BIBHUSAN RAJ SHAKYA

On Sunday as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal spoke in a 30 minute televised address to the nation, he looked sombre and sounded sincere. This was not the man who was thundering and threatening at Khula Manch to seize power just a few weeks ago. Lest the people forget, Dahal emphasised a few times during his half-hour speech that he was speaking not just as the prime minister but also as a Nepali citizen. The address was reflective as he talked about the challenges his government has had to face and the successes it has achieved so far such as continued international assistance, revenue collection and talks with armed groups in the Tarai.

Some serious declarations were also made: banning the dowry system and criminalising caste-based discrimination, strong enforcement of law on equal property right between sons and daughters, committing to fight corruption, reforming public administration and discouraging foreign loans for small projects.

On the issue of electricity he said that load shedding would be reduced to a minimum within the next fiscal year and the government would use any/all kinds of energy-thermal, solar and other alternatives to bring an end to this problem as soon as possible. Dahal agreed that the country was sliding towards anarchy and appealed to all to join forces to end all bandas. He also called for comprehensive political understanding and requested parties to give up their traditional ways of working.

Dahal said he is not trying to blame anyone for the failures but then went on to say that the reason the government is not able to meet the expectations of the people is due to the clash in ideology between his party and others in the coalition government. He said that besides his party others haven't quite understood what diplomacy in modern times is supposed to mean. The fact that there is no coordination between the ruling parties in the government was proven the next day as Minister of Commerce and Supplies Rajendra Mahato told the press that the PM's address was made without consultation with his coalition partners or the council of ministers.

This speech came at a time when the government has come under fire from all sides for not being able to deliver and meet the Nepali people's expectations. Dahal's address requests Nepali media to also highlight positive stories. This is odd considering the fact that those who attacked media houses are still not behind bars, when journalist Uma Singh's murderers have still not been caught and journalists are being threatened and assaulted every day. The government hasn't done much to end impunity and ensure that the environment in which Nepali journalists can work is safe.

Dahal's Sunday address doesn't make any new policy commitments. The bans, the appeals, the commitments he refers to are already part of the government's strategies-they have been mentioned in our national budget and were a part of the promises made to the people by the governments of yesteryears. His 30-minute speech simply was hot air.

Like the previous governments this one has also not understood that Nepali people are tired of listening to people in power speak. Addresses like these only work when the government is actually delivering on the promises made in the past. Abolishing the dowry system, ending the caste-based discrimination are all commendable commitments but they don't require urgent action. When the country is reeling under a crippling power crisis, when there is lawlessness in all spheres of society, indulging in issues that require long-term solutions is just a way of distracting from the real issues at hand.

Five months may not be a long time to start implementing all the policies the Maoist-led government has committed itself to but precious time is being lost in the power struggle between the political parties. During the 2008 CA election campaign, Nepalis were promised that their lives would now begin to improve, that the new government in new Nepal will not make the mistake of ignoring peoples' grievances. Nepalis have been watching and waiting-hen they see that the politicians they trusted are consumed by the greed for power, that the system is slipping back to the old way of doing things, that there's no hint that the promises made to them are being implemented, five months becomes a very long time.