Oli-led Government-41

Oli-led Government-41: Reality Check Of Outgoing PM Oli’s Speech In Parliament

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

Only after nine months of taking office, Prime Minister KP Oli delivered a two-hour long speech in the parliament on July 24, 2016, and then declared that he had submitted his resignation to the president paving the way for the parliament to choose a next prime minister. The State-run newspaper “gorkhapatra” published the entire speech on July 25, 2016.

The reality check of Prime Minister Oli’s speech is based on the speech published in the “gorkhapatra”.

In the first paragraph of the speech Oli has said that not believers in the parliamentary system have used this system for the democratic practices clearly hinting at the Maoists that have fought against it since 1996. He has said that he believes in this system and he is getting the result of it. He also said that those friends protesting against the Constitution have participating in the constitutional process this very moment following the Constitution. This is clearly hinting at the Madheshi lawmakers participating in the no-confidence vote against the prime minister. Oli has not been in favor of meeting the justifiable demands of the Madheshis. That is one of reasons why Oli has to face the no-confidence vote in the parliament.

In the third paragraph, Oli tries to scare the Nepalese people stating the steps taken following the narrow interest, emotion, and revenge will make the long-term adverse effects on, and will put the country at the risk of the extremely instable political situation at the time when people not willing to enforce the Constitution have been active and when the Constitution is still in its infancy, and when they have been trying to push the country to a maelstrom of instability.

In the fourth paragraph, Oli reminded how the government of the then Prime Minister Man Mohan Adhikari was brought down pushing the country to the violence in 1995, and the representative characters of violence and anti-violence are now sitting at the first row of the parliament indicating Prachanda for violence and Sher Bahadur Deuba for the anti-violence. Prachanda and his fellow Maoists launched the armed rebel when the then Prime Minister Deuba brushed off the demands put forward by the Maoists in 1996.

In the 13^th paragraph, Oli enumerated his following achievements during the nine-month period of his reign.

• Terai-Madheshi movement has cooled down. Whether the movement has been in the interest of the Madheshi people or in the interest of taking some people to power or in the interest of stopping someone to reach the power remains to be seen.

The Terai-Madheshi movement has not cooled down, yet. Oli has erroneously stated it has. They have been protesting in Kathmandu, and they have said that they would continue their movement until their demands are met.

• To resolve the problem of (Madheshi movement), two articles of the Constitution have been amended.

The amendments Oli has stated are practically not amendments at all. It has been just shifting some words from one place to another without changing the meaning.

• The undeclared blockade was ended in Magh (January).

Practically, Oli did nothing to resolve the blockade. It was unfortunate for Modi that Nepalese did not rise against Oli, as Modi had anticipated but rather stood up to the Modi’s blockade of which Oli had taken an undue credit.

•  About 265,000 grant agreements have been done with the quake victims.

Unfortunately for the quake victims, such paperwork have remained in papers. Quake victims have not received the grant amount. The executive officer of National Rehabilitation Authority has recently said that all the quake victims will receive the first installment of the grant amounts before Dashain means in October, according to the news in “gorkhapatra’ of July 20, 2016.

• New international relations have been put forward based on the sovereign equality.

Oli needs to explain what he really means it. Oli has thrown the country off balance of the international relations with neighboring countries not amicably resolving the undeclared blockade, and heavily tilting to the north.

• Economic development of the country, and dream of development stalled due to the conflict, political instability, power play, and identity politics, have taken a new shape.

Oli needs to say why the economic growth in the fiscal year that ended on July 15, 2016 has been 0.77%: the disastrous growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This highly unacceptable economic growth had been because Oli did not take the opportunity given by the devastating quakes on April 25, 2015 and the aftershock thereafter of releasing the grant money to the quake victims and stimulating the economy. Rather his company and he had been entirely engaged in paperwork only, setting aside all the fieldwork needed to do immediately for rehabilitation of the quake-destroyed houses, and temples and other structures. He also did not even try to resolve the blockade that brought the economic activities to halt for more than five months. Is it the new shape of the economic development? Oli needs to explain sincerely.

• The enforcement of the Constitution has moved forward with the concrete roadmap.

Mr. Oli knows that he will not be able to enforce the Constitution without the participation of the largest party: NC, and the protesting Madheshi political parties. However, he has given a least attention to bring them to the circle of the politicians for enforcing the Constitution. Oli has been a quixotic believing that he has been standing on the thirteen legs that he has no knowledge of being shaky even after one of the strongest leg: Maoist-center has pulled out of his chair.

The irony is that Oli has congratulated himself in the 14^th paragraph on achieving such a fantastic development that he believes the people have appreciate him and thanked him for it but he was surprised to see that his colleagues have seen it as his failure.

In the 18^th paragraph, Oli questioned why his government was blamed for one of the largest parties in the parliament had stayed out of the government following the so-called parliamentary principles breaking up the agreement on going together.

Mr. Oli needs to understand as the head of the government, he is responsible for taking together all the political characters in the transitional period but he has not even felt to take together his two political colleagues such as Madhav Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal both are the former prime ministers. Madhav Nepal has complained that Oli has not consulted him in any political matters. Oli has been running fast leaving everybody behind him as if everybody needs to follow him some politicians have complained.

Oli quoted a saying, “teme hame melar khaun bhalay” means let us eat a rooster together in the 28^th paragraph. It has been the character of all politicians in Nepal in whatever context Oli has said it. It is applicable to him and his party, too. He joined hands with other 12 political parties to share the power with leaving behind NC and Madheshi political parties. How could he expect to run the administration after the Maoist-center left him? He practically has failed in sharing a rooster with the Maoist-center. Oli is facing now the result of his deeds.

Oli has painted a very grim picture of Nepalese in the 29^th paragraph stating that they have lost the hope of building the country by themselves, and have been depending on others and they have difficulty in having two square meals due to the conflict, political transitional period, and unnecessary debate.

However, Oli has ignored the face-change of Kathmandu, and the Nepalese in general, and billions of dollars Nepal has as a savings in the Nepal Rastra Bank (Central Bank of Nepal) that has been sufficient for the import for 17 months. Oli must have seen in the rural areas the well-fed and well-dressed Nepalese when he took a helicopter ride to lay a foundation stone for building a quake-destroyed house that has never been built during the nine-month reign of Oli.

 In the 34^th paragraph, Mr. Oli said that when he took office it had been already six months since the first quake hit but even the National Rehabilitation Authority had not been formed; then he had set up the authority since then it had been seven months; during this period verification of the quake victims, and agreements on the first installment of grant amount have been done, and reconstruction along with other work have been going on at a high speed.

Mr. Oli forget to tell the lawmakers that his party under his leadership had stalled the appointment of even the executive officer to the National Rehabilitation Authority believing his predecessor Sushil Koirala would appoint the person of his choice, and Oli did not allow Koirala to work on the rehabilitation of the quake victims at all. Now, Oli wants to take every sort of the credit all paperwork his government has done during the nine months. Mind it nothing has been done in the Kathmandu Valley to rehabilitate anything except for the president and Oli laying foundation stones in Ranipokhari and Bungamati respectively for the rehabilitation work but for anybody to see nothing has been done so far in the areas where the foundation stones have been laid.

Almost at the end of the speech, Oli said that he has submitted his resignation to the president for opening the door to the parliament to choose a next prime minister.

He has strictly followed the advice of the Attorney General to announce his resignation at the end of the speech delivered to the parliament to face the non-confidence vote so that he need not face the disgraceful no-confidence vote in the parliament. The opposition members were ready to vote for the no-confidence vote but Oli made it easy for them.

July 25, 2016