Two at a time

There is little over a month and a half left for the Constituent Assembly to complete drafting a constitution. Since the Supreme Court has decided that its term cannot be extended this time around, there is thus a sense of urgency among the political class. The current government and the establishment Maoist faction, in particular, seem keen to wrap up the process as soon as possible. Much progress has been made on the integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants over the past few months. Combatants choosing voluntary retirement have left the camps, regrouping has occurred. The parties are now negotiating on some minor issues such as ranks and norms and standards for integration. Even individuals from the Nepali Congress who have been greatly distrustful of the Maoists in the past, such as Krishna Prasad Sitaula, are now saying that the integration process will be completed very soon.
This is the good news. The reports from the constitution drafting front, however, is not that positive. There were some indications that the parties have approached a compromise on form of government. Some days ago, it appeared that the Nepali Congress was going to accept a mixed-model including a directly elected president. Now, some leaders are saying once again that they will accept nothing less than a parliamentary system. There have, in addition, been no substantial discussions on federalism. On forms of government, at least, all the proposals are on the table, and it is necessary in order for parties to compromise and choose a particular one. On federalism, the task is much more complex. Serious discussion is still required on matters such as territorial divisions and distribution of powers. It is thus worrying that even as the deadline for the CA looms, the political parties have noteven sat together to discuss these matters.
The Nepali Congress and the UML state that they will sit for substantial discussions on the constitution only after the integration and rehabilitation process is complete. Such a position may have made sense in the past. By insisting that the Maoist army be taken care of first, the NC and UML were able to put pressure on the Maoists. This also created a situation where the Maoists could not use the threat of force to influence developments in the CA. Now, however, things have changed. The integration process is almost complete and the Maoists cannot use the threat of force to get their way. Also, there is very little time before the constitution drafting deadline approaches. There is thuslittle sense on further holding up the process. It would thus be best if all parties immediately start negotiating on the outstanding issues regarding the constitution.
Posted on: 2012-04-09 08:44