Remembering Girija Prasad Koirala

 Siddhi B Ranjitkar

One of the political stars has set from the Nepalese sky on March 20, 2010 in other word Girija Prasad Koirala has passed away at 12:10 PM local time on this day leaving many political leaders orphans but paving the way for the country take a definite political course ending the current political deadlock caused by his selfish ambition to stay on the helm of the Nepalese politics forever. Koirala deserved to be the first president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal; however, with his own political maneuvers he missed it and made the most incompetent man as the first president, and he also made the man defeated in polls at two constituencies the Prime Minister making the mockery of democracy in Nepal.

No doubt Girija Prasad Koirala was one of the towering political figures of Nepal. He knows how to reach the topmost position but does not know how to stay-on on the top position. So, he has become the Prime Minister of Nepal for five terms but he could not complete the full term of anyone of the five terms. He tries to be the torch-bear of peace and constitution but he missed both. So, even after the death he was subjected to the demand for ‘peace and constitution’ chanted by the people participating in the funeral procession that has followed his casket taken to the ‘aryaghat’ in Kathmandu on March 21, 2010.

He has been the officiating head of state and the head of government from 2006 to 2008 for two years and has transformed the country from the despotic monarchical rule to the democratic republic. However, he has resisted the full-fledged political changes and has continued to fight against the opposition. He has confused the Nepalese people and the opposition, too, often saying he is for a ceremonial monarch or a baby king whereas Nepalis have shed their blood for the full-fledged republic. He did not easily accept the outcome of the elections for the Constituent Assembly held on April 10, 2008. So, he has held on to the position of Prime Minister for four months even after his party has lost the elections for the Constituent Assembly–cum-legislature, and has forced the Maoists to accept the provision for a majority rule instead of previously agreed on the consensus rule in exchange for declaring Nepal a republic. The result is the current political deadlock. Democracy would not flourish if political leaders loosing the elections do not accept the election results.

However, we need to appreciate his task of changing the statute of the Nepali Congress (NC) for declaring Nepal a republic. In its statute, his Party NC has made the provision for a constitutional monarchy. Under the pressure of the political parties opting for a republic, Girija Prasad Koirala agreed on amending the statute of his party making the provision for a republic; then he made the historic proposal for declaring Nepal a republic at the Constituent Assembly in 2008. The Constituent Assembly (CA) passed his proposal for declaring Nepal a republic almost unanimously as only four out of the 601 members of the CA voted against his proposal, and Nepal became the republic driving out the dynastic ruler from the palace.

Girija Prasad Koirala could have raised his political status even higher than what has been if he has used his political skill sincerely in steering the country to institutionalize democracy and strengthen the democratic institutions. However, he has used his towering political status to push the country to the current political deadlock serving the interest of his family members and sycophants.

After turning over the power to the largest political party of the Maoists at the CA, Girija Prasad Koirala needed to sit together with the Maoists and steer them to complete the peace process and the writing of a new constitution following the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007 and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) he has reached with the Maoists in 2006. However, he has engaged in the dirty politics, and could not bring the Maoists to his fold for electing him for the presidency. Consequently, he let his junior leaders to form a coalition of his party with the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML) and the Madheshi People’s Rights’ Forum (MPRF) for electing the most incompetent persons for the presidency in 2008.

His second inexcusable mistake has been to make a man defeated at the polls in two constituencies the Prime Minister of Nepal. It has been the darkest spot on his political career. Using the flaw in the election system and then the new provision made for a majority rule, he put forward Madhav Nepal the most unscrupulous politician for the Prime Minister sidelining the elected leaders such as Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel of his party and Jhalanath Khanal of the CPN-UML hoping Mr. Madhav Nepal would put up a fierce fight against the Maoists and then both the communist parties would end up in self-destruction leaving his party to have the monopoly on the Nepalese politics.

His personal ambition for keeping his leadership and his family members’ leadership in his party and in the national politics has made him the most undemocratic leader in the history of the Nepalese democratic politics. He did not accept the resignation tendered by Sushil Koirala from the position of the Acting President of the NC after he failed to win the election for the seat at the CA in 2008. Girija Prasad Koirala would have been really a sincere leader if he has accepted the resignation of Sushil Koirala and turn over the position to one of the second-generation leaders such as Sher Bahadur Deuba and Ram Chandra Poudel of his party. Both of them are elected to the seats at the CA.

Then, he appointed his daughter Sujata Koirala to the Cabinet of Madhav Nepal. Acting President of NC Sushil Koirala has vehemently opposed the appointment of Sujata Koirala to any ministry of the Madhav government, and has even publicly said that he would resign from the position of the Acting President of NC if Sujata Koirala were to become a minister. However, neither Girija Prasad Koirala has listened to Sushil Koirala nor Sushil Koirala has resigned from the position. Girija Prasad Koirala has continued to work for elevating his daughter to the deputy prime minister and has ultimately made her the deputy prime minister to the dislike of his party members and of Madhav Nepal, too.

Girija Prasad Koirala has become politically very weak during the last few months of his life. For example, he has obviously agreed with Chairman of Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-Maoist) Prachanda to drastically change the prevailing political coalition to build up the consensus politics breaking up the coalition of the 22-political parties working for the majority rule in a meeting with Prachanda in Singapore while he has been undergoing medical treatment there in mid November 2009. Accordingly, Prachanda has said so publicly on return from Singapore. However, nothing has happened as elected members of the CA belonging to his party have refused to follow his order and have stuck to their position on continuing the prevailing coalition of the so-called 22-political parties in governance. So, Girija Prasad Koirala has not been able to do anything after setting up a High Level Political Mechanism (HLPM) under his leadership, as breaking up the current political deadlock requires the change in the Madhav government. However, majority of the legislators belonging to his party has stood for the Madhav administration.

He would have been truly a democrat as he always has claimed for it if he has impeached the undisciplined President for overstepping his constitutional authority. On May 03, 2009, President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav has directly written a letter to the then army chief stating to continue his job overriding the decision of then Prime Minister Prachanda on firing the army chief for not following the government’s decision and making political speeches in contravention to his official position. Girija Prasad Koirala has not only not opposed the President’s undemocratic move on directly writing a letter to the then army chief abusing his constitutional ceremonial status but also has supported him taking his party position on the President’s move as the constitutional and democratic one. So, Girija Prasad Koirala lost his lifelong stand on democracy and became one of the unprincipled politicians in Nepal.

He would have been truly a peacemaker if he has completed the peace process and contributed to the constitution writing. He has been the Interim Prime minister for two years and four months even after reaching the CPA with the Maoists; the CPA has the provision for integrating the People’s Liberation Army personnel with the Nepal Army within six months. However, Girija Prasad Koirala has neither attempted to integrate the two armies nor has positively contributed to do so rather he has surprised the peace-loving people criticizing the role of the UN Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) that has been in Nepal for helping both the Government of Nepal and the Maoists to complete the peace process.

However, the Madhav administration has recommended the name of Girija Prasad Koirala for the Noble Peace award. Girija Prasad Koirala would certainly deserve the Noble Peace Prize if he has completed the peace process integrating the two armies Nepalis have today and completing the writing of a new constitution for a lasting peace in Nepal. However, Girija Prasad Koirala has contributed to the current political deadlock and the uncertain peace process leaving behind the integration of armies incomplete. So, if Girija Prasad Koirala receives the Noble Peace Price at the current prevailing political position and the peace process in limbo then it will be shame on the people to receive such a peace prize in the future.

In 2006, Girija Prasad Koirala and his partners in the seven-party alliance (SPA) have reached the 12-point understanding with the Maoists to topple the absolute monarchy after the then king became the absolute ruler on February 01, 2005. For three years the SPA has been on the streets to fight against the despotic rule of the then king Gyanendra that has dismissed the elected Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and took over the state authority in October 2002. So, Girija Prasad Koirala and his partners in the alliance went to Delhi to sign the 12-point understanding with the Maoists in November 2005 finding the Maoists have been already within the reach of the Kathmandu Valley by that time.

With the Maoists on board, the SPA has pulled down the apparently mighty ruler in nineteen days of the street protest and forced him to restore the parliament he has dissolved on the recommendation of the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on May 22, 2002. Disregarding the political leaders’ urge to take the oath of office at the parliament from the Speaker, Girija Prasad Koirala went to the palace and took the oath of office from the king showing his faith in the monarchy.

Girija Prasad Koirala has expelled the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba from the NC for dissolving the parliament on May 22, 2002 and for announcing the fresh elections for a new parliament after six months without consulting him. Mr. Deuba in turn split the NC and set up a Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D) party. However, Mr. Deuba with his followers came back to the mother party in 2008 before the elections for the CA.

On June 01, 2001, crown prince Dipendra allegedly single-handily shot dead his father King Birendra, his mother Queen Aishwarya, his brother, sister and many other royal members. The then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has repeatedly told the public that he knows the real culprits of the palace massacre but has never revealed the truth about the killing of so many people in the palace. He actually surrendered his authority and mandate received from the people to the then king letting him to set up a royal commission on investigation into the killings at the palace. Then, under the pressure from the palace, he resigned from the office for not being able to protect lives of the members of the royal family. Then, the king appointed Sher Bahadur Deuba to the Prime Minister.

Girija Prasad Koirala has unscrupulously usurped the power from Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai staging a revolt in the party in 2000. Krishna Prasad Bhattarai became the Prime minister after the election victory of the NC but Girija Prasad Koirala did not let him stay on in power even for a year. Frustrated by the dirty politics of coworker Koirala, Mr. Bhattarai retired from the active politics and went to live a reclusive life. Girija Prasad Koirala has put forward one of the founding fathers of the NC Krishna Prasad Bhattarai for the position of Prime Minister in the election campaign in 1999 and then he held the elections for a new parliament and won the majority votes in 1999. Girija Prasad Koirala has regained the position of Prime Minister toppling the government of Surya Bahadur Thapa in 1998 before holding the parliamentary elections.

Forming the coalition of the RPP and the NC, Surya Bahadur Thapa has forced out the coalition government of the RPP and the CPN-UML led by his colleague and rival Lokendra Bahadur Chand in 1997. In fact Mr. Chand has formed a coalition of the RPP and the CPN-UML after defeating the coalition government of the RPP and the NC led by Sher Bahadur Deuba in the no-confidence vote in the parliament. Sher Bahadur Deuba has led the coalition government of the RPP and the NC for 18 months after the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled in favor of reinstating the parliament that has been dissolved by the minority government of the CPN-UML led by Prime minister Manmohan Adhikari and his deputy Madhav Nepal in 1995.

Girija Prasad Koirala lost the no-confidence vote in the parliament after the members of the parliament belonging to his party refused to support him in the parliament in 1994, and held the fresh elections for a parliament believing his faction of the NC would win the elections with the overwhelming majority votes. Obviously, he has miscalculated his approval rating and lost the elections.

Before going to the mid-term elections for a parliament in 1994, Prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala has run his administration with the support of his powerful kitchen cabinet disregarding the consensus politics the leaders of his party have agreed on. He has mismanaged the state companies such as the then Royal Nepal Airlines selling the brand new Boeing and instead taking an old Boeing in lease. He has pulled down the state-run transport company called Sajha Yatayat, and trolley bus running between Kathmandu and Bhaktapur. He has made his daughter Sujata Koirala a middle woman for contacting with various companies and individuals for awarding the contracts for the state jobs.

Girija Prasad Koirala has disregarded the political advice of the then Supreme Leader Ganesh Man Singh for the consensus politics even within the NC party. Ultimately, Ganesh Man Singh has left the NC that has been the center of the dirty politics of Girija Prasad Koirala, and died non-partisan.

Girija Prasad Koirala has contributed to the defeat of the spouse and son of Supreme Leader of People’s Movement of 1990 Ganesh Man Singh and of the then Interim Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in the parliamentary election held in 1991.

Leading all political parties following the consensus politics, Ganesh Man Singh has successfully restored the multi-party democratic system in 1990 toppling the 30-year long Panchayat of the despotic rulers, and winning the parliamentary elections for the NC paving the way for Girija Prasad Koirala to be the Prime Minister.

Thus, Girija Prasad Koirala has left many things unfinished. He has been instrumental to declare Nepal a republic despite his stance on a ceremonial monarchy with a multi-party democracy. He has made the Nepalese presidency more than ceremonial letting the current President abuse the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007 and accepting the most undemocratic move of the president as a democratic one. If we weigh Girija Prasad Koirala in a scale of justice, he has done more damage to democracy than to institutionalize it.

March 26, 2010.