People's Aspirations

People should decide on vital issues

MINISTER for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara has said that the present government is working seriously and sincerely to resolve the country's outstanding problems and fulfill the aspirations of the people. During a meeting with a Swiss delegation in Kathmandu on Wednesday, Minister Mahara, who is also the spokesperson of the government, called upon all sectors, including the international community, to provide strong and meaningful support for creating a new Nepal in which the people are fully sovereign. The priority of the present government, which came to power on the strength of Jana Andolan II, is to institutionalise the peace process and achievements of the people's movement. The peace process and democratic transformation and state restructuring are directly linked with the election to a constituent assembly. The eight political parties had earlier agreed to hold the constituent assembly election in June so that the people's representatives could write a new constitution that would put all political and other disputes and debates to an end.

But the constituent assembly election is not going to be held in June as the Election Commission has already said that it cannot hold the election within the stipulated timeframe. The announcement of the Election Commission has valid justification as there little time left and a lot of work has to be done before announcing the dates for the election. Moreover, the constituent assembly election is a new experience for Nepal, and plenty of time is necessary to educate the people about it. Without properly educating the people about the constituent assembly, people cannot make the informed choice. The government and eight political parties are still committed to holding the constituent assembly election and accomplishing the mandate given by the Jana Andolan. Now, the political parties need to stop the blame game, and all partners of the government must take collective responsibility for both the credit and discredit. This is the spirit of the coalition culture, and the parties need to learn this culture. This coalition culture alone will consolidate the unity of the eight parties. As the nation is in transition, the unity of the eight parties is highly necessary to complete the job of fully institutionalising the achievements of Jana Andolan II. The parties must keep the unity intact until the constituent assembly election is held. Now the political parties must sit together and assess the situation and announce the dates for the constituent assembly election. It is the time to rise above partisan interests and work for the greater interest of the nation. This alone would fulfill the aspirations of the people.

Source: The Rising Nepal, April 27, 2007