article
THT Online
In Protest of Appointment of the President of Republic Nepal
For a New Culture of Politics
Why do elected people's representatives represent in the Parliament or Assembly or Senate in democracy? If the government head, cabinet and political parties dictate the political consensus for the people and nation then what for do we elect people's representatives? Do not think people of modern Nepal are not capable of such simple reasoning therefore the mandate of people to the Constituent Assembly representatives is to play their full role in democratic process. This means they should not let any political consensus bypass their electoral democratic rights without their vote for legislation or political decision. This is their fundamental responsibility for establishing a new culture of politics for political consensus through the systematic practice of competitive electoral democracy for future generation to rely on.
Interim parliament that was literally dominated by Nepali Congress, UML and Maoist parties of which almost all political decisions are still bargained on the table of NC leaderships for the dictation of SPA to be rubber stamped by the interim Parliament has come to an end with the elected Constituent Assembly representatives and their first vote for the declaration of the federal democratic republic Nepal. Therefore, no further political consensus of three major political parties – Maoist, NC and UML should bypass the vote of the Constituent Assembly representatives before it becomes legislation for the government to act upon it.
The best of all the democratic practices to begin with will be the formation of a new government by Maoist party to seek two-third vote of Constituent Assembly representatives unless otherwise the amendment of the provision of the Interim Constitution for simple majority is purposed for CA to vote on it. Unless a single political party has majority as per the constitution – two-third or simple the largest party with the majority in the Assembly or Parliament must seek the vote of representatives to establish political consensus in order to form a new government. The new culture of politics for political consensus in a new democratic Nepal must be established by the Constituent Assembly at this point in time to abolish all the feudal, anti-democratic, arbitrary and one party dominated or SPA dominated practice of past such as tradition of appointments without hearing in the Assembly or the Parliament.
The culture can be established with the momentums such as this and the proposal of electing the president by the Constituent Assembly vote. We must not miss such momentums for establishing the electoral democratic culture for the political consensus to eradicate all the undemocratic practice of past in the name of democracy by the leading democratic party such NC. In such contest every political party that represents CA has right to bring its candidate for the contest. For example, if Maoist party brings a civil society member as its candidate for the president then NC can bring GP Koirala and UML can bring MK Nepal. This is one of the wonders of Democracy if the losers can congratulate the winner and winner can appreciate the losers for their willingness to make honest competition. Nonetheless, the proposal to appoint president by the major political parties – Maoist, NC, and UML must be unacceptable without the vote of the people's representatives in Constituent Assembly. This should be the grave concern for all who dream creating a new democratic Nepal that comply with the norms and principle of the full electoral competitive democracy.
It seems the idea to elect Maoist president or NC president GP Koirala with the unanimous vote of CA by the dictation of the major political parties in CA has gone down to the drain and for the sake of establishing a new culture of politics for the political consensus. It is good that people of Nepal did not approve it. However, CA representatives and people of Nepal in the nation and around the globe must protest the proposal for the appointment of the president by the major political parties without the vote of the Constituent Assembly for the sake of our young democracy from being raped by the same old habits of the major political parties, particularly Nepali Congress. This is an attempt to screw virgin democracy with the major political parties' gang rape.
The contemporary politics of Nepal has now broader spectrum not only limited in the nation but around the globe. The idea as mentioned above to honor GP Koirala with the first elect president with the unanimous Constituent Assembly vote (I have also suggested online) but it did not really fly that far. I really think that people of Nepal with the current political development honestly stand for the culture of competitive electoral democracy. Due to Nepalis residing around the world from the first world nations to the developing the contemporary Nepali politics has global strength and influence on Nepal's new democracy. Therefore, both outcome and its procedure for political consensus in contemporary politic of Nepal are closely observed internationally. So we must not thus let political parties continue with same old habits of short and easy means of coming to conclusion for the political consensus with the party-gang arbitrations power-game.
The interim government lately unanimously granted temporary shelter for the former king and his family by the party-gang arbitration of the major political parties bypassing the vote of the Constituent Assembly, which has abolished the two hundred forty years old institution of monarchy, is another example of the major political parties' undemocratic practice. This is an arbitrary old-gang-habit of undemocratic use of power of three major political parties. As a matter of fact, the government and the major political parties have no right to bypass Constituent Assembly without vote on issue such as this based on the evidence that it is the Constituent Assembly that has abolished the institution of monarchy. It is their ethical responsibility to approach Constituent Assembly for the vote no matter how difficult and time consuming is the processes. Basically, it is their attempt to undermine the electoral power of people's representatives in democracy. CA representatives and people must not let the major political parties to rule the nation with their old habit of arbitrary party-gang rule of law.
It is clear that if people let political parties to rule Nepal without scrutiny the parties and their leaderships will shatter the dream of people with their old-habit of politics into pieces for a new democratic Nepal that can establish a fair and competitive electoral system of democracy. We know that only democracy can bring proportional socio-political and economic development and justice in the lives of people but not otherwise no matter how promising is the proposal of political parties. We all must struggle for achieving our dream of democracy that can establish a new culture of politics to arrive in decision-making process with thorough electoral competitive democratic practice. It is our mindset that is unconsciously empowered with our old habit of politics, which does not have capacity to scrutinize our hasty-arbitrary-decision making process. Democracy by virtue is time consuming for the profound-decision making processes for which elected representatives of people are accountable for their vote with the absence of up-front dominations or dictatorships of the political parties in power.