When Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli took reins two and a half years ago, hopes ran high. He led a powerful government, courtesy the alliance of his CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre which had swept the elections. As the leader of the Nepal Communist Party, the strongest communist force in the country, Oli had the electoral mandate to run the government for the full five-year term, something that had never happened in the country for more than two and a half decades.
But the Oli administration failed—almost on all fronts. Despite “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali” promise, his administration failed to connect with the people.
Even in the face of growing criticism, Oli refused to admit that his administration was failing, rather he kept on boasting how his government was performing well.
As the Nepal Communist Party government enters the midway of its tenure, disenchantment continues to grow.
“Half-way through of the strongest government the country ever had, people are now questioning if a two-thirds majority for a single party is good for democracy,” said Rajendra Maharjan, a political analyst. “I don’t see any change and difference in the ways this stable and previous unstable governments performed.”
What again has fuelled poor governance is a weak opposition, many say.
The Nepali Congress, often called the country’s grand old party that has ruled the country for a considerable share of the last three decades, faced a spectacular loss in the 2017 elections. The party was relegated to third position, as at that time the UML and the Maoist Centre had fought the elections by forging an alliance but they were yet to merge.
In the federal parliament, the Congress party won just 63 seats—against the communists’ 174 seats.
Analysts say democracy and good governance function well only if there is a strong government and an aggressive opposition. In Nepal’s case, there was a strong government which lacked vision but was arrogant and a weak opposition which could hardly question the government’s actions.
Geja Sharma Wagle, a political commentator and columnist for Kantipur, the Post’s sister paper, said the main opposition initially gave the ruling party the benefit of the doubt, but later it failed to present itself strongly.
“Subsequently, it failed to make the government accountable to its actions,” Wagle told the Post.
In the initial days after the government was formed in February 2018, Oli’s braggadocio had no bounds. The Oli administration started with quite some unusual moves—from banning protests in places like Maitighar to bringing various agencies like the Department of Money Laundering Investigation under the Prime Minister’s Office—in a clear indication that it was trying to centralise power.
But as days passed by, there was not much for the Oli administration to show on the governance front. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli kept on making big promises though—from transboundary China-Nepal trains to a ship with Nepali flag on international waters.
At home, criticism grew with people questioning the Oli administration’s failure to manage city roads and the dust emanating from them. Unaware of the ground reality, Oli went on to make a sweeping statement that Nepalis don’t have to wear masks to protect themselves from the plumes of dust, inviting censure from the members of the public.
All the while, Oli’s ruling party was embroiled in internal conflict, which too hamstrung governance.
The main opposition, which was still licking its wounds and was struggling to get back on its feet, barely held the government accountable—neither from Parliament nor the streets.
Analysts say the way the ruling party is functioning and the opposition is responding could jeopardise the hard-earned system.
According to Maharjan, the ruling party seems to be promoting middlemen and the opposition is failing to question this, which could have a dangerous outcome.
“Even when the ruling party is trampling upon the constitution, the opposition seems to be silent,” said Maharjan. “All these go against democratic principles.”
It’s an irony that what Oli said once about people’s need to wear masks has come back to hound him today: amid the Covid-19 pandemic, masks, which people used to wear to protect themselves from dust, have become a must.
Read More : Kathmandu Post