We will begin with the largest party in the parliament, UCPN (Maoist). “The next round will resolve things and that will be final,” said its party chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, on Friday after failing to secure simple majority for the second time. We doubt this. Unless the Maoists honor their commitments, we do not see how they can be allowed to lead the government. The onus of giving a country a government is more on Dahal and his party for repeating that everything will be resolved once the government led by Madhav Kumar Nepal resigned. The NC, on the other hand, which was in a haste in nominating Ram Chandra Poudel for the prime minister instead of focusing more on the peace process and writing the constitution is pushing itself into a corner where their ego is likely to dictate the next course of action.
The UML cannot avoid the blame as well. Their chairman, Jhalanath Khanal, smarting under snub by party colleagues – Prime Minister Nepal and KP Oli – must overcome his irritation. He is now repeating the “consensus government” mantra though he himself was covertly angling for a simple majority government under his leadership. He is no less responsible for this impasse. After all, it was he who gave the Maoist party a lifeline by working to destabilize the Nepal-led government without securing anything from the Maoists, which is long overdue now. The four Madhesi parties have repeated the farce of raising the Madhes agenda only when government formation comes into play. Perhaps, time has come for them to shake off their image as irresponsible opportunists.
With the tenure of the caretaker government lengthening, it is bound to have impact on all aspects of governance. Moreover, important decisions will remain pending. The question of budget looms large again. In this backdrop, we urge the parties to act responsibly. We suggest focusing on the constitution and concluding the peace process. Dahal must come forth with a tangible plan to implement the six-point pact reached with NC and UML. The NC must relent and join the government under Dahal’s leadership and so should the UML and the Madhesi parties. Then these parties must discuss the power-sharing and size of the cabinet with other parties and complete the tasks that lie ahead: Integration/rehabilitation of the Maoist combatants, return of the property seized by the Maoists and writing of the constitution within the extended deadline.
Related story
Let’s act responsibly
