Addressing an interaction organized on the sideline of a book release function -- for Afnai Kura [about Girija Prasad Koirala] by Jagat Nepal, Vice-chairman Bhattarai said the country began facing problems as the political parties opted for a majority system over a consensus system as mentioned in all agreements and the Interim Constitution.[break]
Dr Bhattarai said his party stands committed to taking the ongoing peace and constitution-drafting process to a logical end. “We have no intention of moving away from the peace process.... I ask you not to habor any suspicion the Maoists are going for rebellion," he said.
Bhattarai said the situation does not exist to go to rebellion if one considers the stages of historical development and the country´s geopolitics.
"I see no alternative to peace and constitution,” he added.
Dr Bhattarai said the parties should extend the Constituent Assembly for a few months if they fail to promulgate a new constitution. “We should not go into a constitutional vacuum. People will accept a term extension if we manage a draft constitution by May 28,” he said. “There will be no Constituent Assembly elections again. We should not take that risk.”
Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr Shekhar Koirala said the ongoing peace process had fallen into jeopardy as the parties started adopting the ´politics of exclusion´. He said peace and a new constitution are possible only if all parties worked together. “It´s not possible to accomplish the tasks by alienating any political party,” he further said.
Dr Koirala said the Maoist must show ´will´ to conclude the peace process, including management of combatants, to ensure promulgation of a new constitution. “For the Nepali Congress it is important that the Maoists agree the number of combatants to be integrated and the integration modality,” he said.
Stating a proposal floated by the Nepal Army was positive as it envisages a separate directorate comprising some 35 percent Maoist combatants and the rest from the army and police, Dr Koirala said the NC is firm in its stance that each combatant meets minimum standards of the security agency concerned and there is no bulk integration. The directorate will have 12,000 personnel.
Koirala said they should extend the CA for a few months, with a calendar of events. “We should prepare a draft constitution through agreement on system of governance and electoral system,” he said, adding: “We should provide an alternative if we choose to dissolve the Constituent Assembly.”
UML leader Pradip Gyawali said the seven-point agreement between Maoist Chairman Dahal and UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal tried to undo the achievements of Janaandolan II. “The relevance of cooperation among parties has not ended. But the seven-point agreement gives an impression that cooperation is no more needed.”
He said dissolving the CA without promulgating a new constitution would mean pushing the country towards constitutional vacuum. “Parties should take the peace process to a point where it cannot be reversed.”
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