It appears to be an encouraging development that the CPN-Maoist and the CPN-UML have reached a new understanding towards resolving the ‘contentious’ issues between them. Their top leaders met at Godavari on Saturday, and on Sunday. Prime Minister Prachanda assured the UML leadership that all buildings under the occupation of the Young Communist League (YCL) would be vacated and its ‘semi-military’ structure dismantled within three days, and that the process of returning the properties seized during the insurgency would be initiated as well. The Cabinet yesterday took decisions towards that end and on the reconstitution of the Special Committee on integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants. As for the Prime Minister’s another fence-mending exercise, former UML general secretary Madhav Nepal is reported willing, as has been expected, to assume the chairmanship of the Constitutional Committee. However, the UML is yet to make its formal position clear.

This exercise has also been aimed at sorting out several outstanding problems between the Maoists and the Nepali Congress, as it also helped pave the way for a broader meeting yesterday, including the Nepali Congress, in order to establish an understanding with it by

‘addressing its nine-point demand’. This fence-mending effort is the need of the hour, as this is necessary for writing the constitution within time and for bringing the peace process to a logical conclusion. Though the Congress decision to move into opposition marked a break in the politics of consensus pursued since Jana Andolan II, yet the need for building consensus on a host of major issues cannot be overemphasised. Whether they like it or not, the political parties that led the Jana Andolan II are in the same boat now, and none of them can expect to reach anywhere without working together.

Maoist assurances on YCL and the return of the seized properties, most of which have still not been handed back to their rightful owners, have been given not for the first time. However, it would be wise to bear in mind the practical considerations involved in the process, and then move to accomplish the tasks as soon as feasible, otherwise any renewed pledges are likely to go the way of the earlier ones. The key parties should set their sights on resolving all peace process-related problems at the latest by the time the new constitution is promulgated. However, an earlier settlement would be all the better — some issues could be resolved sooner, and some might take more time because of their complexity. Whatever the public posturing of any of the Big Three, the alternative to political understanding would risk the unravelling of the peace process, brought to this advanced stage by their painstaking effort. The government constituents should own collective responsibility, and the Maoists more so because of their leadership of the government. But none can behave, in all decency, as if they were not a part of the government when it comes to taking responsibility. Nor are the frequent threats of leaders of the coalition to quit government in good taste for that matter.