The ruling Communist Party of Nepal (NCP) has moved to amend its statute in a bid to bring slight changes to its organisational structure and further clarify ideological premises. Its secretariat meeting on Monday sought to give momentum to the party organisation composed of two erstwhile NCP-UML and NCP-Maoist Centre. It is going to hold the meeting of the Standing Committee on Dec 15. It is taking place exactly after one year. As per the statute, the SC should sit in every three months. The upcoming SC meeting will discuss and decide on the proposals forwarded by the secretariat. Of late, NCP is poised to consolidate its newly acquired status by completing the unification process of all concerned committees and departments. Former UML and Maoist Centre had decided to go for unification on the eve of historic state and federal elections in 2017. The announcement created the synergic impact, enabling it to clinch the unprecedented poll victory. It formed governments at the centre, in six out of seven states and most of the local units. The sweeping electoral mandate allowed the South Asia’s largest communist party-led government to carry forward the drastic socio-economic measures to realise its lofty goal of Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.

Despite its huge success, the NCP and its government is still grappling with the problems in the adjustment of its leaders and cadres. It is not unnatural for the biggest party to deal with numerous ambitious apparatchiks who have won the people’s trust but are unable to prove their mettle. Likewise, there are leaders who are influential within the party but failed to make to the parliament. This paradoxical scenario has some negative repercussions for the party committed to implement the new constitution and bring about socio-economic transformations in the country. In order to address the internal lacunas, the secretariat has decided to create the post of vice-chair through the statute amendment. The move comes in the wake of the party’s decision to appoint leader Bam Dev Gautam as vice-chair some four months ago. The statute has no provision of vice-chair. It has two chairs and one general secretary. Gautam had lost the federal poll from Bardiya and the party had also tried to get him elected to the House of Representatives from other constituencies but of no avail.

The secretariat also decided to incorporate the provisions of Valley Coordination Committee and Special Committees in the party statute so as to conclude the remaining tasks of the unification. It directed the party committees of the districts, where the recent by-elections were held, to submit their review report within five days. The party had lost some important positions in the by-elections in its own strongholds, forcing to it to do a rigorous soul-searching as to how this happened although it had enough electoral backing and strong organisation in the aftermath of the unification of the two parties. In yet another important decision, the party is set to modify its strategic goals and minimum-basic programme. Its ultimate goal (strategic/highest objective) is to establish the scientific socialism and immediate programme is socialism-oriented people’s democracy. Now the NCP-led government is implementing the policies, plans and programmes geared towards achieving the people’s democracy. For any communist party, the immediate and long-term goals are vital to set clear vision and direction.