Time to act

It is time for political leaders and their parties – ruling or opposition to act. The old parties particularly Nepali Congress, CPN UML and the Maoist Centre which could not face the 2022 election on their own should utilize this moment for focusing on performance. It was their long time non-performance that was responsible for their comparatively diminished level of people’s trust. The trio could not maintain their command of support-base among voters during the polls. In the months that followed all three got trapped in the strategic tactics of breaking up one coalition and structuring another in the interest of protecting personal politics of leaders. Because of that all the three leaders have got gifts to be happy over: secured prime ministership (for Dahal); NC leader in the high chair of presidency (for Deuba); CPN UML man in the key post of Speaker (for Oli). Indicator of a balanced sharing of state-power indeed! There are also things which make the leaders somewhat unhappy: Prachanda could not be true to latest cycle of companionship with Oli who was instrumental in making him PM; Deuba failed to preside over post-poll politics despite being leader of the single largest party in the parliament; Oli could not continue acting as the king-maker like in  the initial phase of after-election politics. A sort of historical loss for politically ambitious! The new and other parties which got political opportunity because of the nonperformance of traditional parties should also concentrate on performance for maintaining the trust that they won during polls. They cannot let their voters down by copying the manual of power oriented armchair politics that old leaders follow so faithfully and manoeuvre so skillfully. The new parties cannot be just onlookers of old time politics. They have to be in action in the mode that is innovative, result-oriented and different as pledged to people. Tall claims in real time! But their steps should head towards that direction. A number of problem-areas expect their intervention: prominent among them are unemployment, high cost of living, and non-delivery of public services. The trend to misuse public resources, abuse authority, disregard the interest of marginalized people’s needs particularly those of food, housing, health and education also require new parties’ decisive attention. A number of social changes could be initiated through appropriate legislative measures in parliament. If the current need for action is ignored or neglected, the new parties, like the old parties, will lose trust of people in near future. All concerned should, therefore, be conscious of being focused on not rhetoric but action.