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Opinion makers in the Kathmandu Press: Sunday, December 24, 2017

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli congratulates newly elected lawmaker Mahesh Basnet, in Bhaktapur, on Sunday, December 10, 2017.

Opinion pages of broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Sunday have given priority to issues related to he formation of the new government and the way forward for national politics. It has been more than two weeks since the conclusion of parliamentary elections in Nepal, but major political parties in the country are yet to reach consensus on the process to elect the new National Assembly.

Here is a summary of some of the op-eds published in the papers today:

How ‘Left’ is the ‘Left’ ?

Leaders of CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist Centre unveil their election manifesto in Kathmandu on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.

Pranab Kharel and Gaurab KC, in their article for Republica, ask an important question on the ideological basis of the UML party. They say that although the UML and the Maoists have pushed progressive agendas, typical of the Left, they seem to be heading in the opposite direction following the People’s Movement. The authors say that the UML, through its network of NGOs, cooperatives and trade unions, has promoted new forms of patronage in politics through the web of these associations. They hold that the party’s long-held desire to control both the polity and the society is slowly being realised. Similarly, the UML is a party that is critical of Western ‘hegemony’ but it is also the party that receives funding from Western countries, Kharel and KC argue.

The authors say that the UML has been successful in associating development only with infrastructure while ignoring human and environment-related issues. The authors conclude that there is nothing ‘Left’ about the trajectory set by the UML.

Why the delay in formation of the new government?

Prof Krishna Khanal, in his article for Kantipur, says that the formation of the new government has been delayed due to trivial reasons. While the would-be Prime Minister KP Oli accuses Deuba of clinging on to his seat, the Prime Minister says he will quite immediately after the National Assembly convenes. These are some of the issues that have been seen at the surface. But at the heart of the problem is the Left Alliance itself. The members of the alliance have not reached an agreement on the composition of the new government.

Similarly, the time has not come for the Left to lay claims over the new government. The Election Commission is yet to complete the electoral process. He argues that after results for all seats in the lower house are announced, Oli does not need to wait for the formation of the upper house as the constitution clearly states that the anyone who commands majority in the lower house can be elected Prime Minister.

He concludes that the whole process should be concluded soon. If the process takes a long time time to complete, then the people will feel that their mandate is not being respected and the questions will be raised over the credibility of the Election Commission.

Challenges of the new government

CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli among others in Rasuwagadhi, bordering China, on Tuesday, December 19, 2017.

Nepali Congress leader Manmohan Bhattarai, in his article for Annapurna Post, says that with the advent of federalism in the country, billions more will have to spent from the state coffers to keep the system running. In this context, if we talk about domestically-funded mega projects such as the Budhi Gandaki Hydro and the Kathmandu-Terai Fasttrack, we would also need to talk about the big debt burden our citizens will have to bear in the future. He argues that spending on mega projects using domestic resources will fuel inequality in the country and that will cause unrest in the future.

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