OPINION | Himalayan challenge awaits Nepal’s PM Sushila Karki

Sushila Karki began her short tenure on the right note on Saturday, visiting those injured during the Gen Z uprising.

Sushila Karki, who was sworn in as the interim prime minister on Friday following Gen Z uprising that toppled KP Sharma Oli-led dispensation, finalised three ministers, including home minister, on Sunday. They will be sworn in on Monday. With this, political uncertainty that had gripped Nepal post Gen Z uprising has ended, but the interim government faces an uphill task of holding fresh elections in less than six months (on March 5).

The country's economy was already stagnant when Oli was at the helm. The Gen Z uprising damaged property worth billions whose reconstruction or/ and renovation will only deplete the State coffers. Add to that expenses to hold fresh elections and it appears that Karki is faced with an unenviable task.

PM Karki is off to a promising start

The new PM began her short tenure on the right note on Saturday, visiting those injured during the Gen Z uprising who are receiving treatment in several hospitals of Kathmandu. While addressing the media after assuming office on Sunday, Karki declared all those killed during the Gen Z uprising as martyrs and announced NPR 1 million for the families of each of the deceased.

She is on the right track on another front. Media reports suggest that Karki is unlikely to have a jumbo Cabinet and limit it to 15 ministers. Two of the three ministers finalised on Sunday hold multiple portfolios.

Kulman Ghising, former head of the Nepal Electricity Authority, has been finalised as the energy minister. He will also be in charge of physical infrastructure and transport ministry, as well as the ministry of urban development. Rameshore Khanal, former finance secretary, has been chosen as the finance minister and may get more ministries later.

Cabinet appointment faces a pushback

Om Prakash Aryal, who was the legal advisor to Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah and was one of the main negotiators during the talks that forced President Ramchandra Paudel to dissolve the House of Representatives, has been finalised as the new home minister as well as law minister. As home minister, he has his task cut out. Besides bringing the law and order situation back to normal, he has to fulfil the government’s mandate of bringing those responsible for killing protesters on September 8 to book, as well as investigating the violence on September 9 that resulted in damage to symbols of power  – the parliament, the government secretariat, and the Supreme Court – as well as private properties. However, there already are protests against the choice of Aryal as home minister (he was sworn in on September 15). Harka Sampang, the mayor of Dharan, a city in eastern Nepal, was a claimant for the home ministry.

Domestic hand instigated violence during Gen Z protests

During her press conference on Sunday, Karki claimed that vested interests hijacked the Gen Z protest and indulged in violence. A Kantipur story on Sunday corroborated her claim.

Based on videos circulating in the social media, the daily has implicated several political parties for the September 9 violence, with pictures of those associated with the pro-monarchy Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party, CPN (Maoist Centre), and several prominent YouTubers, claiming that they either indulged in September 9 violence and arson or provoked others to do so. If the interim government’s probe also implicates these parties, their chances to do well in the forthcoming polls will be hampered.

Fearing such an outcome, parties have been calling the dissolution of the House of Representatives unconstitutional. But they will be ill-advised to make this a ground to boycott elections, as no constitution foresees an outcome resulting from a people’s uprising, movement, or revolution. Poll boycott will only aid new parties that are likely to come up featuring those who played a key role in toppling the Oli-led government before the March 5 polls.

A window for older political parties to get their act together

The older political parties should use this period as an opportunity to reform and clean up their act by ensuring internal democracy. This interlude provides them with a chance to prop up new faces as leaders since the old ones stare at dim prospects in forthcoming polls. The Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML, and the CPN (Maoist Centre) should also ponder what has brought their downfall. They still are relevant as Gen Z protest was not for a party-less system, but was against the game of musical chairs played by the top leaders of the top three parties. However, if the parties choose to form a joint front and take to the streets against the president’s decision to dissolve the House of Representatives, it will only add to the interim government’s myriad challenges.

(Anuj Arora is a journalist based in Kathmandu.)

Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.