Reading Into Key Messages Delivered on Occasion of New Year 2082

What messages did the major actors of the federal democratic republican polity deliver to the people on the occasion of Nepali New Year (2082 BS)?

Did they show a little bit of magnanimity, did they introspect a bit into their decades-long rule and send out reconciliatory messages to disparate forces hitting the streets?

Reading is believing, right? 

President Ramchandra Paudel: I am confident that the new year will inspire us, our political parties, the government and the entire citizenry to be more democratic, more just and result-oriented. Let the new year inspire us all to move forward for building a more prosperous and cultured nation based on sustainable peace, strengthened national unity, social harmony and inclusiveness.

Vice-president Ram Sahaya Yadav: Let the new year inspire all concerned to move ahead for further strengthening the federal democratic republic by amending the Constitution and introducing new laws as per the need. There’s a need for all of us to move ahead by maintaining national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, autonomy and national self-esteem and internalizing people’s sovereign rights, autonomy and the right to self-rule.
 

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire: After a long struggle and sacrifice, we have already started the institutional practice for running a democratic republic, ensuring inclusiveness, social justice and concluding the peace process. It is our historic responsibility to safeguard these achievements and strengthen them further and not to return to an already completed political course.    

Chair of the National Assembly, Narayan Prasad Dahal: The Federal Parliament has been playing a distinct role in making laws, monitoring the government’s activities and giving voices to popular aspirations. Almost 10 years have passed since the promulgation of the Constitution, yet we have not been able to make laws for implementing federalism. I hope lawmaking will speed up in the new year. All sides have a role in transforming Nepal as a prosperous and developed country in the 2080s.

Prime Minister and CPN-UML president KP Sharma Oli: There are challenges in steering the country on the path of development and prosperity, given that it went through a long period of instability and uncertainty. Still, we are moving ahead in the long-term interest of the country and the people. We are confident that our steps toward national prosperity will reach new heights in the coming years.

Former PM and chair of the CPN (Maoist Center), Pushpa Kamal Dahal: Public anger is rising as the government is making decisions in favor of power brokers and intermediaries. Reactionary forces are trying to take advantage of this situation. Therefore, it’s time to launch a joint resistance against reactionary conspiracies and the anti-people moves of the government.     

Former PM and president of the Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba: Let the new year further strengthen the Nepali peoples, inspire them to further strengthen the federal democratic republican polity and work for making Nepal more prosperous—culturally, economically and socially.

Former PM and CPN (US) chair, Madhav Kumar Nepal: Federal democratic forces should unite at a time when regressive forces are getting active. The democratic forces should work to strengthen the republican polity brought through a long struggle of the people by bringing about economic transformation based on good governance, prosperity and social justice.

Former PM and chair of Naya Shakti, Baburam Bhattarai: Let the new year free all Nepalis from all kinds of kings and princelings. May alternative forces flourish and the door for good governance and prosperity open.

Former PM and senior leader of the CPN (US), Jhalanath Khanal: Time has come for all of Nepal’s communist revolutionaries, progressive forces and patriotic people to think in a new way. It’s time to think what went wrong in the past and where, and seriously internalize the crisis situation. In view of the elections slated three years later (in 2084 BS), all communist forces should think about the outcome a rift among them will bring.