The parliament has made a very judicious decision indeed. There were two diagonally opposing views – one endorsing the MCC as it existed and the other totally rejecting it. What has resulted is a midway, which led to its acceptance followed by an interpretative declaration. This is thus a win-win situation for both its supporters and opponents
Polarisation has been the point of departure for the launch of ferocious wars since time memorial on the Indian subcontinent.
Accordingly, the war between Ram and Ravan was dubbed as a confrontation between good and evil.
In fact, it all began with the abduction of Sita by Ravan, which was an immoral act and hence bad. As a result, the monkeys' army led by King Sugriv fought with great dedication in favour of Ram, ultimately leading to the victory of truth over untruth.
The Mahabharat war was fought due to polarisation between righteousness and sinfulness. The Pandavs lost everything, including their consort Draupadi, in a game of dice. Duryodhan, after winning the game, through treachery hatched by his maternal uncle Sakuni, tried to strip Draupadi naked in public. As if this was not enough, the Pandavs were sent to12 years' exile in the forest, including one year in disguise.
After their return, the rejection of their just demand of their kingdom culminated in the greatest war of all time. It was also labelled as the war of right versus wrong.
During the Panchayat regime in Nepal, the tag of anti-national elements was attached to its opponents.
Political parties were banned, and they were compelled to take shelter in neighbouring India for many years till their restoration after the People's Movement in 1990.
Now the supporters of the MCC (Millennium Challenge Corporation) compact, including the Nepali Congress (NC), Janata as well as Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, have been nicknamed as anti-nationalists and tormentor of the nation by the left political parties. They have christened themselves with the self-serving badge of nationalists.
The leftist political parties unnecessarily created extreme division among the people. After all, many of these parties, especially the larger ones, had at one time or the other processed the MCC forward reflecting its acceptance. Such extremism is unfortunate in a country like ours where Gautam Buddha was born.
He was the exponent of the middle path.
Gagan Thapa, the general-secretary of the Nepali Congress, emulated this philosophy by airing his views about getting the MCC passed through the parliament duly accompanied by a commitment proposal.
Though his proposal was rejected outright, as were some innovative approaches in the beginning, it later showed the way, like the light at the other side of the tunnel.
Despite this, wisdom has finally prevailed among the coalition partners. They have decided in favour of the MCC agreement with due attachment of the "interpretative declaration". It has made it more than clear that Nepal is against being dragged under the umbrella of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, nor will it tolerate the dominance of U.S. rules over Nepali laws.
The other concerns that the land occupied by the transmission lines should not come under the ownership of the MCA, that Nepal should be allowed to audit the expenses of the MCC and the likes are also included in the note. What is notable is that the disregard of this announcement will automatically lead to the annulment of the agreement by serving a 30- day notice.
The NC had made a shrewd move by exploring the possibility of teaming up with the UML for the solution of the MCC due to the unbecomingly open opposition by the coalition partners. The double standards taken by the coalition partners prompted the NC to think of this alternative.
At one end of the spectrum, they were continuing to remain in the government while spontaneously mobilising the student wings to take part in protests.
Had the NC not made this political move, the coalition partners would not have come to their senses.
Consequently, the coalition partners have understandably given topmost priority to its continuity following the resolution of the MCC episode. The breakup of the coalition would otherwise have led to the resurrection of the political party that had been defamed for launching unconstitutional moves one after another.
The parliament has made a very judicious decision indeed. There were two diagonally opposing views. The first one was about endorsing the MCC agreement as it existed. The second one was to totally reject it. What has resulted is a midway, which led to its acceptance followed by an interpretative declaration.
This is thus a win-win situation for both its supporters and opponents.
What will be the future course of events? The movement against the MCC will continue albeit sans the participation of the coalition partners' political wings. The nationwide closure has already been announced by the opposing parties. So, sporadic oppositional events will continue in the days to come.
MCC will figure as an election agenda in the forthcoming local, provincial and federal elections.
Its opponents should win the hearts of the people by participating in these elections instead of indulging in violent activities or a possible boycott. It will demonstrate their commitment to democracy and peace.
One of the striking features of this episode was the extraordinary exhibition of statesmanship by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. He firmly stood behind the MCC right from the beginning whether in the opposition or in the government and did not waver a bit. He also received incredible support from his party. After all, he enjoys unparalleled majority, which very few leaders in the past were blessed with.
In the end, Deuba also saved the face of Prachanda and Madhav Nepal. But this episode also exposed the dual role of their parties with some senior leaders and their political wings protesting in the street while remaining in the government.
The UML also did not play the desirable role of a responsible opposition by continuing to boycott the MCC debate even if it helped in passing the agreement. The NC and its leader Deuba emerged as twin heroes following the approval of the MCC.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 2, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.