The Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) through its 50-point Common Minimum Program (CMP) has expressed its commitments to the values of inclusive multiparty democracy. Tabling the CPM before the 25-party meeting held at Maoists’ Parliamentary Board Office Saturday in Kathmandu, Maoist leaders sought support for making a post-CA poll government that people have been waiting for so long.
The CPN-Maoist has pledged to adhere to the UN principles of right to self-determination of indigenous people and other ethnic communities. The Maoist program states, "proportional inclusion will be guaranteed to women, dalits, indigenous people, Madhesis and backward regions in all organs and levels of the state."
Competitive democracy, human rights and social justice are other special commitments the program pledges to abide by.
Forming a state-restructuring commission and safeguarding national sovereignty are the other vitals of the Maoist program.
Giving a preliminary comment, Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) leader K. P. Sharma Oli has said that his party would not join the Maoist-led government. Differing from Oli’s views, the General Secretary of the same party, Jhalanath Khanal said that a government without Maoists’ involvement in it would be futile though he ruled out the possibility of a single party minority government. But another UML leader Bishnu Poudel said that Maoists’ behavior was not yet improved for other parties to cooperate with it.
Commenting on the proposed Maoist program, Nepali Congress (NC) leader Arjun Narsing K.C. said that no party would be compelled to accept it.
The NC so far has not shown any interest in joining the proposed Maoist-led government for subordinate positions while the UML has been bargaining more powerful posts such as Home Affairs, Defence and Finance.
In the program they proposed before the other 24 parties, large and small, Maoists have mentioned three alternatives for ending the current political deadlock. According to their presented draft, their first priority is to form a government under their own leadership with the involvement of other parties. If national consensus of this type does not become possible, their second alternative is to form a majority government by taking some other parties into confidence. If the second option fails, they would even try as the third alternative to form a minority government under their leadership. Should their third option fail too, they would be ready to remain in the Opposition while cooperating for drafting a new constitution.
Whether Maoists will really be able to form a new government under their leadership is likely to be concretized after the caretaker Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala returns from Sri Lanka through New Delhi, where he is believed to have some informal discussions with Indian leaders on Nepal’s political dilemma.
However, both the UML and the NC appear in a vague state regarding their decision whether to join the Maoist-led government. They have rather made rather hostile comments on the Maoist concept paper.
Nonpartisan analysts believe that bargaining among parties will cause further delay in the government formation.
Leave Your Comments