CA Polls : Seriousness Must Emerge

Prem N. Kakkar

For the legislature parliament proceedings to be stalled for a month and a half is a matter of great concern. For the House - that came into existence with the tacit approval of the eight political parties - to come to this state is rather unfortunate. When so many agreements were made to come to this point, the leaders of the said parties must come to terms with the reality of the country.

Election laws

Though the Maoist legislators have said that they would not disrupt the proceedings, the Madhesi MPs have not relented and are going ahead with their demands, although a review of the constituency report has been agreed upon by the eight parties. This may possibly pave the way for the House meetings to continue. It is urgent for the House to convene as early as possible because a number of election-related draft laws have yet to be discussed. The longer the delay in the parliament meetings, the greater the delay in the constituency assembly polls.

It mist be remembered herein that the Election Commission has already said that it needs over a hundred days to make full preparations for the polls after the announcement of the election date. The parties must be serious on this matter. It is said that the eight party leaders have tentatively agreed on holding the CA polls by mid-November, but no official statement has yet been issued so far.Even the eight party parleys have been stalled for the same length of time. Some parties were up in arms as soon as the Election Commission had said that the CA polls could not be held by mid-June. It obviously meant that the date had to be shifted. Soon after, the Maoists demanded that a republic be declared from the parliament itself while the CA polls could be held later. But there is no total agreement on the issue. The Nepali Congress (NC) has always been insisting that the first meeting of the constituent assembly would decide the fate of the monarchy, so it was prudent on the part of all to focus on the CA polls. That is in a sense the right assessment as the issue had been agreed upon earlier among the eight party leaders.

For any party to sidetrack from the earlier commitment is not right. The parties concerned must moot over the issue and arrive at a consensus as soon as possible. If it takes longer to decide on the date of the polls, there will be further confusion among the people. They must understand that they have to work as per the mandate given to them by the people with the April uprising. It is a serious issue and cannot be ignored by the parties concerned. The delay in holding the CA polls can prove counterproductive as it will give the regressive elements an opportunity to regroup and play mischief.Moreover, talking about the monarchy at this juncture is not necessary as the first meeting of the CA will decide on it. By dwelling on this issue at the moment, one is only creating confusion. Instead of this, there are more pressing issues to be looked into including the demands of the agitating groups particularly from the Terai. The issue of constituency delineation has to be the focus at the moment. Instead of talking of a third Jana Andolan, works must be initiated to consolidate the gains made so far and institutionalising them. This can be done by fixing a date for the CA polls. There are contentious issues, but they must be resolved through talks.

Law and order

Another factor that needs special attention is the law and order situation. It must definitely improve before the elections can be held. This will remove the apprehension of the people in the run up to the polls. The recent spate of violence seen in many parts of the country ought to be checked. Every group may have its set of demands, but they have to resolved through talks instead of demonstrations and bandhs, which have often turned violent. The parties concerned, too, must make every effort so that any sort of violence is controlled.Now it is on the shoulders of the eight party leaders to resolve their differences and agree on a date for the CA election, and for the legislature parliament to begin its normal functions.

Source: The Rising Nepal, June 1, 2007