Let voters hear you

There are many compelling reasons to start a pre-election debate between main PM candidates.

KP Sharma Oli has some gall! The three-time prime minister who stands accused of overseeing the killing of 19 unarmed youngsters on the first day of the Gen Z protests has just called for a pre-election public debate between the top leaders of political parties. We can only imagine the kind of brutal questions that will be directed at Oli, the main face of the old guard the protestors wanted to overthrow. Perhaps Oli reckons he can use his unmatched oratory to his political advantage as he cleverly pokes holes into the arguments and accusations of his debaters. Yet his call for an open debate between top leaders, say at least between the prime minister candidates of the major forces, is well-placed. With parties like the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) already declaring their prime minister candidates, people deserve to know how their chosen ones will run the country should they get the chance. This is especially so for a new party like the RSP and its prime minister candidate Balendra Shah.