作者：里图・拉吉・苏贝迪（Ritu Raj Subedi）
《新兴尼泊尔报》（The Rising Nepal）2025年7月27日，星期日，第4版
https://www.risingnepaldaily.com/news/65761
毫不退缩且意志坚定，前总统比迪亚·德维·班达里（Bidya Devi Bhandari）拒绝屈服于尼共（联合马列）（CPN-UML）最近出人意料地在周二（7月22日）撤销她党籍的决定。班达里曾在2015年和2019年两次担任尼泊尔总统，是该国第一位女性国家元首。两年前，她在完成总统任期后重新恢复了党籍。然而，尼共（联合马列）中央委员会会议撤销她党籍的决定令尼共（联合马列）内部成员和外部观察人士都感到震惊。许多尼共（联合马列）党员不禁思考：一位曾担任该党副主席并长期为党服务的成员，其党籍真的可以被剥夺吗？哦，连已故马丹·班达里（Madan Bhandari）的遗孀都被剥夺党籍了！
周五（7月25日），班达里召开新闻发布会，回应尼共（联合马列）阻止她参与该党活动的决定。对于该党宣布取消她党籍的做法，她表示愤怒，并指出：“一小撮朋友不能在煽动之下强行做出这样的决定。”她认为，该党剥夺她党籍的行为违反了宪法所保障的自由权利，也违背了尼共（联合马列）的指导原则——人民多党民主（People's Multiparty Democracy, PMD）。她将这一决定称为“无效的”、“不成熟的”和“不公正的”。她的强烈反应预计将加剧尼共（联合马列）内部基层党员的不满情绪，尤其是在该党即将于9月初召开党章大会之际。
传递信息
通过此次新闻发布会，班达里向党传递了多个重要信息。
第一， 她首次以尼共（联合马列）副主席的身份公开亮相。在2015年当选总统之前，她曾是尼共（联合马列）的副主席。值得一提的是，她在2014年于加德满都举行的尼共（联合马列）第九次全国代表大会上，曾发挥了关键作用，帮助现任党主席K·P·夏尔马·奥利（KP Sharma Oli）当选党主席。
第二， 她强调自己继承了已故丈夫马丹·班达里的政治遗产，并在此次备受关注的发布会上提到了他。“45年前，当时马丹·班达里负责科西专区（Koshi zone）的工作，是他授予我党籍并为我主持了入党誓词。”她表示。已故的马丹·班达里是一位极具魅力的领导人，在1990年代初国际共产主义运动遭遇重大挫折时，他领导尼共（联合马列）走向改革，并提出了人民多党民主理念，使尼泊尔共产党人能够适应议会政治，成为尼泊尔政坛的重要力量。
第三， 她强调自己对尼共（联合马列）的忠诚毋庸置疑。她的新闻发布会背景板上印有马丹·班达里的照片、尼共（联合马列）的选举标志“太阳”以及“人民多党民主”的口号。有传言称，被剥夺党籍后，她可能会另立门户分裂党派。
第四， 她强调自己并不追求权力或职位。据信，尼共（联合马列）之所以决定终止她的党籍，是因为她在一次电视采访中间接表示有意参选党主席。她对党领导职位的宣称显然触动了尼共（联合马列）高层的敏感神经，他们认为她的回归会削弱党的“84使命”（84 mission）（即在尼历2084年（公历2027年）的选举中取得胜利的使命）。
宪法之争
值得注意的是，尼共（联合马列）与班达里都引用宪法来支持各自的立场。
尼共（联合马列）表示，一个曾担任国家元首、国家统一象征、宪法守护者、军队最高统帅和国家守护者的人，不应再继续作为某一政党的成员、干部或领导人。尼共（联合马列）甚至警告称，她重新进入政坛会在民众、制度和精神层面树立错误的先例。
而班达里则反驳称，宪法保障了信仰自由和加入政党的基本权利，任何宪法条款或精神都未禁止她参与政治活动。她还强调，人民多党民主理念完全尊重宪法至上和法治原则，因此在原则上没有正当理由将她排除在党籍之外。但她也承认，这本质上是一个政治问题，而非宪法问题，因为宪法并未明确限制前总统是否可以参与政治。
道德争议
一个对班达里提出的强烈道德质疑是：她是否适合在担任过国家最高职位——总统之后，再次投身党派政治？尼共（联合马列）内外都有不少人不希望她卷入党派事务。这一道德问题完全取决于她本人是否愿意接受。
为了为班达里重新加入尼共（联合马列）辩护，她的支持者举出了其他国家的例子：例如，前美国总统西奥多·罗斯福（Theodore Roosevelt）在1912年因未能获得共和党总统候选人提名后，创立了进步党（Progressive Party）；法国前临时总统夏尔·戴高乐（Charles de Gaulle）在1946年辞职后组建了新的政治力量，尽管未能在选举中取得显著成果；英国前首相戴维·卡梅伦（David Cameron）卸任首相后曾担任外交大臣；新加坡前总理李光耀（Lee Kuan Yew）和以色列前总统兼总理希蒙·佩雷斯（Shimon Peres）在卸任后也曾担任内阁职务。
这些例子被用来支持班达里的政治回归。然而，最终决定她政治命运的，还是尼共（联合马列）的领导人和广大党员。她最近的强硬回应无疑已将她推向与尼共（联合马列）高层正面对抗的道路。
（作者为《新兴尼泊尔报》副执行主编）
Bidya, UML On Collision Course?
The Rising Nepal Sun, 27 July 2025, page 4
https://www.risingnepaldaily.com/news/65761
Unfazed and determined, former president Bidya Devi Bhandari refused to surrender to the establishment of CPN-UML that has recently revoked her party membership in an unexpected move last Tuesday. Bhandari had renewed her party membership two years ago after serving the country’s highest ceremonial post twice. The annulment of her membership by the party’s central committee meeting has stunned both UML functionaries and outside observers. Can the membership of the former vice-chair and long-time devoted worker be rescinded? Oh, the spouse of late Madan Bhandari has been denied membership! This emotional thinking also swirls the minds of many UML workers.
On Friday, Bhandari organised a press conference to respond to the UML’s decision to prevent her from being engaged in the UML. Enraged over the party’s announcement of deactivating her party membership, she said, “A handful of friends cannot do this forcefully and by coming under instigation.” According to her, the party’s decision to deny membership contravenes the constitutional right to freedom and the spirit of People's Multiparty Democracy (PMD), UML's guiding principle. She has termed it ‘invalid’, ‘immature’ and ‘unjust.’ Her strong reaction is expected to further agitate the UML rank and file as the party is bracing for the statute convention in early September.
Message
Bhandari has tried to give several messages to the party through the presser. First, she has, for the first time, presented herself as the vice-chair of the party. Before her election as the president in 2015, she was the UML vice-chair. It is relevant to mention that she had played a critical role in electing the incumbent head KP Sharma Oli as the party’s chair in its 9th convention held in Kathmandu in 2014.
Second, she has claimed she carries the legacy of late Bhandari and invoked him at the much-anticipated press meet. “Late Madan Bhandari granted me party membership and administered the oath of secrecy 45 years ago when the former was the charge of Koshi zone. No one can snatch the membership given to me by Madan Bhandari,” she said. Late Madan Bhandari, a charismatic leader, steered the party at a time when the international communist movement suffered a huge setback in the early 1990s. He propounded PMD, which helped democratise Nepali communists, enabling them to be major players in Nepali parliamentary politics.
The third important message is that her commitment to the UML is beyond question. She held the press conference under the banner that contained an image of late Bhandari, UML’s poll symbol – 'Sun' and a slogan of PMD. There is a rumour that Bhandari would go to the extent of splitting the party after she was denied membership. The fourth message is that she does not crave power and a post. It is believed that the UML moved to terminate her membership after she, in an interview with a television channel, indirectly said that she would contest for the post of party chair. Her claim to the party leadership did not go well with the UML establishment that sees her entry as a ploy to weaken the party's 84 mission.
It is interesting to note that both the UML and Bhandari have cited the constitution to prove each other’s position. The UML has stated that it is not possible and not allowed for a person who has become the head of state, symbol of national unity, protector and adherent of the constitution, supreme commander of the army and nation’s guardian to be a member and cadre, or leader of a particular party. It has even warned that her re-entry into politics will set a wrong precedent among people, the system and the spirit.
However, Bhandari has argued that the constitution guarantees the right to freedom of belief and the right to be affiliated with a political party as fundamental rights and no article or spirit of the constitution precludes her from being politically active. Stating that PMD fully embraces constitutional supremacy and the rule of law, she said there is no justifiable reason to exclude her from party membership on the grounds of principle. However, it is entirely a political issue, not a constitutional one, for the constitution keeps mum about the involvement of the former president in politics.
Moral question
A strong moral question posed to Bhandari is: Does it behoove her to enter party politics after holding the highest state position – the President? A good number of people inside and outside the party do not want her to get involved in the partisan affairs. This moral issue entirely depends on her – whether or not to accept it. To justify Bhandari's attempt to reenter the UML, her supporters offer instances where the heads of state or government of other nations have rejoined politics or assumed junior positions after leaving the top job.
Former president Theodore Roosevelt established the Progressive Party in 1912 after losing the presidential nomination of the Republican Party to incumbent president William Howard Taft. Charles de Gaulle resigned as the provisional president of France in 1946 and went on to form a new political force, which, however, failed to make an impressive electoral gain. British PM David Cameron was in charge of the foreign ministry after retiring from the premiership. Singapore PM Lee Kuan Yew and former Israeli president and prime minister Shimon Peres had held ministerial portfolios upon retiring from the highest executive post. These are some examples presented in favour of Bhandari. However, it is the UML leaders and cadres who can seal her political fate. And her latest retort is sure to put her on a collision course against the UML establishment.
(The author is Deputy Executive Editor of this daily.)
