Peace process proposal

When the UCNP (Maoist) and UML joined hands to form a coalition government more than 100 days ago one of the first things that Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal and Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said was that they would come up with a detailed 50-day roadmap to conclude the peace process before May 28. We are just 10 days from the CA deadline and yet there is no proposal either from the government or the Maoists to move the peace process forward. Till last week Prime Minister Khanal kept on repeating that the government would indeed bring the proposal but in the last two days he has suddenly changed his tune: He is now “requesting” the UCPN (Maoist) to come up with the proposal.



And what are the Maoists doing? They are dilly-dallying and constantly changing the goal posts in the peace process. Till last week they seemed to be largely in agreement with the integration proposal forwarded by the Nepal Army as requested by former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal. Though the army’s proposal lacks details what it does propose in essence is the formation of a directorate within the Nepal Army, pulling personnel from the PLA, the army itself, the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police. Personnel under the directorate would not serve as a combat force but would instead do construction and development work, safeguard national parks and sanctuaries and also serve during relief operations.



This should have truly served as a win-win formula for both the Maoists and other political parties. Unfortunately, having flirted with this idea for some time the Maoists are now balking. During an informal discussion with NC and UML leaders on Saturday, the Maoists demanded that a separate security force be formed under their leadership, an idea no one else is going to buy.



We are dismayed that there is still no progress on the peace front, without which we cannot expect progress in constitution writing. Who is responsible for this mess? It’s time we pointed the finger where the blame lies. And it lies disproportionately with the Maoist party. As the major stakeholder in the peace process and also as the party with its own army and a huge structure of violence the Maoists must take responsibility for lack of progress in the peace process. They deserve blame also because they have failed to honor more than half a dozen past agreements related to the peace process.



So the Maoists should have no illusions that they can blame others over this issue and get away with it. No amount of propaganda can change this reality. If they genuinely want to avoid blame, the Maoists must now come up with a proposal on the peace process that other parties can indeed sign up to. We encourage them to seize the opportunity.

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