Lack of institutional cohesion plagues big parties

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, June 15: Five months after the UCPN (Maoist) general convention, the party has once again come up with a formal agenda of giving full shape to its central committee and form politburo and standing committee.

However, Maoist leaders are not very optimistic about the top leadership accomplishing the task this time around as well as the top leaders had failed to do so despite several attempts in the past.
Currently, the ongoing central committee (CC) meeting of the party at Paris Danda has taken up the agenda. The CC meeting began on Thursday. The party also is yet to form departments and bureaus and distribute responsibilities.

The CC meeting could not take any decision on Friday as well due to differences between the factions separately led by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice-chairmen Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

The party has formed a 65-member election mobilization committee after failing to give full shape to CC and form standing committee and politburo as Chairman Dahal has been postponing the matter.

Parliamentary forces and the international community had hailed the party"s formal announcement during Hetauda convention of turning into a parliamentary party. The general convention, which was held after two decades, had left the issue of CC, politburo and standing committee pending.

Party organizational department chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara had recommended a 399-member CC, 51-member politburo and 17-member standing committee meeting held on Sunday. However, the post of secretary in the party is vacant and the party had decided to fill the post of other office bearers as per the necessity.

Currently, Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, vice-chairmen duo Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha and general secretary Post Bahadur Bogati are office bearers of the party.

“It would be shameful if we fail to give shape to the central committee and form standing committee and politburo through the ongoing central committee,” said CC member Suk Bahadur Roka Magar.

Not only the UCPN (Maoist) but all other major parties, including Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist have failed to give full shape to their respective party bodies. NC has yet to form its various departments, while the CPN-UML has failed to nominate five percent of the central committee members. CPN-UML is holding its next general convention soon after four years. CPN-Maoist has also failed to give full shape to its party bodies even six months after the completion its general convention.

Parties lacking institutional cohesion
The parties have failed to give full shape to their bodies as they lack institutional cohesion. The UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress and CPN-UML are divided into various intra-party factions and sub-factions. The parties are guided by “factional interests”.

While the UCPN (Maoist) is divided into Dahal, Bhattarai and Shrestha factions, NC is divided into factions separately led by Sushil Koirala and senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba. Similarly, CPN-UML has separate factions led by Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal, senior leaders KP Sharma Oli and Madhav Nepal.

“The parties are divided into factions and lack institutional cohesion,” Professor Lok Raj Baral told Republica. He also said that the there is no internal democracy in the major parties.
from Republica