The marathon of the UCPN (Maoist) central committee continued on the thirteenth day with leaders speaking for and against the two political documents presented by Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Vice Chairman Mohan Baidya. Around 129 central committee members have so far commented on the documents and the debate is likely to continue on Sunday with both the proponents responding to questions raised by the members.
The Maoist central committee meeting began on 25 December after being put off for several months due to internal rift within the party. The chaos in the party was at an all time high and the speculation about the inevitable split grabbed headlines. The hardliners cornered party establishment by presenting an alternative political document but to their disappointment, most central committee members supported Dahal’s document of peace and constitution.
As the hardliners lose ground in the central committee battle, vice chairman Baidya is looking for a safe landing and has asked PM Baburam Bhattarai to ‘create environment’ for reconciliation and unity in the party. The leaders are already working behind the scenes to come up with a unified proposal. Some see the Maoist central committee meeting as a tactical gimmick by the ex-rebels to gain a foothold in the ongoing talks with other parties on forms of governance.
In an interview with a national daily, Maoist lawmaker and central committee member Janardan Sharma said his party has already compromised enough and will not take a single step further unless the other parties are prepared to take a leap forward on the forms of governance. Finance Minister Barsaman Pun has also charged the Nepali Congress of backtracking on earlier agreements made at the dispute resolving committee, and insisting on Westminsterial system which he says, has been proved ‘a failure’ in Nepal. Speaking at a program in Kanchanpur on Saturday, the Maoist leader threatened if the other parties remain adamant on the issue, his party will not cooperate on the peace process. “If our flexibility and aspiration for peace is mistaken for our weakness, it will endanger the peace process,” he said. However he clarified that the delay in decommissioning the fighters was due to technical reasons.
It is clear that the parties are taking a rigid positions in an effort to extract maximum at the bargaining table, delaying the constitution writing in the process. Having said so, it is not a bad idea that they engage in a constructive debate with a purpose of coming up with a workable model that is acceptable to all. But for that to happen, the parties must first get their own house in order.
ANURAG ACHARYA