Op-ed pages of most broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Sunday have given space to issues related to the third round of local elections in Province 2 on Monday. Other social, political and economic issues have also received attention.
Nepali Congress, Province 2 and Nepali nationalism
Nepali Congress leader Pradeep Giri, in his lead article for Annapurna Post, says Nepali nationalism was defined by the Shah rulers of Nepal without taking into account the democratic aspirations of the people. He says that the rulers failed to address the grievances of the marginalised and this led to the Maoist insurgency and the movement in Madhesh. Giri says the local elections in Province 2 is not just an election; it is an important part of history as people who have had reservations with the new constitution are now taking part in the process. He says that modern day Nepali nationalism allows for people to express their views more openly than what was possible during the pre-democracy days.
Giri says that the Madheshi parties are not synonymous with the movement in Madhesh. Nepali Congress figures such as Dhanusa’s Ram Saroj Yadav and Parsa’s Ajay Dwivedi have been at the forefront of the Madhesh movement.
Similarly, Krishna Khanal, in his article for Kantipur, says that although it has been ten years since the Madhesh movement, not a lot has changed in its politics. He says that politics in Madhesh has not been able to gather pace as the issues and the people championing the issues remain the same. He says that Nepal can never be stable if Madhesh continues to remain unstable,
The amendment is no longer relevant
Nepali Congress leader Manmohan Bhattrai, in his article for Annapurna Post, says that by looking at the enthusiasm with which people are taking part in the elections in Province 2, one can see that the general public is not concerned about the amendment to the constitution.
He says this indicates that the issue of amendment, raised by the Madheshi parties, is unlikely to get importance in national politics in the days to come. Bhattrai says the government could not justify why it had to postpone elections in Province 2. Bhattrai said that leaders of political parties lobbying for amendment to the constitution were seen switching sides to parties that have adopted a tough stance on the issue. This goes on to show that even the local leaders are not serious about the amendment.
On ‘rent-seeking’ politicians
Gunaraj Luitel, in his lead story for Nagarik, says that political leaders in Nepal are more worried about ‘briefcases’ than ‘briefings’. He argues that instead of looking at the pros and cons of development projects, they look at the money that they can make for the party through the project. He says that the recent corruption cases in Nepal Oil Corporation and Civil Aviation Authority go on to show that in Nepal, if anyone can prepare a ‘setting’ by bribing ministers and anti-corruption officials, anything can be done.
