Democracy For Nepal: Beyond The Three Parties

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Beyond The Three Parties

I don't see how it is possible for there to be national consensus if the Madhesi Morcha, the Badal-Baidya group of Maoists, and the Upendra Yadav led front are not taken into confidence. National consensus is not just the NC, the UML and the Prachanda-Baburam group of Maoists.

Prachanda and Baburam might agree to the Sushil Koirala name but if the NC will not accept the Badal name why would Badal-Baidya accept the Sushil Koirala name? If the NC will not accept the Mahantha Thakur name, why will the Madhesi Morcha accept the Sushil Koirala name? And Upendra Yadav is a legitimate candidate himself. He symbolizes the Madhesi Kranti like few other individuals.

If Prachanda is willing to accept Sushil Koirala as PM when Prachanda's party is bigger than that of Sushil, then why is Sushil not willing to accept Mahantha Thakur even though the Madhesi Morcha is smaller than the NC? Or at least was in the last election. That is a valid question.

देश सहमतितिर अघि बढ्यो: प्रचण्ड
प्रस्तावित भनिएको सहमतिप्रति मोर्चा असन्तुष्ट

गच्छदारको भनाईले म्याद सिद्धिन लागेको ठानिएका प्रधानमन्त्री बाबुराम भट्टराईको स्थिति प्रबल बनाएको देखिएको छ। .... तराई केन्द्रित दलहरुको प्रभावशाली मोर्चा प्रधानमन्त्री भट्टराईको सरकारको ढाल बन्ने संकेत दिएका हुन्। .... “तीनवटा दलले मात्रै गरेको सहमति राष्ट्रिय सहमति हुन सक्दैन। अहिलेसम्म तीनवटा दलहरु बीच मात्रै सहमति गर्ने प्रयास भइरहेको छ। चौथो पक्षलाई सहभागी गराउन बाँकी छ।” ..... हाल सक्रिय चार पक्षको घेराबाट बाहिर निस्केर सहमतिको प्रयास राष्ट्रपतिले थाल्ने सम्भावना बढ्ने ... “राजनीतिक निकासको एवं संविधान अनुसार कदम चाल्न ठाउँ नभएको हुनाले दलहरुलाई पन्छाएर राष्ट्रपति अघि बढ्ने सम्भावना म देख्दिन।

'सहमति कायम भइसकेको छैन'

काँग्रेस उपसभापति रामचन्द्र पौडेलले भने, “सहमतिको नजिक, नजिक पुगेको भन्ने कुरा अहिले सम्म निश्चित छैन, सहमतिले कुनै ठोस आकार प्रकार लिईसकेको छैन।” ... आउँदो चुनावको मिति तोक्ने, संवैधानिक र कानुनी अड्चन फुकाउने, केही समयका लागि भए पनि भट्टराई नेतृत्वको सरकारमा काँग्रेस, एमाले सहभागी हुने/नहुने, संवैधानिक निकायमा रिक्त पदपूर्ति र सत्य निरुपण तथा बेपत्ता छानबीन आयोग गठन गर्ने लगायतका विषयमा प्याकेजमै सहमतिको कोसिस भईरहेको नेताहरुले बताएका छन्।

A new force will emerge in Madhes

My two primary interests are reading and writing. I especially enjoy biographies and autobiographies. I recently finished Deng Xiaoping’s biography written by his daughter. I’ve also started reading Kissinger’s biography. ..... Institutionally, except the Constituent Assembly (which was an exception), Madhesi representation has never been above 20 percent...... In the judiciary, it’s below five percent, and in the Police/Army, it’s below one percent. The Dalit presence in all institutions is negligible and the story of Janajatis is similar..... The situation in Nepal is similar to that of Pakistan around 1947-1950, when 20 percent of the population (Punjabis) dominated at the expense of the Sindhi, Balochi and Pashtun. ...... The next elections will show new trends in the Madhes. New polarisation is underway. A new force to represent the Madhes will emerge. ..... A new Madhesi political force will emerge. There are three or four sides to this new formation. The militant forces in the Madhes, currently in negotiation with the government, are not in the mood to continue with an armed movement. The attraction for the Maoists among Madhesis is dwindling; today Madhesi members in that party are threatening to not participate in their general convention. Disenchanted Madhesis in the UML also did not join Ashok Rai’s party. Moreover, the 11 percent of the vote the Madhesi parties got in the last election will not go back to the Nepali Congress because of that party’s anti-federalist position. ...... The new census is out. It says that literacy rates in the Madhes are among the lowest in Nepal, comparable to the remote mountain district of Humla. ...... Bijay Gachchadar has become minister 11 times but look at the literacy rate in his district—it’s abysmal. ..... can’t condemn migration to the Madhes. We have to think about shared rule with Pahadeys in the Madhes. .... The old agenda was focussed on rights advocacy, the new one will focus on development advocacy.

Warring parties get Prez’s ‘last consensus deadline’

“The President will reach out to all the parties of the dissolved Constituent Assembly and seek their advice if no solution emerges before the deadline. He has no desire to take a lead to form any kind of government”

NC floats ‘holistic’ proposal to confront burning issues

Nepali Congress has proposed that political forces simultaneously agree on amending the Interim Constitution, fulfiling vacant constitutional posts, fixing the date of the Constituent Assembly election and handing over the leadership of a unity government to the party..... NC negotiators have said that all of these issues should be completed on the same day.

Ethnic parties warn of armed struggle

ethnic head of Tamsaling Nepal Rastriya Party, Peshal Tamang ..... Samyukta Jatiya Mukti Morcha Nepal, Kirati Janabadi Workers Party, Tamsaling Nepal Rastriya Dal, Mangol Democratic Party, Mangol Mulbasi Party, Nepal Rastriya Mulbasi Mahasang, Samyukta Rastriyabadi Jatiya Mukti Morcha, Nepal Mukti Morcha, Limbuwan State Force and Tamsaling Swayatta Rajya Parisad

Deal hits PM’s ‘dignified exit’ hurdle

The PM said Koirala was “non-committal to federalism and past agreements.” ...... To Bhattarai, a “dignified exit” is when the NC and the CPN-UML join the incumbent government, albeit for a very brief period, and his government completes all election related tasks, including fixing the date...... Bhattarai has also told his party boss Pushpa Kamal Dahal that he will not resign without turning his government into a national unity one. As an alternative, Bhattarai has proposed forming a unity government led by either a candidate from the Madhesi parties or one from the fringe parties. ..... Koirala has said the date for the new elections should be declared by a new government and not by the Bhattarai government. Earlier, NC negotiators were ready to resolve all the issues simultaneously. ..... NC’s actual reluctance to take the ownership of issues of the new constitution that have been agreed upon, mainly about federalism as proposed by the UCPN (Maoist) and Madhes-based parties. ..... Bhattarai has been pressing Dahal not to agree to change the present government until the party’s convention. The Bhattarai faction of the party is of the view that as it will take more than one month to complete all election related arrangements, government leadership will be handed over to the NC only after that. ...... Dahal is not in a position to force Bhattarai to quit in view of the fast approaching convention. .... an informal meeting of NC office bearers and influential central committee members, has concluded that Bhattarai is a hurdle to consensus.