The Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government made an important headway with the third phase of getting closer to getting the full-fledged cabinet in place. For Prime Minister Nepal it was not an easy task to get so far after he became the top executive over three weeks back. Despite the MJF, TMLP and NSP reportedly giving the go-ahead signal, they were conspicuous by their absence at the swearing in ceremony of the five cabinet level ministers at Shital Niwas and six state ministers at the Prime Minister’s office, Singha Durbar. In fact, it is a matter of some satisfaction that the move is on

gradually to give the cabinet a full form. There might be reservations among some coalition partners as regards the allotment of the ministerial portfolios, but as usual negotiations have always been the trump card. It has taken a long time for PM Nepal to come so far. Despite criticisms from some quarters, all should be aware of the fact that this is the government that we can boast of at the moment and all

support must go in making it deliver as far as the twin mandate of constitution writing and the logical

conclusion of the peace process are concerned.It is true that the 22-party supported government will have difficult moments, as has already been witnessed in getting the stakeholders to agree on the sharing of the ministerial berths. The inordinate delay in materializing an incomplete cabinet of only 22 members is understandable because of the differing stances of the political parties concerned. The road ahead cannot be assumed to be any easier: the final touches to the council of ministers is yet to be given before the government finally is ready to move into serious business starting first of all with the presentation of the budget for the fiscal year 2009/2010. Herein, it may be worthwhile to remember that in the days after Pushpa Kamal Dahal resigned as prime minister, the whole bureaucracy and the tasks that they had to be engaged in came to a virtual standstill. This is something very unique to Nepal but that has negative repercussions on conducting the routine day-to-day national affairs. Every handover of power brings with it the uneasy calm of inactivity that only hampers the way the country should have moved ahead.

This very disturbing trend has seen no panacea despite the decades of democratic exercise in the country. An alternative can only be the continuation of the Nepal-led government till the constitution is framed and enacted before genuinely competitive politics can come to the fore. But, the behaviour of the parties has to shift to more healthy criticism rather than to obstruct every constructive move that this government decides upon. There is no doubt on the fact that this government must receive the critical support of all the parties represented in Constituent Assembly, including UCPN-Maoist. The national goals are, perhaps, more important than the petty partisan interests particularly at this crucial juncture of Nepali politics. On this score, the initiatives for the formation of a national government through consensus could be best suited to avoid instability.

Angry docs

This time around it is the medical personnel who are threatening to announce a stir. Bandhs and closures have now become common occurrence during which it is virtually impossible to commute long distances. During the recent bandh in the capital, the bandh enforcers had vandalized the vehicle of a doctor who was on his way to treat a

patient requiring urgent attention, although he had shown them his identity card. Now the health workers have come up with the demand that the political parties should provide prior information if they wanted to disrupt health services during bandhs and strikes. This is a reasonable demand for if the health workers are unable to reach their working place and if they are attacked then how will they be able to treat patients in urgent need of treatment.

The medical personnel are having a difficult time facing physical assaults, intimidation and extortion giving rise to insecurity amongst them. So that they are able to continue their services to humanity, their security should be guaranteed, and since their services are required round the clock arrangements should be made for the same as soon as possible. This could mean providing them with escorts and also boosting up security in the hospital premises.