Oli’s dirty tricks

Those who undermine a party’s democratic principles can’t uphold democratic norms when in state power.

Changing the rules in the middle of a game is against the spirit of fair play. But CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli is, once again, doing just that. The race among the UML leaders to get elected for the party’s top leadership and other positions is in full swing. Though the three-day general convention will be formally inaugurated on December 13, the process has already kicked off at the grassroots. Generally, the process of general convention is considered to have begun when party members start electing its representatives across the country. As the factional competition to win the party’s central positions has heated up in the UML, Oli has come up with a new proposal to increase the number of its office bearers. The objective is clear. He wants to keep his faction intact by giving the aspirants a chance to contest for the party’s important positions. He fears that failure to accommodate leaders loyal to him could lead to their defection to the rival camp led by senior vice-chair Ishwar Pokharel.