Prime Minister’s Address to Nation and Actions

Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

In his address to nation, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has put stress on the national consensus politics but his actions and statements have been just opposite. In such circumstances, Madhav Nepal is really for the national consensus politics or has been simply pretending for it. He has defined the civilian supremacy to fit his requirement. He has directly endorsed the President’s unconstitutional step and surrendered some executive power to the President.

The newly appointed Prime Minister is not of a single party but of twenty-two parties that have supported him. However, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal addressing the nation on May 26, 2009 before finalizing the minimum common program of all the stakeholders has marked his intention of going independently.

He has insisted on the national consensus politics. However, he has decided to go head-on collision with the largest political party: United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-Maoist) in the parliament on the issues such as the suzerainty of people, civilian supremacy over the Nepal army, the controversial action of the ceremonial president on the issue of the Chief of Army Staff, and the decision of the previous government on firing the Chief of Army Staff.

In his address to nation, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has defined the suzerainty of people differently. He has claimed that the parliament electing him to the position of Prime Minister has set the example of the suzerainty of people. However, he has failed in mentioning the issue that once he has accepted ‘the people have rejected him,’ as he has lost the election for the Constituent Assembly-cum-parliament in two constituencies. At that time, he has resigned from the office of General Secretary of his party: Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML) on the moral ground.

Concerning the role of the President, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has said that the first President of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has been playing the role of patron in safeguarding the national unity, sovereignty and constitution, clearly saying the President’s action of overstepping the decision of the previous government on firing the chief of Army Staff is right.

The government led by Maoist Chairman Prachanda has resigned protesting the President’s direct intervention in the government’s action of firing the Chief of Army Staff by directly writing a letter to the Chief of Army Staff and ordering him to stay on in the job.

Then, the Maoist members of parliament have stopped the proceeding of the parliament for more than a week protesting the controversial action of the President that he has directly written a letter to the Chief of Army Staff violating the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007. The Maoists have registered a ‘Resolution Motion’ at the parliament secretariat demanding the parliament instruct the President to correct his mistake on this issue. This case has been filed at the Supreme Court of Nepal, too. The Supreme Court of Nepal needs to deliver the verdict on this case at the soonest possible time.

Ignoring this serious controversial case of the President breaching the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007, and simply thanking the President for such controversial action and labeling it as the safeguarding of the constitution, how could Minister Madhav Nepal be successful in the national consensus politics?

Another major issue of the Maoists is the civilian supremacy over the Nepal army. In his address to nation, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has not addressed this issue and has not said anything about the Chief of Army Staff Rukmangad Katuwal that has been fired by the government of Maoist Chairman Prachanda for not abiding by the government orders but simply has thanked the Nepal Army for a positive role played in a democratic change and for accepting the republic of Nepal. Later on, on May 27, 2009, speaking to the BBC-news anchor, Prime Minster Nepal has said that the firing of the Chief of Army Staff is a mistake.

In addition to being indiscipline, Rukmangad Katuwal has ignored the order of the Supreme Court of Nepal to submit his personal file for checking his actual age. Rukmangad Katuwal has managed to get changed his date of birth and reduced his age by five years by the direct order of the then-king Birendra. The case of Rukmangad Katuwal reducing his age by the direct order of the then-king Birendra has been pending at the Supreme Court of Nepal for three years because of the non-cooperation of Mr. Katuwal on submitting his personal file from the Army headquarters to the Supreme Court of Nepal according to the state-run newspaper ‘Gorkhapatra’ of May 26, 2009.

Newly appointed Defense Minister Miss Bidhya Bhandari has said that the country has only one Chief of Army Staff not two; he is Rukmangad Katuwal; the President has done right thing ordering the Chief of Army Staff to stay on in the job according to the ‘Gorkhapatra” of May 28, 2009. Miss Bidhya Bhandari is one of the so many CPN-UML leaders defeated in the elections for the Constituent Assembly-cum-parliament held on April 10, 2008.

Newly appointed Finance Minister Surendra Pandey has said to the reporters that the Council of Minister has decided to entrust the Prime Minister to make decision on the issue of the Chief of Army Staff; the Prime Minister will decide it after the celebration of the anniversary of Republic Day on May 29, 2009. It marks that the government has not decided the issue of two Chief of Army Staff, yet. However, according to the BCC news of May 27, 2009, Prime Minister Nepal has said that Rukmangad Katuwal is the only Chief of Army Staff.

In his address to nation, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has said that the peace process has achieved an important success starting off from the 12-point understanding the then-Seven-party Alliance has reached with the Maoists to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement the then-government has signed with the Maoists; however, the latest tendency of non-understanding among the political leaders might hold back the peace process.

Former Prime Minister and President of Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala has said that it is necessary to start off from zero for the consensus politics, working together and unity of all political parties.

Similarly, former Prime Minister and Maoist Chairman Prachanda has repeatedly said that a new understanding is necessary for the consensus politics and for all political parties working together.

In his address to nation, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has not made it clear on the stand the two prominent leaders such as Girija Prasad Koirala and Prachanda have taken on the issue of requiring a new understanding among the political leaders.

In his address to nation, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has reminded the Maoists that despite the betrayal of the Maoists in the election for the President (means they have not accepted his candidacy for the First President of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal), his party has supported the Maoists for forming a government and has even joined their government; so, even though Maoist Chairman Prachanda has resigned from the position of Prime Minister, Prachanda does not need to refrain from the consensus politics.

Except for the Maoist leaders, all other political leaders have taken the Prime Minister Madhav Nepal’s address to nation as a positive step, as he has insisted on the national consensus politics for writing a new constitution and for the conclusive peace process.

Maoist leader Lilamani Pokharel has said that the attempt on building the national consensus politics by the government formed destroying the consensus politics will not be successful at all.

Commenting on the Prime Minister Madhav Nepal’s address to nation, spokesman for the UCPN-Maoist Dinanath Sharma has said that the Prime Minister in his address to nation has praised the Nepal Army going against the actions taken by the previous popularly elected government against Chief of Army Staff Rukmangad Katuwal; the address to nation has centered on criticizing the Maoists and has endorsed the presidential coup.

Immediately after taking the oath of office of Prime Minister on Monday, May 25, 2009, the first thing Madhav Kumar Nepal has done is to close the morning program called ‘Samaya Prabaha’ of the state-run Radio Nepal. ‘Samaya Prabaha’ is a question-answer program. An anchor of the program invites prominent politicians and public figures and runs the question-answer-radio show with such figures. Listeners find it very interesting and informative, and find no serious reasons for the need for closing such an interesting and informative program. Certainly, Prime Minister Nepal must have grudge against such a program. To muzzle any sorts of the media is a crime if the Prime Minister believes in the free press in the democratic system of governance.

The next thing the newly elected Prime Minister has done is to lay the foundation stone to build a ‘Monument to Republic’ at the Ratna Park, Kathmandu on May 29, 2009 on the occasion of the celebration of the first anniversary of Republic, reversing the decision of the previous government led by Prachanda on building such a monument on the Premises of the Narayanhiti Museum. Maoist leader and Former Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai have labeled this action of the new Prime Minister as the attempt on reviving the monarchy.

The new government has decided to dissolve the State-Restructuring Ministry set up by the previous coalition government headed by Maoist Chairman Prachanda, and decided to set up a Commission on State-Restructuring. Thus, Prime Minister Nepal has been tearing down all possible structures set up by the previous coalition government.

The new Prime Minister has appointed the politburo member of the CPN-UML Raghuje Pant to the political advisor to the Prime Minster, like Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bidhya Bhandari, Raghuje Pant is also defeated in the election for the Constituent Assembly-cum-parliament held in April 2009. In addition, Mr. Pant is infamous for his eccentric behaviors. He is only next to KP Oli another defeated leader of the CPN-UML in lambasting the Maoists.

After taking the oath of office of Prime Minister and then talking to the top-ranking civil officers, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that he will not tolerate corruption, delay in working and irresponsible work. The irony is that CP Mainali: the then-leader of the CPN-UML has publicly charged the same Madhav Nepal of asking for Rs 20 million from the Ministry of Agriculture when Madhav Nepal is the Deputy Prime Minister of the government headed by Man Mohan Adhikari in mid 1990s. Probably, as the representative of the Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist and Leninist (CPN-ML) CP Mainali will join the government headed by Madhav Nepal this time, too.

On May 27, 2009, in the parliamentary proceeding, all political parties except for the UCPN-Maoist, Communist Party of Nepal-Unified and Nepali Janata Dal have stood up against discussing the ‘Resolution Motion’ the UCPN-Maoist has registered at the parliamentary secretary demanding the parliament to instruct the President to annul the decision the President has made against the Prime Minister’s decision on firing the Chief of Army Staff according to the ‘Gorkhapatra’ of May 28, 2009. The Spokesman for the UCPN-Maoist has already said that the UCPN-Maoist members of the parliament will thwart the sessions if the ‘Resolution Motion’ is not allowed to discuss in the parliament. If the Speaker follows the demand of other political parties for not discussing the ‘Resolution Motion’ in the parliament it will be another major blow to the consensus politics.

On May 27, 2009, speaking at the function held to mark the ninth anniversary of the National Human Rights Commission: Nepal (NHRC), Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has said that the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal has been ineffective, as it has focused on more political issues than the human rights issues; it has requested the government for extension of its term in Nepal for three years without any sound reasons but the government will extend its tenure for three months.

The appointed Prime Minister’s words have not matched with his deeds. His words have been for the consensus politics but his deeds have been going head-on confrontation with the Maoists. He has been leading so far the Council of Ministers made of the defeated persons only betraying the people’s mandate given to the elected people for running a government. Mr. Madhav Nepal has once applied for the position of Prime Minister stating he is the best suitable candidate for the position when Gyanendra Shah as a king has openly called for an application for the position of Prime Minister. It is hard to believe that the person such as Madhav Nepal as a Prime Minister will be able to manage the consensus politics. Nepali Congress leaders might need to take over the power from him and lead the all-political parties for the consensus politics.

May 30, 2009