With under 50 days to go for the May 27 deadline, there seems to be greater urgency among political parties to come to compromised solutions on vital peace and constitution related issues. Finally, it looks like the process of integration will be completed, as soon as within a week. If it is, it would be a huge milestone towards the resolution of the long-dragged out twin process. Until now, NC and UML had been demanding that the peace process be completed before finalizing crucial constitution-related issues. Now that integration has entered a decisive phase, we believe the parties can sit down to discuss vital constitutional issues in earnest. For one thing they don´t have in their hands is time.
On Monday, an all-party meeting agreed to amend the constitution to cut short procedural hassles in constitution writing. This, of course, should not have happened. But while the parties undoubtedly failed in their responsibility in not being able to settle these issues on time, it is even more important that some kind of agreement is reached by May 27. In this, there was no option to further amendment of CA´s calendar. Now, first and the foremost, the major parties should ensure an expedite resolution of the integration process. That will reduce the mistrust between the Maoist and non-Maoist forces. For their part, the Maoists have been trying to get some of the ex-fighters opting for integration to choose voluntary retirement. If indeed the number available for possible integration can be brought down to under 6,500, a major bone of contention between the Maoists and non-Maoist parties will be gone.
But the time has also come to hammer out differences on vital constitutional issues like government form and state restructuring. The first will be easier as the parties are believed to have more or less arrived on a compromise solution between the presidential and prime ministerial models. State restructuring will be a tougher nut to crack. But those involved in last-minute negotiations on the issue believe they too are close to a workable final model. NC has said it is ready to be ´flexible´ on its six-state model; the Maoists too seem open on the 14 states; the Madhes-based parties appear willing to compromise on One Madhesh so long as the state addresses their identity aspirations. Right now, the biggest hurdle the constitution agenda is likely to face could come from a Janajati caucus formed across party lines. But it is also nothing that cannot be settled through meaningful negotiations. The Janajati demand for greater recognition of their identity is genuine. If the negotiating parties show that they are serious about the question of identify, the Janajati block can be expected to entertain the viability question. At this critical point in the country’s history, we urge all actors to be involved in negotiations in a spirit of compromise. Only by giving up rigid stands can the country hope to get something substantial by May 27.
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