As per the latest calendar endorsed by the CA on December 6, 2011, the CC needs to settle all the unresolved disputes by January 5.[break]
Though the leaders agreed to settle all the remaining disputes in constitution writing -- except for the issues related to state restructuring -- at the subcommittee by December 30, it failed to resolve some major issues. The CC gave two more days to the subcommittee but there is no tangible progress as of Monday.
The task of determining the system of governance has remained as a major stumbling block. As assigned by the subcommittee, the five-member taskforce has suggested to the top leaders to adopt a mixed model -- with directly-elected president and parliament-elected prime minister -- as a middle way solution. But Nepali Congress (NC) leaders appear to be reluctant to adopt the model fearing that popularly-elected president may turn an autocrat.
While NC leaders are for holding further discussions before taking final decision on system of governance, Maoists and some other members at the CC are for moving ahead as per the calendar.
"The constitution-making work has direct connection with the peace process and we are yet to settle many issues. And we shouldn´t take any decision on such a crucial issue like determining the system of governance in haste," NC parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Paudel told reporters after the CC meeting Monday. "We have to amend the calendar of events if needed."
He said both the twin tasks of constitution writing and peace process should be advanced simultaneously and underscored the need for taking a mature decision. Paudel claimed that the constitution-making process will be badly affected if a voting is conducted at the CA to decide the unresolved issues. "We will be unable to promulgate constitution if we opt to go for voting," he said.
However Speaker Subas Nembang ruled out any possibility of making any amendment to the latest calendar of events. Nembang said he is confident that the leaders will sort out the issues within the given time.
"The leaders are the ones who held several rounds of discussions over the calendar of events at the subcommittee, at the CC and at the Business Advisory Committee before endorsing it from the CA. So I can´t simply believe that this time they will demand any changes in any deadline," said Nembang.
As per the calendar of events the 61-member CC requires to settle all the issues by January 4 or forward the unresolved disputes -- if any -- to the CA for decision through voting. The CA will be given five days for the purpose.
If the leaders fail to accomplish the tasks within the given deadline, this will be the twelfth amendment to the CA´s calendar of events.
Earlier, failing to accomplish the given tasks within the set deadline, CA made the 11th amendment to its calendar of events in July, 2010. But the CA had blissfully forgotten the calendar of events and failed to even update it since November 2010. Last year, the CA gave continuity to its work without any calendar for months.
It was only in the first week of December, 2011, the CA came up with the six-month timeline for statute drafting.
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