आज नेपालको लागि ऐतिहासिक दिन हो । २१९ बर्ष पछि हामीले पहिलो पटक महिला प्रधानमन्त्री पाएका छौँ ।
वितेका दुइ दशकमा सत्तामा महिला प्रतिनिधित्व नबढेको होइन । कानुनमै कोटा किटिएका छन् । “मुख्य चार” मध्ये तीनवटा पदमा जसोतसो महिला पुगिसकेका थिए र बाँकी थियो ‘प्रधानमन्त्री’ । तर हालैका कयौँ उपलब्धी र विकासका बाबजुत प्रधानमन्त्री पदमा महिला पुग्नु असम्भव जस्तै लाग्थ्यो । तगाराहरू धेरै थिए । ती कस्ता थिए, हामीले भर्खरै पनि एउटा प्रमुख पार्टीमा देखेकै हौँ । त्यसैले त्यो पद (महिलाहरूले) खोसेरै लिनुपर्ने अवस्था थियो । आज त्यही भएको छ, युवाहरूले त्यो पद खोसेरै एकजना प्रतिभाशाली महिलालाई टक्र्याएका छन् जसले पहिलो महिला प्रधान न्यायाधीशकारूपमा गौरवपूर्ण इतिहास बनाइसकेकी छिन् ।
संयोग कस्तो परेको छ भने, प्रधानमन्त्री पद दुइजना जनआकाङ्क्षाबाट निकै टाढिएका जस्तो भान हुने पुरूषहरूबाट खोसिएको छ जसमध्ये एकजना भर्खरै एउटी महिलालाई सम्भावित प्रतिस्पर्धाको मैदानै छिर्न रोक्न सफल भएका थिए भने अर्का वयोवृद्ध त्यो पदमा फेरि एकपटक पुग्न पर्खेर बसेका थिए । यी दोस्रा व्यक्तिसँग नवनियुक्त प्रधानमन्त्रीको अर्को रोचक सम्बन्ध छ । पहिलो महिला प्रधान न्यायाधीशलाई यिनैले संसदीय अङ्कगणीतको ‘उपयोग’ गर्दै महाअभियोगको हतियार चलाएर निलम्बन गरेर ‘महाअभियोग लाग्ने पहिलो प्रधानन्यायाधीश’को घुम्टो ओढाइदिएका थिए । अनि अर्को रोचक संयोग ? त्यही महाअभियोगमा हस्ताक्षर गर्ने मध्येका एक बुज्रुग सांसदले नै यी महिलालाई प्रधानमन्त्री नियुक्त गरे ।
तर यो ‘मिठो बदला’को कुरा गर्ने समय हैन । यो नि:सन्देह शुशीला कार्कीको उल्लास मनाउने अवसर हो ।
साथै यो सचेत हुने क्षण पनि हो ।
किनकी कार्की असाधारण परिस्थितिमा मुलुकको नेतृत्वमा पुगेकी छिन् । कार्कीले गर्नु पर्ने मुख्य कुरा उनको नियुक्ती पत्रमै तोकिएको छ- अब उनी आफैले विघटनको सिफारिस गर्ने संसद्को स्वतन्त्र र निष्पक्ष चुनाव छ महिना भित्रै गराउने।
नियुक्ती पत्रमा नलेखिएको तर उनीबाट व्यापक अपेक्षा गरिएको अर्को काम हो, भ्रष्टाचार छानविन आयोग गठन गरेर त्यसले स्वतन्त्र ढंगमा काम गर्ने वातावरण बनाउने ।
तर कार्कीले नगर्नु पर्ने कुरा एउटै छ । र यो उनले गर्नु पर्ने काम जत्तिकै वा त्यो भन्दा महत्वपूर्ण छ । उनका कुनै पनि कदमबाट नेपाली जनताले लामो रक्तपातपूर्ण सङ्घर्ष गरेर ल्याएको प्रतिस्पर्धात्मक बहुदलीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र कुनै पनि हिसावले अवरूद्ध हुनु हुँदैन । परिस्थिति नै त्यस्तै छ त्यसैले कतिपयमा एक खाले सन्देह छ। ती शङ्कालुहरूलाई गलत सावित गराउने काम कार्की कै हो ।
प्रधानमन्त्री कार्कीलाई शुभकामना ।
अबका ६ महिना भित्रै काठमाडौँ-२ निर्वाचन क्षेत्रबाट संसदीय चुनावमा भोट हाल्न म आतुर भैसकेको छु ।
[यो पोस्ट प्रकाशन हुँदा नहुँदै प्रधानमन्त्री कार्कीको सिफारिसमा राष्ट्रपति रामचन्द्र पौडेलले प्रतिनिधिसभा विघठन गर्दै २०८२ फागुन २१ गते विहीवार संसद्को निर्वाचन हुने घोषणा गरेका छन् ।]
I am eager to cast my vote on March 5
Today is a historic day for Nepal. After 219 years, we have, for the first time, a woman Prime Minister.
It is not that women’s representation in positions of power has not increased over the past two decades. Quotas have been enshrined in law. Women had, one way or another, already reached three of the “big four” positions, and the one remaining was that of Prime Minister. Yet, despite the many achievements and advances of recent years, it seemed almost impossible for a woman to reach the prime ministerial post. There were many barriers. We have just seen what some of those barriers looked like in a major political party. That is why the position had to be wrested away. And that is what has happened today: young people have wrested the post away and handed it to a talented woman who has already made proud history as Nepal’s first woman Chief Justice.
What makes the coincidence particularly striking is that the office of Prime Minister has been wrested from two men who appeared to have become quite detached from the aspirations of the people. One of them had only recently succeeded in preventing a woman who could have been a potential rival from even entering the electoral contest, whilst the other, an ageing politician, had been waiting to return to the post once again. The latter also has another interesting connection with the newly appointed Prime Minister. It was he who, by “using” the arithmetic of Parliament, deployed the weapon of impeachment to suspend Nepal’s first woman Chief Justice, thereby giving her the dubious distinction of becoming the “first Chief Justice to face impeachment”. And another interesting coincidence? One of the elderly parliamentarians who signed that very impeachment motion is the person who has now appointed this woman Prime Minister.
But this is not the time to talk about “sweet revenge”. This is, without doubt, an occasion to celebrate Sushila Karki.
At the same time, it is also a moment for vigilance.
Because Karki has assumed the leadership of the country under extraordinary circumstances. The principal task she has to undertake is already specified in her letter of appointment: she must now ensure that free and fair elections to Parliament are held within six months—the very Parliament whose dissolution she herself will recommend.
Another task that is not written into her appointment letter, but is widely expected of her, is to establish a commission to investigate corruption and create an environment in which it can work independently.
But there is one thing Karki must not do. And this is at least as important as, if not more important than, the things she must do. None of her actions should, in any way, obstruct the competitive, multiparty democratic republic that the Nepali people brought about through a long and bloody struggle. The circumstances are such that some people understandably harbour a certain kind of suspicion. It is Karki’s responsibility to prove those sceptics wrong.
Best wishes to Prime Minister Karki.
I am already eager to cast my vote in the parliamentary election from Kathmandu-2 within the next six months.
[No sooner had this post been published than President Ram Chandra Paudel, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Karki, announced the dissolution of the House of Representatives and declared that parliamentary elections would be held on Thursday, March 5, 2026.]
