US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU2189

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 002189 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL - RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, NP, Government of Nepal (GON) 
SUBJECT: NEPAL:  CABINET EXPANSION 
 
REF: KATHMANDU 1931 
 
1.  (SBU)  The interim Government of Prime Minister Lokendra 
Bahadur Chand announced an expansion of its 9-member Cabinet 
to 22 on November 18.  The new names included no one from 
either of the two largest political parties, the Nepali 
Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal - United Marxist 
Leninist (UML), and only one representative from the third 
largest party, the National Democratic Party, also known by 
its Nepali acronym RPP.  The additions contain a similar mix 
of former supporters of the partyless Panchayat regime, 
members of small or new parties not represented in the 
previous Parliament, and technocrats apparent in the first 
batch of appointments on October 11.  Of the 13 new names, 
one is a member of the lowest caste, and two are members of 
ethnic minorities.  The Chand Cabinet now boasts 15 full 
ministers and 7 Assistant Ministers. 
 
2.  (SBU)  A list of the new ministers follows below.  (Note: 
 Names of the Assistant Ministers will be sent septel.) 
 
A)  Ramesh Nath Pandey - Minister of Information and 
Communications and General Administration.  A former 
journalist, Mr. Pandey was a minister during the Panchayat 
regime.  He was a member of the National Assembly (the Upper 
House) in the previous Parliament, appointed by the King. 
 
B) Devi Prasad Ojha - Minister of Education and Sports.  Mr. 
Ojha left the Communist Party of Nepal - Marxist Leninist 
(ML) when it merged with the UML earlier this year.  He is no 
longer affiliated with any political party. 
 
C)  Narayan Singh Pun - A retired Army officer, Col. Pun is a 
successful businessman who owns his own helicopter company. 
A Nepali Congress MP in the previous Parliament, Mr. Pun left 
the NC to form his own party, the Nepal Equality Party, to 
contest now-deferred national elections.  The Nepal Equality 
Party platforms focuses on equal opportunity for members of 
all ethnic groups, castes and religion.  Mr. Pun is a 
Magar--the ethnic group believed to constitute the bulk of 
Maoist foot soldiers. 
 
D) Badri Narayan Basnet - Minister of Land Reforms and 
Management and Forest and Soil Conservation.  Mr. Basnet is a 
member of the National Democratic Party's Central Committee. 
He had been a minister during the Panchayat era. 
 
E)  Kamal Prasad Chaulagain - Minister of Labor and Transport 
Management.  A former member of the UML's Central Committee, 
Mr. Chaulagain resigned from the party just one week before 
being named to Chand's Cabinet. 
 
F)  Kuber Sharma - Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil 
Aviation.  A former member of the Nepali Congress Central 
Committee, Mr. Sharma now heads his own "Green Nepal" party 
focusing on environmental issues. 
 
G)  Mahesh Lal Pradhan - Minister of Industry, Commerce and 
Supplies.  A former president of the federated Nepali 
Chambers of Commerce, Mr. Pradhan is a businessman. 
 
H)  Deepak Gyawali - Minister of Water Resources.  Mr. 
Gyawali is a well-respected intellectual, writer and 
consultant active in the field of water resources, known for 
his sometimes iconoclastic views. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Comment:  The absence of any names from the two 
largest parties--and the addition of only one from the Prime 
Minister's own RPP party--indicates that the Chand government 
continues to face an uphill battle in garnering mainstream 
political support.  Without broadbased political support, the 
new government--despite the impeccable credentials of some of 
its appointees--may find the task of governing increasingly 
difficult. 
MALINOWSKI