favors the gradual evolution of the constitution rather than radical reform or revolution. The four main functions of a parliament will be:-

A. Representation
B. Legislation
C. Control of the Executive
D. And Financial Control

The new parliament will then have to address key national issues such as the Maoist problem. The parties need to strike an alliance to persuade the government to hold elections. And the Monarch should never be involved in any controversies as it affects national unity. If the political parties were able the Monarch would have never intervened. The parties and the monarch are natural allies when it comes in solving matters of great importance. This can only be done through re-activating the democratic process through election first for the local bodies and then for the House of Representatives.