Stalling again

Just about three weeks since the signing of the five-point deal on May 28, the peace process is not just losing momentum but there are fresh worries it may stall altogether unless the top leaders intervene at once and reach a new understanding. According to the original plan, the parties should have reached an agreement by June 19 on the key issues of integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants.



The parties had earlier agreed to finalize the integration numbers, standard norms for integration, rank harmonization, the work and responsibility of the proposed Directorate under the Nepal Army and a rehabilitation package, all by June 19. That is now next to impossible. The meetings of the Special Committee to oversee the management, integration and rehabilitation of combatants remain in virtual limbo since its Maoist members refused to sign meeting minutes detailing the peace process roadmap.



Maoist refusal to sign the minutes prepared after detailed deliberations in the presence of Maoist Special Committee member Barsa Man Pun has raised serious doubt in the minds of other parties about the intentions of the UCPN (Maoist). Why does the Maoist party waver every time it is asked to put an agreement in writing, with all the details and specifics laid out? If they think the agreed roadmap is not feasible or practical or if they have fundamental reservations about it, they should raise the issue in the Special Committee and try to get their concerns addressed there.



Maoist leaders on the Special Committee have privately maintained that they have no problem with the agreed roadmap and they are committed to implementing it in earnest. But given the Maoist party’s feeble track record when it comes to keeping its word, it’s only natural that the other parties do not fully trust what it says and want to have agreements in writing.



One explanation given for the Maoist refusal to sign the minutes is that the party establishment cannot afford to do so given the deep divisions within the party over the peace process. That is too lame an excuse for a party that has formally decided to opt for peace and constitution as its main political line. If the radical faction in the party is too strong and the establishment fears a backlash from that quarter, it only legitimizes the demand of other parties that each and every agreement should be put in writing so that no one can backtrack.



We want to remind the parties, particularly the UCPN (Maoist), that time is slipping away fast and the Nepali people are no longer ready to entertain any excuses from the leaders if they fail to conclude the peace process in the next two-and-half months. We, therefore, want the top leaders to intervene immediately and re-ignite those stalled negotiations.

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