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At Last Formation of HLPM in Nepal

Prakash Bom - 1/28/2010

The fundamental concern should have been whether the formation of High Level Political Mechanism would overrule the electoral proceedings of Constituent Assembly given the disposition of political leaderships and politics of main political parties. Nonetheless, if its authority overrides Parliament proceedings then it will obviously undermine the people’s supremacy.

In last sixty years democratic practice Nepal has reprehensibly undermined the rights of elected representatives in Parliament without crucial democratic discourse whether under one-party or multi-party political systems. The elected representatives in the Parliament have not yet cultivated the culture of taking full responsibility of legislation.

Formation of the cabinet after the historic Constituent Assembly elections, for example, should have been from within the elected representatives of Constituent Assembly as per the people’s aspiration for a new Nepal. But that did not happen because the first government cabinet under Maoist leadership appointed coalition members who were unelected.

As a result, the incumbent government under UML leadership now has been formed with the majority of cabinet members from unelected politicians who have been made leaders through nepotism and favoritism. Many among them are irresponsible and often need to be tabbed with their rash behavior against people’s aspiration for peace and Democracy.

For instance, the defense minister Bidhya Devi Bhandari’s statement against Maoist army integration, which challenged the decision of the Special Committee under the leadership of the Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. As per the defense minister Defense Ministry and Nepal Army are not obliged to accept the decisions of Special Committee.

Besides the government, Nepal Army had to refrain itself from defense minister’s statement. Nepal Army made it clear that it will accept Special Committee’s decision on Maoist army integration provided their integration is based on individual combatant’s qualification rather than on block or battalion basis integrations.

As per the statement, Nepal Army seems confident with its military institutions and professionalism that it can train and blend in no matter how politically indoctrinated Maoist combatants are. At this point, it should not be the headache of defense minister or any other political party leaders. Surely, HLPM can play a constructive role in army integration provided UML led government maintain accountability and is capable to prevent those unelected cabinet members who blow it up out of proportion.

The unelected cabinet ministers like Bidhya Bhandari and Sujata Koirala have no accountability to people and nation. Particularly, Sujata Koirala is trying to develop a career in politics for power. It seems as if the most of unelected cabinet ministers like Sujata Koirala will try to become high ranking minister of the cabinet if not Prime Minister of Nepal even though they know that they have no self-integrity and are not competent.

As watchdog, HLPM can monitor the political behavior of such cabinet members, who are unelected and have no sense of accountability to people and nation, if they speak out against peace process out of proportion.

Therefore, unelected cabinet members by no means should be included in HLPM. However, it is necessary to include Prime Minister in HLPM representing cabinet because UML led cabinet lacks coordination due to out of proportion statements of ministers like Bidhya Bhandari’s against army integration and Sujata Koirala’s against federalism.

For instance, who influenced the tongue of Bidhya Bhandari to speak out of proportion against the integration of Maoist combatants into Nepal Army should be the question of self-integrity of Bhandari as a Defense minister if it means nothing to UML leaderships to exercise party-favoritism.

It is obvious that Bidhya Bhandari belongs to the recently bubbled-up “rightwing UML Camp” of KP Oli, who has ideological tie with the rightwing camp of NC under Susil Koirala’s leadership to strongly oppose army integration. It is clear that their opposition is shortsighted because the only hope for peace and stability in Nepal is Nepal Army, which has institutional capacity to change politically indoctrinated combatants into professional army.

Above all, it is neither UML nor NC nor Maoist nor those bigmouth royalists who oppose army integration into Nepal Army can transform politically indoctrinated combatants into professional army.

To be precise, the institutional integration processes as such is not a merger in which Maoists combatants are allowed to keep their battalions as it is in Nepal Army. But, it means absorbing Maoist combatants into Nepal Army and that absorption depends on the individual combatant’s qualification for military training, which can transform politically indoctrinated combatant into professional Nepal Army personnel.

Therefore, those who oppose army integration processes as defined in the 2006 Peace Accord are traitors not less than Maoists who attempt to integrate their combatants in bulk to keep their battalions intact within Nepal Army.

Maoists have therefore failed to earn the trust of rest of other political parties in Constituent Assembly, which cost them cabinet. As such it is worth to doubt that Maoists have a tentative plan to capture state, which is next to impossible under the barrel of gun.

Since peace process has been derailed badly, the formation of “High Level Political Mechanism” is indispensable to reinvent a sense of national unity in the political level. Those who opposed, for example UML rightwing leader KP Oli above all is a collaborator of New Delhi establishment and ruling elites, who like to treat Nepal as a commonwealth of India.

Therefore, it is very important to redefine India’s one-way relationship with new Nepal. The new constitution of Nepal must stand firm with its national integrity. It has to be clear to all political parties that India has politically taken unnecessary advantage of our cultural heritage.

It is a time that Nepal should not spare a minute to unite for its national integrity and economic prosperity that up till now has been at the mercy of New Delhi’s elites. Nepal must defend its national integrity for the economic prosperity. If all unite from political party level to local community to global Diaspora Nepal ought to be a prosperous nation. The ultimate goal of all Nepalis on the face of the earth is to be prosperous.