Hypothetical questions can be easily answered if the respondents view the subject as merely imaginary.
But candidates for the presidency of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) USA in Dallas seemed incapable of answering such questions during an event on Sunday.
In a ‘Presidential Debate’ program organized by Nepal America Journalist Association (NAJA), no candidates were seen to have confidence in their fellow contenders while having to answer a hypothetical question put forward by the moderator of the debate, Kiran Marahatta.
All four presidential candidates were asked the same question – “If you had to choose one of the remaining three candidates for the president position, who would you choose?”
Although candidates were expected to answer hypothetically, none of them took a clear stand for their choices.
Among all, Dr. Arjun Banjade answered in a slightly diplomatic way, “Kiranji, I give you the right to vote on behalf of me. I accept whatever your decision is.”
On the other hand, the remaining candidates could not give a clear answer rather they chose to bent the question and beat around the bushes.
As a result, other participants of the program interpreted this hesitation as the lack of trust between the candidates or that the candidates themselves weren’t certain about their competitor’s potentiality.
Every candidate happened to express their proximity with each other saying that they have worked together in the organization but could not cast their vote for any one of them in particular.
In the debate organized by NAJA, the four presidential candidates presented their election agendas and claimed that their victory was assured. Dr. Arjun Banjade’s aim for ‘extending success’, Buddhi Subedi’s plan of ‘No Visa to go to Motherland’, Krishna Lamichhane’s determination of ‘making NRNA a go-to organization at the time of need’ and Tilak KC’s strategy of ‘Breaking the Syndicate’ were demonstrated as the major agendas by the candidates respectively.
All four of them expressed their commitment to not take the issue to the court even if they face defeat and to remain active in the NRNA campaign. They stood in the rostrum for hours to answer every question politely which was considered as the evidence of their maturity, sincerity, intellect, and decency.
The participants were most impressed by the presentation from Tilak KC as they preferred KC’s style of presenting the subject matter accurately, point-by-point, within the given time frame, and with a modern thought process. Resulting in their overwhelming response and applause. The participants also listened and appreciated the presentation of Krishna Lamichhane, for his experiences and contributions in the social organizations for a notable period. Buddhi Subedi’s agenda was also highly applauded by the participants whereas Dr. Banjade’s intellectual presentation also won the hearts of many.
From the east coast state of New York to the west coast of California and from Wisconsin in the north to New Mexico in the south, hundreds of participants showed their presence in the event to support the candidate from their respective place.
Harihar Birahi, former president of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), who is also on the Supervising committee expressed his doubts on the tendency of the organization to move forward by following the footprints of Nepal’s political parties. Upon which, the candidates provided an appropriate theoretical answer and tried to persuade Birahi in believing so.
In the first phase of the program, Gauri Raj Joshi, the Secretary of NRNA International Committee, Sunil Sah, the President of NRNA USA, Pashupati Pandey, the General Secretary along with others expressed their best wishes. The candidates’ debate was conducted in the second phase of the program under the chairmanship of Vikas Raj Neupane, the President of NAJA.
The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) US National Coordinating Council (NCC) is all set to elect a new leadership by the last week of May. According to the NRNA US Election Committee, the election is scheduled for May 29th and 30th of this month. The organization has about 20,000 members so far. All NRNA America member voters will be able to vote online for those two days. The results will be announced on May 31st. The newly elected President and remaining members will officially begin their tenure since the 3rd of July.
