With the election of the executive heads of four provinces on Wednesday, all seven provinces of the country now have their chief ministers. Earlier, chief ministers of three other provinces – Province-1, Bagmati and Gandaki – had already been appointed. Accordingly, there are four chief ministers from the CPN-UML – in Province 1, Gandaki, Lumbini and Sudurpaschim – while the CPN-Maoist Centre (MC) has two – in Bagmati and Karnali. The Janata Samajbadi Party leads the government in Madhes Pradesh. The Nepali Congress, despite winning the largest number of seats in the November 20 federal elections and the second largest number of seats in the provincial assemblies, does not have its government in any of the provinces. Things, however, could have been different for the NC if it had been able to form a government at the centre with support from the coalition parties, namely the MC. However, it was ditched by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who decided to join hands with the CPN-UML to form an alliance at the centre and in the provinces.
With the appointment of the chief ministers, the provinces can now add ministers to execute their plans and policies. However, with no party enjoying a majority, the provincial governments have been formed by cobbling together members from a number of parties, which makes them very shaky. The people are thus likely to see a lot of horse trading between the parties during the appointment of the ministers and the Speaker just like at the centre. The stability of the provincial governments will largely rest on how the two communist forces – the CPN- UML and the MC – that came together on an understanding to share the prime ministerial post on a rotational basis and work mutually over the months and years. There are also the smaller parties that could throw a spanner in the works of the government to push their agenda through. The Nagarik Unmukti Party, headed by Ranjita Shrestha, the wife of Resham Chaudhary who is serving a life sentence for carrying out the Tikarpur massacre in 2015, has provided crucial support to form the UML-led government in Sudurpaschim after getting assurances from the Prime Minister and the UML Chair KP Oli that Chaudhary would be freed. This, however, is easier said than done. Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had tried doing so through an ordinance, only to be censured by the public at large.
This is the second time provincial governments have been formed after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015. The first tenure was anything but inspiring, despite the huge funds poured into the provinces from the centre. Huge amounts of taxes paid by the people go to sustain the 550 members in the provincial assemblies (PA) and large numbers of ministers who are appointed to appease the coalition partners. Stability of the provincial government should be the intent of the coalition partners rather than running after party or individual interest. With growing resentment of the people against the federal system - as also with republicanism and secularism - the only way out for the provincial governments is to prove through effective plans and policies that they are a necessity for the country's overall development.
Huge amounts of taxes paid by the people go to sustain the 550 members in the PAs
Old tendency
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Narayan Kaji Shrestha, while addressing the 11th Gorkha Festival, said Gorkha would be developed as a model district of prosperity. Gorkha is the district from where Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal won the parliamentary election in November. While it is good to express commitments for the development of a district, the PM and the concerned minister should not focus only on the district or the constituency s/he won from.
As a federal minister for infrastructure development, Shrestha should be focusing on how development activities will be carried out in a timely manner throughout the country. While addressing the function, he did not spell out how he would develop Gorkha as a model district. He should have clearly laid out plans of action which can usher in development activities in the hilly district, which still lacks basic infrastructure. There is a tendency among all the ministers to inject the federal budget in their districts or constituencies without studying the economic prospects. As a minister for physical infrastructure, Shrestha must come up with plans which benefit all the districts. His should focus on upgrading the hilly roads that are in bad shape.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 13, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
