Nepal, July 8 -- The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has swiftly climbed up the political ladder with the promise of dismantling the old, stagnant order. Yet the recently approved party statute suggests a retreat into the past. Section 68(1)e of the new document approved by the ruling party's first general convention is being seen as an instrument of control. It grants the party chair a high level of authority to render the parliamentary party leader's position 'automatically vacant' for failing to follow policy directives.

The new statute also gives the chair the right to nominate 51 members to the 158-member Central Committee. This represents nearly one-third of the committee. Such a large nominated bloc ensures a phalanx of loyalists w...