Some animals are more equal than others. George Orwell’s famous dictum in Animal Farm seems to apply perfectly to the Nepali electoral context. There is no bigger fish in Nepali politics than UCPN (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
The fish has apparently gotten so big that even the all-powerful Electoral Commission is struggling to reel it in. Or it does not want to. Otherwise, there is no reason Dahal should be allowed to wantonly use helicopters for campaigning, in clear breach of the Election Code of Conduct.[break]
There are reports that the Maoists put heavy pressure on EC officials to ease campaigning rules in their favor. No less worrying are accusations of favoritism. Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala was apparently denied similar helicopter privileges to visit outlying areas.
But it is not just Dahal and the Maoists that are in breach of the code of conduct. In one form or the other, candidates from almost all big and mid-level parties, from NC’s Sher Bahadur Deuba to MJF (D)’s Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, have made egregious blunders during their campaigning.
This is a troubling sign. The big political parties already enjoy decisive advantages over the smaller ones that are also in the fray: They can mobilize thousands of foot soldiers and collect millions in donations. They have name recognition and strong grassroots penetration, to name just a few of these advantages. Now if these parties are to be allowed even more leeway in their campaigning, the prospect of decent outing for smaller parties with limited manpower and financial clout is next to nil.
This kind of favoritism, intended or not, amounts to subversion of the democratic process. The Election Commission must play a more decisive role at this critical juncture if it is serious about preserving the sanctity of November 19 vote.
It will not be easy for EC office-bearers to speak out against top party leaders who had a direct hand in their appointment. But their failure to open their mouths will mean that have failed to carry out their one and only duty: ensuring free and fair election. The last thing the country needs right now is an election whose legitimacy is widely contested.
This is where the role of election observers is so crucial. They must warn the political leaders who are in clear breach of the code of conduct that their continued disobedience could cost them their candidacy.
This will also help EC officials to come out strongly against any breach. The performance of election observers in the last CA election was patchy at best. Nearly two-third of all monitors failed to submit their final reports with the EC.
Still, the election was declared ‘free and fair.’ It is believed that some wrongdoings were overlooked as the thrust was on mainstreaming former rebels. Whether or not such willful neglect should have been excused remains questionable. But five years on, there can be no justification whatsoever for favoring one party over the other. It is the responsibility of the EC and election observers to keep political parties on a tight leash. Or they will not be doing their jobs properly.
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