Kathmandu Post

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The art of governing

JAN 11 -
The current debate over what form of government Nepal should adopt is a classic case where politicians’ short-term thinking about their own political careers overshadows matters of graver importance for the longer-term life of the nation. It only has to be remembered that many in the older parliamentary parties — the Nepali Congress and the UML — were themselves, by the late 1990s, disillusioned with certain aspects of the parliamentary system. The rapidly collapsing governments and the interminable attempts to form coalitions had a severely detrimental impact on the government’s ability to implement policy. Recognising this, members of both the Congress and the UML at various times proposed amendments to the parliamentary system that would make it difficult to topple governments so easily. There was some talk of adopting a presidential system in the late 1990s, before the Maoists were in any position to put forward such demands. Even during the elections of 2008, the UML campaigned stating that it was for a system where the prime minister was directly elected from the people.

Now, however, the UML and most of the Congress seem resolutely opposed to making any substantive change to the form of government that has existed so far. They claim that the presidential system proposed by the Maoists will lead to authoritarianism. There is some merit to this, but these parties are unwilling even to consider a system where the need for greater stability will be balanced by the need for democracy. The Congress’ proposal for a executive prime minister elected through parliament and a constitutional president elected through an electoral college is in substance no different from the system of the 1990s. The reality is that these parties are deeply worried that they will find themselves out of power for a few years if a presidential system is adopted. A UML leader did not even try to hide the fact that his party’s position was based more on petty political ambition than on addressing genuine needs when he stated that their previous demand for a directly elected prime minister was based on the calculation that the party was immensely popular. And once it was evident that their popularity had declined they were going to revise their position. 

There is only one section among the parliamentary parties that is thinking about the form of government that should be adopted in a constructive way. This is the faction of the Nepali Congress led by Pradeep Giri. This group has proposed a combination of a ceremonial president and a prime minister who is directly elected. The objective is to give the country a strong executive, but to not make it omnipotent.

The president and other institutions are to create checks upon unconstrained attempts at the expansion of authority. This is a good initial effort, and the parties would do well to start discussing this model seriously.

 

Posted on: 2012-01-12 09:10

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