With the four senior leaders- Madhav Kumar Nepal, Jhala Nath Khanal, Bamdev Gautam and Narayan Kaji Shrestha- skipped the scheduled Secretariat meeting of the ruling head Nepal Communist Party (NCP), the internal rift of the party is believed to have rocketed. Though the decision to boycott the meeting is reasoned to have not convened in time without any valid reason, it is crystal clear that the senior leaders had boycotted the Secretariat meeting to protest the working style of the party leadership, particularly the party’s co-chairman and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The widening factional war of the NCP has not only triggered a fear of vertical split of the party but likely to jeopardize the dreamt of Nepali people to have a stable government.
The recent statements made by the Prime Minister Oli indicate that conspiracy is being hatched to change the guard of the government though his saying was targeted to the main opposition party Nepali Congress (NC). Prime Minister Oli’s veiled threats on the intellectual during a televised show would be taken as of an indication that the government has lost serenity even to digest the constructive comments and criticism poured from his party’s leaders. As Prime Minister Oli issued a threat to the intellectuals for making ‘uncivilized and cheap comments’ against him and his administration even challenging them to expose, it is being feared that the government would adopt a path of totalitarianism to make free the government from the fear of dissolution and criticism. Prime Minster Oli had promised for wind energy, gas pipeline linkage in every kitchen, east-west railway link including monorail service in capital, Nepal’s own ship service, drastic reform in the administration with the promises of zero tolerance on corruption, which the people are still waiting to achieve.
The incumbent government has completed about one year; but the people have got nothing than laugh from the comedian like commitment in the pretext of development and prosperity. The critics used to comment that Happy Nepali, Prosperous Nepal slogan of the incumbent government is partially achieved as our hardly funny Prime Minister used to make us laugh. As the government, particularly the Prime Minister Oli, has rudely begun to present against of the media and intellectuals aiming to stop any constructive comments and criticism against of him and his administration, the people seem moan rather than laugh in their face. In some extends, it seems that the government has forgotten the constitutionally guaranteed provisions like freedom of speech, assembly, religion and of the press.
As the incumbent government exercise two-third majority strength in the federal parliament and other provincial governments including local units too, it should not have indulged on the petty partisan interests even losing the endurance to digest the constructive comments and criticism from the oppositions. The government, particularly the prime minister should have acted like the guardian of whole the nation rather than a faction of his party. This is indeed a shame for the nation that state-run media are instructed to stop publishing stories about those who are crying in the streets demanding justice.
The government should not delay to realize that none of the people’s expectations are met yet though the NCP came to power with high hopes. As one year period of the incumbent government is sufficient to evaluate the government’s performance, the government has to do something before exposing its failure in the people’s level. We are not big pundit to suggest the government but just an urge is that the prime minister has to think timely that the country would become a failing state if the national institutions like media are weakened in the pretext of blocking the comments and criticism. In last but not least we also would like to remind the leaders of the government head NCP that factional war of the party should not hamper the dreamt of the Nepali people to have a stable government.
