Kathmandu, Nov. 21 -- When it finally happened Wednesday night the much awaited ministerial reshuffle was a mere shuffle. Prime Minister KP Oli presided over a game of musical chairs in which many ministers kept their old seats, others swapped them and some lost their chairs only to be replaced by newbies.

The reshuffle, as well as the mass resignation of a dozen prime ministerial advisers last week, appeared to be more of a decoy than a genuine attempt to assuage public perception of the NCP government's non-performance over the last two years. The real intention was to balance internal party rifts and ensure that the prime minister has trusted comrades in charge during his expected prolonged absence for kidney treatment abroad.

After...