Clarify your respective positions!

Whom to believe? The government’s version? The Maoists explanations? Or the Madhav-Koirala combine arrogant statements? We have reasons to believe the utterances of all for we believe that not all were speaking a lie. We have to believe the government and the Maoists because they have agreed for talks. They appear sincere this round. We are forced to believe the political parties because it is these who till the other day championed the cause of democracy. Concurrently, we have reasons to disbelieve them all. It is because neither the government nor the Maoists have so far been able to convince the populace about their good intentions in the talks. The political parties too have failed in convincing the people that they have for this or that reasons been suspecting the very motives of the two guns converging at one point and that their unholy alliances bode ill for the nation.

These are the questions boggling the minds of the lay men who practically have no say in the present scheme of things more specifically after the abrupt announcement of the government-Maoists sponsored ceasefire. The fact is that the people, better say "we the people" were ever denied their say in the system of governance and the leaders-read the namesake democrats-took the lay men granted for they thought and perhaps yet consider "we the people" to toe their dirty and ugly lines without raising any questions to their "grand-designs" that they have been so nakedly exhibiting regarding the possibility of the positive talks in between the two arch rivals—the Maoists and the establishment.

Keeping politics apart, what the lay men wish and long for is the institutionalization of a sort of permanent peace in the country that has been so badly battered by the socalled democratic leaders. It is these political parties that gave a very bad name and fame to the system that is still considered to be one of the best amongst the worst systems in the world. The country’s politics has gone down to the extent that soon a time will come when the politicians will have to face challenges not only from "we the people" but in all probability would be questioned by their own cadres. It would be so because except the politicians it so appears, the cadres and the lay men all prefer the prevalence of peace in the country. How the peace is brokered in between the two parties now in question should be the problem of the parties concerned. What is of "we thew people’s concern" is that peace has got to be restored. It would be immaterial as to whether the arrogant parties at the moment clearly opposing the prevalence of peace take part in the peace process or boycott it for all "instigated" reasons. It will also be immaterial at the moment as to which alien forces on earth makes the arrogant parties to speak so and speak languages that should not have come at a time when the two warring sides appear all determined to give peace yet another chance.

Koirala suspects the very intentions of the government and has pushed his own formulae vis-à-vis the peace talks. At yet another plane, Madhav Nepal, too does not lag behind in throwing his own cards and wishes his party’s greater say in the impending peace talks. The government is appealing and trying to convince the arrogant political parties to support the former so that peace is finally brokered and the nation takes a sigh of relief and has concurrently been hinting that that it doesn’t wish to travel the road to peace all on its own. The all powerful Maoists till the other day appear helpless in convincing the political parties that their intentions should not be held under suspect and that they this time wished a real and positive peace. The fact is that the political parties, read the congress and the communists, though differ sharply on the modes to be followed prior to the initiation of the talks, but appear hell bent on discouraging the happening of the talks for reasons unknown to us all. Question could also be asked as to why they have been opposing the talks? Questions are also being raised in some quarters as to why these two major political parties appear reluctant which become evident from the kind of utterances they have been making in the recent days? If for the congress, the restoration of the parliament would bring about an end to the present chaos and confusions, then for the communists, an all party government under article 128 could be the best remedy to tackle the current constitutional crises that have gripped the country. And finally questions thus could also be asked if both the congress and the communists both were the sole protectors of the constitution then why, at the first instance, both facilitated the country’s politics during Deuba’s premiership to go the Palace way? It is these two political parties which to a greater extent pressed the King to go in for the use of the article 127 which they themselves now have made a controversial issue. What has got to be noted here is that the King was made to use the said article and later the monarch too wished to play with the said article.

Be that as it may, the manner the political parties appear displeased with the initiation of peace talks in between the government and the Maoists, it gives an impression that some one some where, could be within or without, is pulling the strings and wishes the political parties to act as per their wishes so that the country remained ever unstable politically. This is a grand design in essence if it is so.

It is for these reasons the government, the Maoists and the political parties must come up with solid clarifications so that the people at large could carefully examine their statements and offer their own versions. Sooner the concerned parties clarify their respective positions, the better. Failing to do so would mean that each quarter is hell bent on cheating the people. People’s patience too has a limit. The concerned parties must understand this.

Nepal’s priority at the moment is the restoration of peace. Today’s priority is to stop the killings of the Nepalese by the Nepalese. Today’s uppermost agenda is to move towards prosperity. Today’s aim must be to foil the designs of the nefarious elements, here or outside the borders, who oppose peace in this beleaguered Kingdom for serving their own vested political interests. It is time now to locate the centers and its Nepali stooges who have been opposing the restoration of peace and for what reasons?

Headline | National | 5 Question  | 2nd Impression | International | Past