Making our democracy work

The thing to do is rein in political corruption and depoliticise public institutions.

Until three years ago, our politicians blamed the coalition governments that preceded the 2017 parliamentary election for all of Nepal’s ills. They told us a one-party majority government would bring stability and prosperity to the country. The people believed them; in 2017, they elected a hurriedly formed communist alliance, which later became the Nepal Communist Party, with an overwhelming majority. KP Sharma Oli became prime minister. But the hope and optimism set off by the new one-party majority government did not last very long. After a lull of about two years, Oli’s opponents in the Nepal Communist Party, led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, started demanding his resignation either as prime minister or as chairman of the party. The conflict got so intense, Oli claimed that it ‘became impossible’ for him ‘to do his job’.