Obstruction all the way | Politically Correct

KIRAN PANDAY

After a ray of hope that the three biggies, UML, Nepali Congress (NC) and the Maoists would come to a consensus, weeks have passed but the consensus was nowhere in sight as we went to press. Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma, after a Standing Committee meeting, said that fresh protests would be launched from 1 November if the parties did not come up with a consensus, and reiterated his party's stance on civilian supremacy and the president's allegedly unconstitutional move.

Protests are to begin in the Tarai too. Chairman of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal Upendra Yadav has announced a stir from 1 November. He said the main aim of the agitation was to implement the agreement made between the government and the United Madhesi Morcha and establish a national government. He also warned that if they're not taken seriously, protests will be scaled up. That can only mean one thing: the hoarding of fuel, food and LPG, which will lead to skyrocketing food prices, once again.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala, on the other hand, is a happier person. She was appointed the second Deputy Prime Minister. This was the eighth reshuffle of the CPN-UML led government. Her party, the NC, was unhappy with the decision. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has the full authority to expand his cabinet and appoint Sujata Koirala as the DPM for the smooth running of the government. Word has it that he was pressurised by GPK. Whatever the case, she's now the DPM.

All the while, Finance Minister Surendra Pandey has been worried about the budget. He revealed that it's getting a bit hard to pay out salaries and manage operational costs for the government as the budget has not yet been passed by Parliament. By law, ministries can only spend one third of their allocated budgets until the national budget is passed by Parliament. Due to the Maoists' house obstructions, Parliament has not been able to function. But Pandey hopes the Maoists will allow Parliament to endorse the budget for the current fiscal year.

A team comprising representatives of the five member states of the UN Security Council (UNSC) along with the Chief of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) Karin Landgren toured the site of the Nepal Army weapons store at Chhauni, Kathmandu and visited the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA) cantonment at Chulachuli in Ilam. The UNMIN chief urged the political parties to forge a consensus at the earliest for the sake of the peace process and said the discussions among the political parties to reach a consensus to end the current political deadlock were 'not encouraging'. The UNMIN chief also expressed her concern about Defense Minister Bidhya Devi Bhandari's controversial statement about reviewing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to allow the Nepal Army to purchase weapons and ammunition and start a recruitment drive to fill vacant positions.

'Obstruction' is the word this month. With the festivities over, the government is under heavy pressure from everywhere and everyone. It's possibly impossible to work under such circumstances but the government has to function after all is said and done. Though the prediction was that Madhav Nepal's government would not last long, it has survived. The political instability, the lack of a consensus, and the hitches in constitution writing have done nothing but delayed the peace process. We all hope for a better Nepal and, let's be optimistic: we will reach that stage one fine day. Jai Nepal!

Disclaimer: This column is an update on political happenings and does not represent the views of either the writer or WAVE Magazine.