12 fringe parties to group against biggies

BY THIRA L BHUSAL
KATHMANDU, June 3

A meeting of 25-parties being being represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA) concluded without entering the agenda -- formation of CA Business Advisory Committee and CA Regulations Drafting Committee.

The meeting actually didn't take place as the Maoist CA member failed to show up. The meeting ended in just two minutes. Nepali Congress leader and senior-most CA member, Kul Bahadur Gurung, who is acting as Chair of the CA, informed that the discussion would now take place a few hours before the second CA meeting scheduled for Thursday.

Representatives from larger parties immediately left the meeting hall at the Parliamentary Secretariat in Singha Durbar.

Then it was the turn of representatives from 12 small parties gathered at the place. Twelve of the total 25 parties had won no seat in the first-past-the-post electoral system. They won less than five seats under the proportional electoral system.

"Now, let's enter our [small parties'] topics," said Dr Keshav Man Shakya of Nepal Rastriya Party.

Then leaders from small parties spoke their mind. "I think we should term it as a coalition of 12 parties in the CA," said Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani, Co-Chairperson of Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP).

This should be for fighting against the hegemony of the 13 parties, said Chandra Bahadur Gurung of the staunch royalist party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal.

One of the leaders said, they were not even informed properly about the 25-party meeting. "I came here to participate in the meeting only after I knew about it through radio," said Pari Thapa of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified).

"I learnt the agenda of this meeting only after entering this hall," added another CA member.
Thapa said smaller parties needed to fight against larger parties as they have displayed big brotherly attitude right from the beginning of the CA. "We fought for inclusive system. But, unfortunately, the CA itself has adopted exclusive policy," Thapa said.

Biswendra Paswan of Dalit Janajati Party was of the opinion that smaller parties should unite and fight in the CA against larger parties' 'dictatorship' and 'discrimination' toward smaller parties. "We should be clear about our role in the CA," he added. Ek Nath Dhakal of Nepal Paribar Dal, echoed similar sentiment.

Likewise, Keshav Prasad Mainali of Chure Bhawar Ekta Samaj emphasized that smaller parties should not be merely witnesses who support larger parties' decisions without any role.
Now these fringe parties are thinking of forming a coalition against 'big' parties. "Those who have felt discriminated even within the 13 parties are welcome to join our coalition," said Lohani.
"Then, perhaps only three largest parties will remain there and the remaining others will join our group," added Gurung of RPP-N. They concluded that once they unite, their role in the CA would grow.

Lohani proposed to be more specific and clear about the coalition's objective. "It's clear. Number one, we should fight for inclusive policy in the CA," said, Thapa, adding, "Number two, the unity will be issue wise."

The 12 parties have 21 members in the Constituent Assembly elected under the proportional electoral system.

THE KATHMANDU POST
Posted on: 2008-06-03 18:38:41 (Server Time)