Kathmandu Post

Editorial»

Confusing road map

JAN 13 - Confused Nepal always tries to confuse Nepal. Interestingly, UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal is perplexed after every audience with the King, and subsequently he confuses the whole country. About eight months ago, immediately after the resignation of erstwhile Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, and a royal audience to all the political parties, Nepal acted as if he would soon become the next Prime Minister. As a result, the UML’s participation in the protest programme against the King’s regressive move subsided, clearly agonizing the other four participating parties. The opposition lost its tempo, which, instead, paved a way for Surya Bahadur Thapa to the Prime Ministerial berth.
After eight months of incessant opposition to the Thapa government by the agitating five-parties, the King initiated a reconciliatory move with the political parties. The reconciliation process began with an audience to Madhav Kumar Nepal. The royal audience has once again perplexed Nepal. As a result, he has come up with a road map, which is a document ~ ~ depicting the level of confusion in UML when power appears up for grabs.
The first and foremost agenda in the road map is drafting a new constitution, which in itself is problematic. The UML’s contemplation of a new constitution is not likely to address the root cause of the present conflict. Neither are the Maoists going to compromise for anything less than a Constituent Assembly that would consider the future of monarchy in the country, and that is the sole reason why they walked out of the second peace talks. Meanwhile, the pro-monarchists are pressing for greater power of the King. There could be no other better alternative to these extremes but the existing constitution. The parties have to first put the constitution back on track, and only then can they think of amending it to prevent the political crisis the country has faced in recent days.
The road map has stressed that it would strengthen the demand of the five agitating parties, but has sorely missed to mention the 18-point demand the parties have forwarded. The UML’s road map is considering converging the triangular conflict into a two-sided affair, but has not shown a definite way for the parties to meet the objective. On the one hand, it looks very much willing to form a government complying with the King’s seven-point agenda. On the other hand, it is not trying to quell the republican sentiment among its students. Moreover, the road map has also urged the Maoists for ceasefire and peace talks. All these issues can come together only in a confused document ~ ~ obviously not in practical politics. Rather than going by such confusing road map and pursuing a state of confusion, the King should form an interim government under the leadership of a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, which could hold free and fair elections. The elected parliament would then take all the necessary decisions, and would give a new direction to the country.Posted on: 2004-01-13 02:14

---