KATHMANDU, MAR 15 -
As time to forge consensus on peace and constitution making is fast running out, key negotiators from the ruling and opposition parties are all set to embark on various foreign junkets.
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun left for a week-long official visit to Finland and Denmark, while 16 other leaders from major parties, including three members of the prime minister-led Special Committee, are scheduled to leave for Zurich, Switzerland, on Friday.
The move has drawn sharp criticism from political observers and commoners. “The decision to go on foreign trips at such a critical time isboth premature and irresponsible,” said Political Analyst Lok Raj Baral. “This shows that Nepali leaders are ready to go to any extent to travel abroad.”
Baral further said the second-rank leaders should stay home and facilitate the top leaders in forging consensus on key issues. The absence of Pun (UCPN-Maoist), Ishwor Pokharel and Bhim Rawal (CPN-UML) and Jitendra Dev (Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik) will hit the quorum in the Special Committee, the cross-party panel that requires unanimous decisions on all issues of the crucial army integration process.
Constituent Assembly Chairman Subas Nembang and Constitutional Committee (CC) Chairman Nilambar Acharya also criticised the leaders’ plan to travel abroad by “undermining the gravity of the looming May 27 deadline.”
“I myself cancelled a visit to Uganda. No leader linked to the peace and constitution drafting processes should leave the country now,” Nembang said. “In fact, they should not travel outside of Kathmandu. I have been encouraging them to remain here and deliver good results,” he added. Acharya echoed Nembang’s words. He said leaders must stay in the country and work to conclude the peace process, take forward the constitution making process and improve relations among the major parties. “I have no idea why they are leaving the country at such a critical juncture,” he said. “This is not the appropriate time. I don’t think they can make any contribution to the processes back home by travelling abroad,” he said.
Chances of leaders striking consensus in Friday’s meeting of the Special Committee are getting slim with the parties yet to come to an understanding on the ranks to be given to Maoist combatants. “The opposition parties are for providing the rank of a colonel, but we wont settle for anything less than one general,” said PLA Spokesperson Chandra Prakash Khanal.
Maoist interlocutor in the integration process Janardan Sharma and lawmakers assigned to resolve constitutional disputes—Bimalendra Nidhi (Nepali Congress), Upendra Yadav (MJF-Nepal), Laxman Lal Karna (Nepal Sadbhwana Party)—are among others heading for Switzerland.
Krishna Bahadur Mahara, Jaypuri Gharti and Khim Lal Devkota of the Maoist party, Prakash Man Singh, Chitra Lhekha Yadav and Arjun Narshing KC of the NC, Pradip Gyawali and Ushakala Rai of the UML and Brishes Chandra Lal of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik are also in the delegation leaving for Switzerland. The leaders are scheduled to discuss peace and constitution making in a programme to be organised by Nepal Transition to Peace with support from the Swiss government. Thediscussions there will be facilitated by civil society leaders Damannath Dhungana and Padmaratna Tuladhar.
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