A group including Buddha Air operator Birendra Bahadur Basnet has formed a new party - the Dynamic Democratic Party (GALOPA). Speaking to Kantipur after returning from submitting an application for party registration to the Election Commission on Thursday, Chairman Dinesh Prasai said that the party had to be announced soon due to the Gen-G movement.

‘We were preparing for a long time, we were preparing to participate in the 2084 elections,’ said Prasai, who is also a sociologist, ‘but, in the new situation, we have applied for party registration today.’ Why is this party of his group different from others? Kantipur’s Gaurav Pokharel’s conversation with Prasai:

Why is the Dynamic Democratic Party different from other parties?

It is also known from the name that this party is a party that believes in democracy. We accept the basic principles of the constitution promulgated in 2072 BS. We named the party Democratic in the sense that clarity is needed on that issue.

We are not in favor of a directly elected president or prime minister. Because, until our institutions are strong, we should look at the possibility of creating a problem of authoritarianism by going there all at once. We have also named another dynamic. That is, democracy has become very stable, like a frozen lake, so we have named it to address it. When you always see the same person in leadership, even when you are doing a good job, the people want change. However, it is not only the face of the leadership but also the policies, programs, political culture, etc.

The government changes, but realizing that it is difficult to develop the country with the same methods, the same people, and the same structure, we have formed a dynamic democratic party. Our party will give some new messages. We have also tried to link the party with employment.

Now the issue of abolishing federalism and directly elected executives is also coming up, what is the party's view on it?

The party's official discussion is yet to be held. However, the understanding so far is that the 2072 constitution was made after a long struggle. It was made by negotiating with many groups amidst its limitations. Federalism also has its reasons, its weaknesses. However, it has now been brought to address the issue of Madhesh, the issue of indigenous people, and regional issues. We are ready to discuss if it is less expensive, less volatile. However, we accept the principles of the constitution.

We also feel that the electoral system should be revised. The way it is represented in parliament, there are various problems. We can discuss how to make it more efficient, but we are not in favor of a directly elected president or prime minister. Because, until our institutions are strong, we should look at the possibility of creating a problem of authoritarianism by going there all at once.

It is understood that it is not suitable for Nepal due to the geopolitical situation. We should not take too many risks in the name of stability alone, but we should have a very intensive discussion. We do not believe in populism.

Were the preparations to open a party even before the Gen-G movement or are they the latest preparations?

In fact, it has been about two years since the preparations began. However, we have been preparing very intensively in the last 6 months. Our plan was to register in Magh targeting the 2084 elections. However, the political situation also changed with the Gen-G movement. Since the election date was announced, we moved forward quickly. We had to register quickly even when the Election Commission had already called for it.

In the last 6 months, what will be the party's politics? What will be the party structure? What will be our agenda? We were discussing.

What will be the role of Buddha Air's owner Birendra Bahadur Basnet in the party?

He is in our team. There should be many people in the team and they are from different backgrounds. I myself have been teaching political sociology at Tribhuvan University for 10-12 years. My interest is how society and politics can be taken forward together, what are the dynamics?  All the rest are members. The general secretary looks after one organization, another agenda, good governance, entrepreneurship and equality are separate issues. The agendas are written in the title of the general secretary's post. For example: Good Governance is the general secretary, we write that in brackets. We have made arrangements that office bearers cannot contest elections. Members and other friends will contest elections, office bearers will be engaged in party work. It is not said that they will resign and immediately enter the fray just because the election atmosphere has been created. We have also made arrangements that there should be a cooling period of 6 months after resignation.