News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal Unless some new and unforeseen developments emerge in Nepal’s national political scene, the election to the second constituent assembly would be held on November 19 this year. The four major political forces namely the UCPN-Maoist, the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and the Madhesi Front, which represent in the high level political mechanism, reached an agreement to hold the constituent assembly election in November for which the neutral election government headed by the sitting chief justice of the Supreme Court has been entrusted. Although some political groups have expressed their resentment over the procedures taken for the election, it can be expected that the disgruntled parties, too, would ultimately come on board and take part in the electoral process. While most of the disgruntled parties have appeared softer with the demand of some changes in the electoral procedures to ensure their participation in the election, the CPN-Maoist, which came into existence af...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan Kingdom, saw a second engineered general election in which the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has won a landslide victory and poised to form the next government in a monarchical system with democratic cover. The PDP, which is known more as pro-Indian party and also the party close to Bhutan’s monarch Jigme Keshar Wangchuk, won stunning victory over the ruling   Druk Phuensum Tshogpa Party (DPT) . Apparently, the election was seen as a race not between Bhutan’s two parties but between Thimpu and New Delhi. In other words, in the closely contested electoral race, the pro-Indian party PDP won over the relatively more nationalist DPT party. In the election held for 47 seats of Bhutan’s parliament, the National Assembly, PDP grabbed 32 seats whereas the DPT could manage to win only 15 seats. This has given more than two thirds majority to DPT, which is sufficient enough even to change Bhutan’s constitution. In this nation...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Politics and power are inter-linked. Politics, in principle, is for power. In other words, the politics is the vocation whose core objective is to seize or grab state power and rule the country.   There is also a school of thought that prophesizes politics as social service that should not take politics as a profiteering vocation but a route and means for public good. But this school of thought is slowly losing ground and the politics of power and profit is gaining currency in the present day world including Nepal. In the modern day, politics is not being taken as social service nor is it viewed purely as a means to rule. It is a mix of both. But politics is being widely viewed in the eyes of the public as the means to grab power by a group of people to control state apparatus and nation’s treasury through which the winners dole out positions, perks and benefits of various kinds and nature to their supporters and followers. Be it in the authoritarian sys...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Egypt, home of ancient civilization in the North Africa, saw some convulsive events last week leading to a military coup that ousted democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi. This week’s dramatic events in Egypt and subsequent ouster of the legitimate government will have far-reaching impact not only in the Middle East and North Africa but also in the entire world. The army coup was triggered by the popular unrests on the streets and squares of Cairo and elsewhere demanding end to the rule of Moslem Brotherhood led by Morsi, who was accused by the opposition parties of trying to Islamization of Egyptian society and patronizing corruption and misrule. But Morsi’s party and his followers have dismissed the allegation. Instead, the Morsi supporters seem to be defiant against the military move and claimed that Morsi continues to be the legitimate president of Egypt, for which they would fight until their last breath. The tone of defiance of the Morsi...