Dahal's Capitulation Is Wrong

UCPN (M) proposes oppn parties to name PM candidate

In the meeting of the major four political forces held on Friday as part of their attempts to seek possible way out of the current political impasse, the Maoist chairaman Pushpa Kamal Dahal proposed to name the PM candidate after the leaders of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML refused former's proposal to convert existing government into national consensus government, according to UML leader Bhim Rawal

This is ridiculous.

Prachanda has to stop pretending that there is going to be a "friendly" election. When the elections are held in April there will be a major ideological tussle between the pro federalism forces and the anti federalism forces. The pro federalism forces have to win a two thirds majority. That is the work cut out before Prachanda as the leader of the Federal Republican Alliance. That alliance has to forge an electoral alliance with the smaller alliance that Upendra Yadav has managed to forge together to bring forth an alliance of alliances. That joint alliance should be able to garner a two thirds majority in the next assembly that is needed to give Nepal genuine federalism.

The NC and the UML are welcome to join the current government. If not, the current government has to move ahead full speed. The Prime Minister has to confront the president and remind him he is not an executive president. The Ram Baran Yadav drama has gone too far. It is not his job to try to bring the political parties together. That is the Prime Minister's job to try.

Consensus is a Panchayati concept. It sickens me to see Prachanda acting like unless the NC and the UML agree nothing can happen in the country. Those are the two parties that need to be soundly defeated at the polls and Prachanda as leader of the Federal Republican Alliance has to start acting like it.

If the NC and UML choose to go for street demonstrations and mass meetings, the ruling coalition has to go for street demonstrations and mass meetings. Violence is not an option, but street action and mass actions are options.

Ram Baran Yadav's activism has to stop. The budget has to be brought through an ordinance. Election related ordinances have to be brought forth. Let the NC and the UML go to the people in April. Those are the two parties that did not let two thirds of the members of the last assembly give Nepal the federal constitution it deserves.

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Baburam Bhattarai Will Conduct Elections

List of Prime Ministers of Nepal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Step By Step
Ram Baran Yadav Is Not An Executive President

The constituent assembly is not coming back. It is dead. (Is CA Revival Possible?) It is not coming back even if all major political parties come to an agreement to revive it, not that that consensus is happening.

And so all election related ordinances will have to be passed on from the Prime Minister to the president. It would be best if the NC and the UML cooperated. But their demand that the current government resign before anything can be talked about is unreasonable.

A fair consensus government would have to be lead by Baburam Bhattarai since he represents what was the largest party in the last assembly. And so if an election government of non political people is not an option, then the NC and the UML joining the current government is a good option. But I don't see them doing that.

The two are sore losers who did everything unconstitutional and undemocratic to make sure the country was deprived a federal constitution. So if they will not join the current government to form an all party government to take the country to a new election chances are they might not even cooperate on election related laws.

And here the president does not have the option to make moves. Either the political parties come to consensus on the major issues, or the current Prime Minister pass on the necessary ordinances. The president has to sign them. He is not an executive president. It is not for the president to seek consensus among political parties. That is the job of the Prime Minister. And if the Prime Minister fails to get that consensus, well, the country already has a government in place. The business of governance has to go on.

The ruling Federal Democratic Republican Alliance is capable of showing street strength. It could organize street demonstrations. What are the NC and the UML thinking?

Some polarization is necessary. Otherwise why bother having elections? The next election is in essence a referendum on two different, competing visions on what shape Nepal's federalism should take. The NC, the UML and the rightist parties have one way of looking at it. They don't want federalism, but if there is to be federalism, they want it to be fake, cosmetic. The Maoist, Madhesi and the Janajati parties have a different vision. They are for genuine federalism. Nepal is a mosaic of diversity. Only federalism can speak to that ground reality.

The two visions should necessarily compete.

Baburam Bhattarai was right after all. If the president had done his job and not got in the way of the election ordinances the country might have seen elections in November. But April is not too late.

The best course for the country is for the Prime Minister to bring forth election ordinances and for the president to sign them, and make elections happen in April 2013.

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