There are political dynasties everywhere. The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has had a disproportionate influence on Indian politics since the country’s 1947 independence. Two Bushes recently completed their Presidencies of the United States, with a third one, Jeb Bush, is now being talked about as a likely Republican nominee for the 2016 Presidential election.
On the Democratic side, after eight eventful years of Bill Clinton, his wife Hillary is the frontrunner to take the White House in 2016. Closer home, the Koirala family, easily the most successful in Nepali politics, has already given the country three prime ministers. The reasons the near and dear ones of influential politicians get into (and often prosper) in politics are obvious. [break]
With the multitude of ‘connections’ developed over generations—and often the wealth to forge new ones—the barriers to entry for someone from a political family, as compared to a rank outsider, are very low. Akhilesh Yadav rode on the success of his father Mulayam Singh to become the youngest chief minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Girija Prasad Koirala gave a big leg up to his only daughter.
Yet Shankar Pokharel, the CPN-UML secretary, is on the verge of achieving something truly unique in the annals of family politics in Nepal. His has apparently arm twisted the Dang district committee of his party to nominate eight of his relatives (plus himself) for the party’s tickets for the scheduled CA election. Among the roll call of nominated luminaries: Pokharel´s wife Sujita Sakya, his brother Devi Pokharel and sister Menaka Pokharel.
If this is true, the charges of nepotism and favoritism that have been leveled at CPN-UML and which prompted a section of the party to break away recently, will stand vindicated. The bigger message it sends is even more troubling: all the talk of inclusion and representation of the disadvantaged and marginalized communities is just that—empty talk, with members of the traditionally dominant groups looking to guard their old privileges every step of the way, by hook or by crook.
It is inconceivable that the wife and the brother and the sister (and sundry) of UML secretary have been nominated for their competence. Most of them have no political qualification to speak of. If UML approves their names, it will be yet another blot on the party’s image on election eve. Recently the party has gained notoriety for enlisting ‘certified dons’ who, some in the party leadership believe, deserve a shot at ‘reforming themselves inside the party’. There is undoubtedly a lot of nepotism and favoritism in every political party in Nepal.
NC continues to be bogged down in the never-ending tussle between Koirala and Deuba, with each looking to pack important party posts with his sympathizers. Ditto with UCPN (Maoist) where Dahal and Bhattarai are each busy cultivating separate clans. Interestingly, UML is the party that has perhaps the most progressive and democratic internal party mechanism following the Butwal General Convention. But there seems to be a wide gap in what it preaches and what it actually practices. If the nominations of UML Dang district committee are accepted, it will be a low-water mark for the party that once crested the popularity wave under charismatic and principled leaders like Madan Bhandari and Manmohan Adhikari.
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Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame on Nepal
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