The mechanism is the brainchild of Koirala, who had claimed that once the high level body was put in place, all the problems surfacing in the political horizon of the country would disappear. However, the modalities and the working area of the mechanism have not yet been made clear. The formation of the mechanism is expected to give political parties a platform that would help diffuse tension and reduce differences among them. In case any deadlock arises, the mechanism would facilitate the leaders of the major political parties to sit together and resolve the issue. However, it cannot be regarded as a panacea that would cure all ills.
The formation of the mechanism is, no doubt, a positive sign and the parties will now be able to discuss their problems and sort out differences before it is too late. Now, it has to be seen how the mechanism takes its full shape and what modalities it would adopt to resolve the crisis. The Constituent Assembly has set May 28, 2010 as the deadline to promulgate the new constitution and if the deadline is missed, it is most likely that political uncertainty will grip the country. Therefore, after forming the HLPM, the parties should now focus their attention on the task of completing the peace process and to draft a democratic constitution within the set deadline. However, they should bear in mind that the mechanism should not work as an extra-constitutional body or a body that can dictate the government on political appointments and other issues.
The High Level Political Mechanism should not work as an extra-constitutional body or a body that can dictate the government on political appointments and other issues.
Unless the functions and modalities of the mechanism are well-defined, only setting it up will be meaningless. There are a great deal of challenges before the high level body, which need to be dealt effectively in order to make it relevant. The Maoists have not yet withdrawn their fourth round of agitation, despite their inclusion in the mechanism. They are yet to end the acts of violence, terror, intimidation, extortion and abduction of people. This has created a kind of confusion in the minds of the ordinary people. The Maoists have, in the pretext of maintaining “civilian supremacy”, launched an agitation aiming to capture power. It is not clear whether the mechanism will address the issue related to “capturing” or “sharing” of power. After agreeing to be a part of the mechanism, will the Maoists also agree on a power-sharing deal with the ruling alliance? How can the decisions taken by the body be executed and what impacts will it have on other political parties and the government? These questions are yet to be answered.
The mechanism should make concrete decisions that would help to expedite the peace process and resolve political crisis that may surface from time to time as the country passes through a difficult phase of transition. All the parties representing the mechanism should express commitment to bid farewell to strikes, lockouts and shutdowns at least for the next five months, until the constitution is ready. The political mechanism should also resolve the issue relating to power-sharing so as to end political instability and to conclude the peace process in a positive manner.
The parties should also make a commitment to introduce state restructuring, adopt a federal structure that would be acceptable to all and to build a new Nepal by forging cooperation, consensus and collaboration. They should also be serious about improving law and order situation in the country and to end the culture of giving false assurances to people.
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