Peace Process Under Threat

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

The peace process that has been going on since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement the government has signed with the then CPN-Maoist currently UCPN-Maoist has been under threat, as the NC and CPN-UML leaders have been for pushing the UNMIN that has been monitoring both the Nepal Army and the People’s Liberation Army out of the country indicating these so-called NC and CPN-UML leaders have never been for a lasting peace in Nepal. They have been after the power that has been slipping away from their hands. The NC and CPN-UML leaders have been seeking any excuse for going head-on collision with the UCPN-Maoist.

On the morning of September 3, 2010, speaking at the press meet held by the Maoist aligned Revolutionary Journalists Association in the Gorkha district headquarters, Vice-chairman of UCPN-Maoist Dr Baburam Bhattarai has said that the decision of few political parties clearly indicating the CPN-UML and the Madheshi parties on staying neutral in the prime ministerial election in the name of working on the consensus politics is the main reason for the country being held hostage to indecisiveness and the current political deadlock; the repeated failure in electing a new prime minister will lead to the imposition of a military rule in the country; even the fifth round of election to a prime minister has ended in not giving any result so most of the political parties and the people in general are disappointed, nepalnews.com reports

On Thursday, September 02, 2010, speaking at a function held by Nepal Magar Association in Gorkha, Vice-chairman of UCPN-Maoist Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has said that some groups are opting for making Maoists failure dreaming to keep the country in the state of status quo and aspiring for running the state affairs in their own favor dissolving the Constituent Assembly (CA) but it will not be materialized; so, their daydream will remain a dream only; he has put the stress on the need for the unity of all the oppressed people to ensure their fundamental human rights, he has said that his party is committed to promulgate the constitution of people and complete the peace process in the country on time ‘The Himalayan Times’ online reports..

September 02, 2010, Defense Minister Bidhya Bhandari has held a series of meetings with the ambassadors of various countries to Nepal at her office in Kathmandu begging them for removing the UNMIN’ mandate to supervise the Nepal Army; she has held separate meetings with British Ambassador John Tucknott and Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood and asked them for urging the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for a revision of UNMIN's current mandate to supervise the Nepal Army; the Defense Minister has intensified consultations with the foreign envoys in Nepal with the intention to reduce UNMIN's current mandate, as the government is preparing for dispatching a letter to the UN Security Council seeking a four-month extension of the term of UNMIN in Nepal with a revised mandate, nepalnews.com report.

On Monday, August 30, 2010, Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal has said that his party is not responsible for the current political deadlock; "Nepali Congress and UCPN-Maoist, whose candidates are vying for the post of Prime Minister, are prolonging the endless premiership election," Khanal has told a team of Parliamentary Affairs Journalists’ Society at his residence in Dallu; defending his party’s neutral stance on the election to a new Prime Minister, Khanal has said that the CPN-UML wants to form a national consensus government staying neutral in the poll; "The UML quit the government though it had a comfortable majority in the parliament. In the similar manner, the NC and the Maoists should also make sacrifice for the national consensus," he said, ‘The Rising Nepal’ of August 31, reports. Mr. Khanal has said that the nation will not be able to promulgate a new constitution and the peace process will not complete in time if we don’t form a consensus government. He has also warned of the possibility of a political disaster if the parties fail to frame a new constitution within the deadline extended by the Constituent Assembly.

On August 30, 2010, speaking to the reporters at his residence in Kathmandu, Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal said, “Some are accusing the UML of standing in the way of government formation by staying neutral in the voting but I want to refute that. The two candidates are the ones who have held the country hostage; there is no alternative to forming two-third majority government as such a government can alone deliver peace and constitution before the extended deadline of the CA expires. Therefore, the UML will actively lobby in favor of the issue,” myrepublica.com reports.

Chairman Khanal has also claimed that he has pulled out his candidacy even though he has garnered 391 votes for him. Officiating Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has proposed his candidacy in parliament but has withdrawn the proposal at the last minute on the ground that Khanal has failed to garner the support of 401 lawmakers in writing before the election.

CPN-UML has fielded Khanal in the prime ministerial election on the condition that party lawmakers will vote for him only if he can create conditions favorable for the formation of two-third-majority government. Leaders of Madhav Nepal-KP Oli faction of CPN-UML and NC have guffawed at the Khanal´s claim for the support of 391 lawmakers.

On Monday, August 30, 2010, speaking at a press meet held by the Morang Chapter of the Press Union Nepal, officiating Deputy Prime Minister holding the portfolio of Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala has said that the differences of opinions among the political parties has been weakening democracy in the country; the current situation is the outcome of the leg-pulling tendency prevalent among the leaders of the political parties; she has also warned of a political disaster if the parties do not unite and move together, ‘The Rising Nepal’ of August 31, reports.

On August 30, 2010, after holding the meeting with top leaders of the three major parties such as UCPN-Maoist, NC and CPN-UML on Saturday, August 28 and with leaders of fringe parties on Sunday, August 29, President Yadav has invited Chairman of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) Narayan Man Bijukchhe to the President’s official residence Shital Niwas for one-on-one discussion about the political scenario, especially the successive failures of the prime ministerial election; after the meeting with the President, Bijukchhe has said that in addition to emphasizing the need for reaching an understanding among the leaders of the political parties at the earliest, President Yadav has expressed his worry about the controversy over the term of the UNMIN; "He suggested that the dispute be solved procedurally," said Bijukchhe; he has been advocating for the presidential rule; however, Bijukchhe has not revealed the President's reaction to his party's advice for the presidential rule, nepalnews.com reports.

On Sunday, August 29, 2010, speaking to the reporters after the central committee meeting of the party at the party’s head office in Paris Danda, Koteshwor, Vice-chairman of UCPN-Maoist Narayan Kaji Shrestha said, "We are not in favor of any forms of monarchy. It is a baseless allegation that we are for reviving monarchy. The blame is aimed at tarnishing our fight for establishing republic in the country," ‘The Rising Nepal’ of August 30, 2010 reports. Vice-chairman Shrestha has informed the reporters that the central committee of his party has regretted that some media have interpreted the party’s policy on allying his party with any nationalists even if they have been former supporters of monarchy as the party’s support for the monarchy. The Nepalese media have been reporting that the UCPN-Maoist is for a ceremonial monarchy after Chairman of Rastriya Prajantantra Party-Nepal Kamal Thapa has publicly said that Chairman of UCPN-Maoist Prachanda has disclosed during a recent meeting with him his party is for supporting a ceremonial monarchy. On Saturday, August 28, 2010, officiating Prime Minster Madhav Nepal has accused the UCPN-Maoist of supporting the monarchy and has demanded the party to clear up its position on this matter.

On August 29, 2010, at the meeting held at the office of Prime Minister Madhav Nepal in Singh Durbar, leaders of the political parties represented in the Constituent Assembly (CA) have suggested the Prime Minister to extend the term of UNMIN limiting its mandate; this time the mandate given to the UNMIN to monitor the Nepal Army needs to be deleted as it goes against the sovereignty of the country, they have said, ‘The Rising Nepal’ of August 30, 2010 reports. "Instead, it should concentrate on monitoring and controlling the activities of the Maoist combatants living in various cantonments across the country," they have advised the Prime Minister not satisfied with the role of the UNMIN in the peace process.

In turn, officiating Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has said that the UNMIN has been unable to check the criminal activities in the cantonments; so, he wants to send off the UNMIN after its term completes.

However, Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal has stressed the need for evaluating the weak and strong aspects of the UNMIN and then the government needs to extend its mandate until the peace process is completed. "We invited the UNMIN realizing its need for the country’s peace process. For peace, loktantra and independence, it would have been better if we sent it back after completing the peace process," said Khanal.

NC leader Dr. Ram Saran Mahat has said that the government needs to free the Nepali Army from the supervision of the UNMIN in the changed context. "The UNMIN’s role has not been effective even for maintaining the reputation of the United Nations. The combatants are coming out of the cantonments and some of them are also CA members," Dr. Mahat said. He has said that his party suggests the government to give the mandate to the UNMIN for monitoring the PLA fighters.

At the meeting, officiating Home Minister Bhim Rawal has said that the government has held talks with envoys from the UN Security Council member countries and political parties concerning the extension of the UNMIN’s term.

Maoists have been lobbying for the extension of the UNMIN’s term while the government and other ruling parties have been critical of its role and want its early departure from the country.

The Government of Nepal has invited the UNMIN to Nepal in 2007 to facilitate the peace process and its term is expiring on September 15.

On Sunday, august 29, 2010, at the meeting with the members of the Parliamentary Affairs Journalists Society, Acting-president of NC Sushil Koirala has said that NC is not responsible for the political deadlock in the country, and has urged the CPN-UML to take an appropriate decision on participating in the election to a new Prime Minister; "The NC supported the UML to form the government in the past," Koirala said and urged the UML to reciprocate the support; "We will not go against it if the UML votes for Maoists, but the nation should not be held hostage to the indecision for a long time," he said; he has urged the UCPN-Maoist to implement the past agreements to break the current political deadlock in the country; he has said that his party cannot accept the Maoist-led government until and unless it implements the past agreements and detaches it from the arms and the armed people; "The NC will not withdraw its prime ministerial candidacy", he informed underscoring the need for ending the ongoing political imbroglio through consensus, ‘The Rising Nepal’ of August 30, 2010 reports.

On August 28, 2010, talking to the reporter of ‘The Rising Nepal’ at his residence in Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, NC General Secretary Kul Bahadur Gurung has said that the process of the Prime Minister’s election needs not be prolonged, as it will send a negative massage to the public; he has said that his party should be ready to withdraw its prime ministerial candidate when the UCPN-Maoist has been saying that they will withdraw their candidacy if NC withdraws its, ‘The Rising Nepal’ of August 29, 2010 reports.

"As such we should be flexible, otherwise we will be sending a massage to the public that NC was obstacle to consensus," Gurung said. "I am still insisting on the demand. However, this is my view, not the official view of the party," he said and added that he had supported Ram Chandra Poudel’s prime ministerial candidacy for once, not for ever. "NC should try its best to maintain the present alliance of the democratic forces," Gurung said. He said that NC should be ready to support anyone from CPN-UML for the prime minister’s post. "But the candidate must not be Jhalanath Khanal, he must be someone else," he said talking to the reporter of ‘The Rising Nepal’ on Friday, August 27, 2010.

"If they (Maoists) immediately implement all the past agreements, we can accept their leadership in the government," he said. "It does not take four months to implement the past agreements; they can be implemented within a few days."

The political scenario in Nepal has not been enviable. Most of the leaders of the NC and CPN-UML are for going head-on collision with the Maoists disregarding the need for Nepalis to shed a lot of blood not to mention the political disaster to will bring to the country.

September 3, 2010.