Peace, statute may have to bear the brunt
If Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal goes ahead in line with the commitments and promises he made with Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya faction to save the party from possible split, the move could come at the cost of the peace and constitution drafting processes.
After Dahal and Baidya agreed to hit the streets to ensure a people’s constitution and integrate the combatants in a respectful manner, opposition parties, the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML, are anxiously waiting for Dahal’s position after the Maoist party’s Central Committee meeting.
UML leader Pradeep Gyawali said Dahal’s alliance will Baidya makes the peace and constitution drafting processes even more complicated. “To appease the hardline faction, Dahal has to take a tough stance during negotiations, which will not help efforts to strike consensus,” he said.
Dahal has assured the hardline faction that the party will not make a compromise on the fundamental agendas of the party such as a directly elected executive president, identity-based federal states with right to self-determination and scientific land reforms, among others.
He has also convinced the Baidya camp that the integration and rehabilitation process of Maoist combatants will be completed in a respectable manner and that the party has not compromised on issues of integration.
Dahal has pledged that some PLA fighters will get top posts during the integration process, something the NC, the UML and the Nepal Army flatly opposes.
A Maoist leader said Dahal was all prepared to make a compromise on the remaining issues of constitution and peace process if NC had agreed to a directly elected president. After the NC backtracked from its position, Dahal is not in a mood to give more concession to other parties.
Political analysts say the Baidya faction’s readiness to remain within the framework of peace and constitution is a positive aspect, but that it will make the Maoist leadership more rigid on some fundamental issues of constitution.
“If Dahal tries to compromise on the party’s core agenda such as the directly elected president and scientific land reforms, it will inevitably create tension within the party,” said political analyst Shyam Shrestha.
The Maoist CC meeting is likely to conclude on Wednesday, after it passes a common paper on the party’s immediate policy and programme.
According to Politburo member Shakti Basnet, the Dahal-Baidya alliance will not affect the party’s commitment to peace and constitution drafting process.
“We will work for peace and constitution till the last minute, but we won’t surrender the party’s core agenda,” Basnet said.
Posted on: 2012-01-11 09:17
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