News, Views From Nepal

Yuba Nath Lamsal Even as the number of people killed in last week's devastated floods and landslide triggered by torrential and incessant rain exceeded 100, political parties seem to have to been trying to reap political benefit out of the pains and plight of the flood-hit people. At this time of national tragedy, all political parties need to issue directives to their workers to concentrate their efforts in the rescue and relief operation. However, parties are just trading blame games and playing politics in it, which is most unfortunate. Politics is a profession to do public good, serve people and ensure good governance. Politics, in theory, is not a means to earn money or profit making venture. It should be like social service to be devoted to public welfare. But politics is being seen in Nepal and also in the world as something that one should try to avoid. It is becoming a profession or venture to make money and exploit people by misusing public positions, power and a...

Yuba Nath Lamsal If the vernacular press is any yardstick for political judgment, the present coalition government headed by Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala would have collapsed long ago. But wishes are not always horses that do not fly in the speed one may wish. Time has its own pace and limitation that moves on according to the law of nature. Speculations in the local press have not always come out as truth, which only serve as a tool to sensationalize the event.  Here lies the fault line between the objectivity and speculative journalism.  The prediction that the present government would soon land in crisis, too, is the product of such speculative journalism. Such scenario and possibility does not at all exist at the moment. There are, of course, differences between the two key partners of the present coalition government but these differences are manageable and will be managed. The Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML are two different political parties with different...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Of late early symptoms of fissures and friction between the two key partners of the present coalition government headed by Sushil Koirala have surfaced in Nepal’s political landscape. If not timely managed and the dispute was allowed to further flare up, the coalition government may land in crisis pushing it into the brink of collapse, which will also have serious and negative impact on constitution writing process. The recent disputes is between the CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress over mainly the issue concerning parliamentary endorsement for President Dr Ram Baran Yadav and Vice President Pramananda Jha, whose tenure, according to the Interim Constitution, would last until the promulgation of the new constitution. The CPN-UML party in general and its chairman KP Sharma Oli in particular are demanding the implementation of the seven-point agreement signed between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML prior to the formation of the present government. On the basis...

Yuba Nath Lamsal It is also time for us Nepalese to do some serious soul searching and see if we, too, are responsible for the not to well relations with India. It is also time to assess in a frank and serious manner how, where and why we failed. We can arrive at the right conclusion only if we sincerely make an assessment on our historical strengths, weaknesses, mistakes, setbacks and failures. We sometimes tend to suffer from an ‘inferior complex’, and this syndrome is often responsible for our lackluster performance in dealing with India. Now we have to come out of this, and frankly and strongly put forth our position. If we do not agree on any issue we should politely tell them ‘we are sorry’. Serious homework, special skills and knowledge, language fluency and augmenting power are required to enhance our negotiating strength. This can be achieved through a set of tasks. Nepal thus, needs to take some points into serious consideration to deal with India on various issues. C...

Yuba Nath Lamsal Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently concluded a two-day whirlwind visit of Nepal at the invitation of his Nepali counterpart Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, who had extended the invitation to the newly elected Indian premier a month and a half ago, when Koirala was in New Delhi to attend Modi’s inauguration ceremony. The rumour mill has it that Koirala had told Modi that he would not visit India unless his Indian counterpart first came to Nepal for an official visit as no Indian prime minister has done so for the last 17 years. The last Indian prime minister to visit Nepal was IK Gujral in 1997, whereas Nepalese prime ministers have called on New Delhi almost a dozen times during this period. Visit's timing Modi’s visit was watched with keen interest not because he was the first Indian prime minister to visit Nepal in 17 years but for the time he chose for the visit. In the first place, it was his second South Asian trip and also the second ...