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| Kathmandu, Tuesday March 04, 2003 Falgun 20, 2059. |
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A small price
More than a month after the truce between the
government and the Maoists, some reliable indications that both sides are nearing to
finalise a code of conduct for the future dialogue have come up. This optimism, when
translated into reality, would dispel fears among the people that the Maoists or the
government could abandon the truce any moment. While an adoption of a mutually agreeable
code of conduct would be a step forward, albeit at a snail’s pace, it would bring
much heavier responsibility on the shoulders of both parties to take the dialogue further
and carry it on until it is brought to a logical conclusion.
But there are still many crucial issues that the
government has not been able to sort them out. It has kept the political parties at bay.
The only all party meeting, which Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand called late last
month after he took over in October, was boycotted by the major political parties on the
ground that they were being treated at a par with other almost non-existent political
parties. Obviously, the political parties are not at fault for boycotting the meeting on
this ground. Even after that, there has been no initiative from the government to formally
invite political parties to solicit their opinion on how to solve the Maoist problem.
Unless there is a larger and wider participation in resolving the conflict, the dialogue
cannot yield a lasting peace.
In the meantime, reports suggest that the
constitution of a high level commission with Minister for Physical Planning and Works
Narayan Singh Pun as the convener is being kept a closely guarded secret. In fact, it
would be much wiser to assign Pun to explore peace dialogue with the Maoists and
reconciliation with other political parties. Pun’s legitimacy and credentials may not
be acceptable for a large chunk of political forces in the country, if he continues in the
Lokendra Bahadur Chand government. Moreover, conflicting reports about Pun and Prime
Minister Chand having authored separate code of conduct for the dialogue shows the
differences in the approach. This would not only confuse the political parties, who are
challenging the government’s legitimacy, but would also upset the entire Nepalese
masses and the international community who want peace restored in Nepal.
The high-powered commission is apparently not
accountable to the present council of ministers. But Pun’s continuation as a minister
makes the commission look like an extension of the cabinet with no autonomy. That would be
a hurdle in the way of soliciting and acquiring cooperation from the political parties.
The commission should be given a constitutional status and its jurisdiction defined. If
that happens, Pun would be able to carry the responsibility to bring peace more
effectively in his capacity as convener of the commission than as a minister. His
resignation as minister will be a small price for a larger cause. |
