Give the United Nations a chance

-Lal Babu Yadav, Lecturer, Patan Multiple Campus, TU

Logic would demand to know as to why the name of the once consensus candidate for the post of the nation’s next prime minister, Madhav Nepal, suddenly gets deleted from the minute of the so called five party alliance? So far none of the members including the congress led by Girija Prasad Koirala have dared to come out with their presumed game plans involved in getting rid of Madhav Nepal from the prime ministerial post which was almost knocking at his door steps prior to Deuba was picked up for the same post.

There must have been some factors, mostly conspiratorial ones apparently, which could have worked in the schemes of the five party alliance to throw the name of Mr. Nepal from the list so that other members of the FPA could be elevated to the ranks of the prime minister instead of Mr. Nepal. That was just a filthy political game, I must say.

When it is so then what also comes to the fore is that the FPA thus stands totally disintegrated. It is now a defunct group housed by some frustrated political brains. Why they could not provide an alternative to the name of Mr. Nepal if they did not wish Madhav Jee to nominate as their consensus candidate? They failed in this front as well.

Equally true is that Thapa resigned to facilitate the FPA to furnish the name of a consensus candidate but the FPA miserably failed again? This could be summed up as a Himalayan blunder and failure as well of the FPA members.

The fact is that Mr. Nepal was such a name, which was not only less controversial among the FPA members but comparatively a clean personality as well. His claim to the post of the chief of the executive was more or less a right.

I also wonder as to why the three of the four in the FPA could not agree on a common agenda? Should this mean that if you were in power every thing is all right and if not every thing is in disorder? How could it be that?

Now that Deuba is in the post, for him too smooth sailing would be a distant dream until he manages the third force, read the Maoists, to bring in to the national political mainstream. Or else he will have the same fate as those of Thapa and Chand.

Interestingly, it is the same Deuba who while in the streets till the other day advocated for the constituent assembly and now as Prime Minister the same personality differs from his earlier rhetoric. He is not consistent in his statements, I must admit.

In my humble opinion, the King, the constitutional forces must act in unison. Later they must invite smaller forces and arrange a sort of round table conference. Such a conference should be managed by Deuba government which would provide it with the needed legitimacy as well. This conference should facilitate the negotiations with the third force that is the Maoists.

It would not be out of place to suggest the Maoists to clarify as to why they need a constituent assembly? The same question should be asked to all those who of late have been advocating in favor of the Maoists line of constituent assembly?

The fact is that Deuba can’t give constituent assembly instead it has to be given by the King. If the King accepts to the Maoists idea of a constituent assembly would mean that the rebels favor an active monarchy by implication.

To me the best solution to the current issue would be the following:

1) Agreeing on the formation of an interim government comprising of all political forces.

2) such a government should invite all the political parties, civil society members and other sectors for a round-table conference.

3) This conference would decide to hold the elections through the use of the existing constitution.

4) The parliament thus formed after the elections would later decide on where to go: to the constituent assembly or to reform the constitution of even rewriting an entirely a new constitution altogether.

Let the Maoists adhere to this scheme as it is they who too have had made the use of the 1990 constitution in one way or the other.

For all these to happen, there must be the announcement of a cease-fire.

So far as the UN mediation efforts are concerned, I don’t think that it should be a matter of concern for some. The UN being a neutral authority and Nepal being a member of this international body, the country must not hesitate in accepting to the UN offer of mediation in our conflict.

Regarding the rumor that India is objecting to the UN mediation in Nepal, I am of the opinion that India has no right to dictate its terms on what Nepal should do and what not. Nepal is a sovereign nation and can decide what is best for her. Let it be clear to all that UN is neither India nor even the US or the UK. Let’s give the UN a chance.

To conclude, I am of the firm belief that unless the social, political and economic conditions of the people of the country are brought to a certain level that provides them with a dignified living, such insurgencies or for that matter the conflicts would continue for long. Let the oppressed one, the exploited ones, the dalits, the janajatis also come to the national political mainstream and let them participate in the system of governance of the country. If it is not so then let’s hope that the current Maoists issue might get solved only to give birth to such other similar conflicts giving perpetuity to conflicts in the country.

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