Handing over leadership!

Nepali politics today is looking for a culture of passing on leadership spontaneously to new generation. Views and voice to this effect are being expressed and heard in different ways in public forums and political gatherings. The tone ranges: from decent observation to gentle request to mild criticism to angry dissent-burst. But the old generation leaders appear reluctant to hear the phrase -hand-over of leadership. Their argument is: if youths want leadership-change, they should come forward and fight against old leadership in the internal party election. What they do not disclose in the argument is the way they manipulate the internal election to their continued advantage and to the continued denial of leadership opportunities to youths. The phenomenon has resulted in a sort of conflict between top leaders and their cadres in various political parties particularly the leading three –Nepali Congress, CPN UML, and the Maoist Centre. Although the old leaders who are leading the three parties at present are seasoned, experienced with a rich political background and contribution, they have displayed their incompetence in driving the political organizations well as per the fresh requirements and presiding over the governance in a performance-focused way whenever elected to power. The past general election had warned top leaders about this: voters then displayed respect for old-time leaders, honoured them with victory but they did not trust their way of monopolizing their party-leadership and rejected them majority; the same, all remember, resulted in a hung parliament in the presence of very heavy-weight politicians and party-leaders. Neutral political observers have begun privately and publicly counseling the senior leaders not to go for leadership in the party or government from now on. “Just pass on the torch of leadership to new generation and allow the political party enjoy a fresh input of political resources, vigour and energy,” is what they are often heard in public forums. Managing the leadership-transfer in a professional way would avoid conflict in political organizations; it would in a way nourish the growth of parties in varied ways. But ignoring the issue of leadership-change would be risky; it could motivate new generation to undertake some severe steps which would not be healthy for parties specially those which have history and record of sacrifice and contribution. The question of passing on political leadership to new generation should therefore be responded meaningfully and constructively; it should neither be ignored nor sidelined nor deferred on one excuse or the other.