The entire country is abuzz with talk about the future course of the Nepali Congress (NC) and its leadership with the party general convention drawing closer. Speculation has intensified following the demise of the NC president and former Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. As the NC has led all key political movements in the last six-and-a-half decades and is the largest party in Parliament, there is wide interest in how it will move forward after its grand meeting.

There is concern among the party rank and file that cadres who are near and dear to some specific leaders have been getting all the opportunities. A large number of honest, dedicated and committed workers are not content with the role they have been given. As a result, the party has not been able to draw strength and inspiration from them. They should be accommodated in the party’s mainstream positions. Similarly, youth leaders with potential should be provided a platform through an objective evaluation to strike a balance between the new and old generations. The NC is a mass-based party, so it should have a visible presence among the people. Even an ordinary ward-level cadre should be made to feel part of it. Moreover, the party should establish coordination with the government, which has not been happening in recent years. Leaders who become part of the government should project themselves as representatives of the party and ultimately of the people.

After the general convention, the party should set up a permanent mechanism to evaluate the performance of all the cadres. While providing specific opportunities to cadres should be logical and relevant, regular evaluation of their performance will help to make them accountable and responsible. The NC failed to keep veteran leaders like Ganesh Man Singh and Krishna Prasad Bhattarai during the final years of their lives because it did not give them proper acknowledgement. The party should learn from this, and such mistakes should not be repeated. We should not make our leaders and cadres feel disappointed and pessimistic, so there should be proximity between the party leadership and the cadres. The party should respect the political, social, economic and intellectual roles played by every member.

Visible presence

Along with an internal transformation, the party should address national issues seriously. It has a very poor culture of formulating a common position about contemporary events, issues and trends through intensive analysis and discussions. For instance, if the post-1996 Maoist movement had been analysed properly, much damage to the country and the NC could have been averted. Even recently, the party failed to scrutinise the Madhes movement and India’s involvement. The party needs to be quick and wise while positioning itself in national politics.

After the 1990 political change, the NC focused on development strategies and infrastructure projects. The government formed after the general election initiated development projects at the village level with successful results. But the party failed to give continuity to them. If the party institutionalises the development agenda, it could contribute a lot to the economy; but it lacks farsightedness and experience in running the administration. We should learn from such mistakes, and our young generation should not repeat it. A separate mechanism should be established in the party to oversee the completion of development projects.

Due to liberal economic policies, there has been tremendous progress in the country’s education and health sectors, but we have failed to provide quality service and facilities through government-subsidised education and health institutions. There is an urgent need to ensure quality education and health service for people from remote, marginalised and economically backward communities. We should encourage the private sector; but at the same time, we should make government institutions more competitive and better equipped by providing them timely resources and creating a strong monitoring mechanism. The youth should be given a responsible role in implementing strategic plans from the grass roots to the upper levels. There should be discussions at the coming convention regarding the problems of youths such as unemployment.

It is the responsibility of political parties to prepare long-term goals and a framework to achieve them. Therefore, the NC should take the leadership in preparing a national vision for the next 20 years by identifying the country’s potential and needs. A national development policy and framework should be prepared with the help of experts and academicians. This is the basis for people to support a particular political party.

Internal democracy

In every democratic party, there is a provision for institutional discussions on vital national issues. Conclusions are drawn only after proper discussions with various sectors and communities. In the NC, unfortunately, decisions made by top leaders and office bearers are presented as institutional decisions. The culture of holding debates and discussions should be initiated from this convention at all levels. General convention representatives and Mahasamiti members could be entrusted with the responsibility of holding discussions and debates at the bottom level on intra-party, national and local issues. The conclusions of local-level discussions should be sent to the central office and party leaders for reference.

The NC has been a pioneer in upholding the rule of law, and the spirit of all its struggles has been the belief that the rule of law is better than that of any individual. Therefore, it is a fundamental responsibility to operate the party as per the provisions enshrined in its statute. The NC’s ideological aspect is equally important. The party has been formed on the basis of ideology, and it will make the party stronger. We should synthesise all the opinions from the grass-roots level. We can establish the NC as a model political party given its history and democratic credentials. Such parties are rare in the world. In conclusion, it is the responsibility of the Congress to transform the country. The party should be reformed and internal democracy established. I hope the upcoming convention will find a way to handle the current crisis and future challenges.

Joshi is a Nepali Congress lawmaker