By Madan Lamsal

Nepal has entered in the new era after CJ (Chief Justice) is made the head of government. Some people may not be very happy with this. However, many especially DJ (Disc Jockeys), RJ (Radio Jockeys), VJ (Video Jockeys) are very happy as they think that after CJ the role to head of the government may fall on the shoulders of DJ, RJ or VJs.  Even the BJ (Bureau of Justices) and YJ (Young Justices) are happy besides MJ (The fans of Michael Jackson and MJ Akbar), OJs (Orange Juice Lovers) etc. So much so that even the Court Jesters who earned their living by entertaining the king during the period monarchy are happy that even the shortened version of their profession is CJ! 

These different ‘J’s are very happy as they have now at least a hope that one fine day all of a sudden they might be requested to lead the government after CJ steps aside. Therefore, many of the DJs, RJs, and VJs had even thrown parties after the CJ was made the Chairman of the election government. 

Chairman is a very prestigious position anyway. In every company and even in the private sector associations businessmen and traders fight for chairmanship.  The chairmanship is popular also in the Panchayati era of the past. For example, former kings, Mahendra, Birendra and even Gyanendra were chairmen of the government during their rule – though sometimes they were only de jure chairmen. They all were very popular in the beginning of their respective rules. It is a different fact that soon they became unpopular.  However, this popularity and unpopularity are subjective and relative terms. Now Gyanendra is becoming more popular day by day. Birendra too was popular towards the end of his reign as a constitutional monarch.

Anyway the most important thing is that from DJ to YJ, everyone is happy as CJ is made the Chairman. The ‘J’s are so happy that now they have started to change the designation of all the employees in their companies creating synergy with CJ or YJ. For example, many bar and discotheques have now new positions like CJ (Chief Joker), DJ (Dangerous Joe or Don Jockey), VJ (Vigilante Jockey), RJ (Runche or Runcie Joker), MJ (Maharaj Ji), NJ (Natwarlal Ji), etc. 

Now the Nepali political parties should also learn to create new positions for their leaders and cadres. Otherwise they will be more unpopular in the days to come and they will have to abandon their power and remain as the spectators they have become these days. Here you can recall how the four party leaders who even in meetings always sat facing six different directions and spoke in 180 degree opposite terms of one other unanimously handed over the power to the CJ. It seems that the position called CJ is attractive not only for the general people and leaders of Nepal but also among the Europeans, American as well as the edgy neighbours. 

Therefore, the political parties are suggested to give new names to the present positions of the leaders. For example, party chairman, general secretary and spokesperson should now have designations changed to something that rhymes with CJ, DJ, RJ, VJ, YJ etc. Otherwise the real DJ, RJ or VJ will start ruling the roost. 

Name change in the political party leadership positions is now urgent also because the efforts of the political leaders in the past to attract people and foreign countries to them were all in vain. For example, they acted long like clowns by staging such farce and skits as meetings for political consensus, election for Prime Minister’s post for some eighteen times etc. Perhaps the reason for the failure of those efforts was that they all played the role of clowns and there was no single hero. 

Anyway, the CJ is now the CEO of the country and his stated objective is to hold elections. But some people also say that his actual job is to fold the democratic process. Many existing democracies that want to fold such system up have already started efforts to emulate the Nepali way of selecting the CEO. After all, why waste so much money in holding elections. Why not have a system in which the CEO position automatically goes to one who is the CJ for some months. Let the would-be CEOs struggle it out through the judicial system hierarchy starting from the district court!