The top leaders of the four big parties — the NC, the CPN-UML, the NC-D and the CPN-Maoist — on Tuesday agreed to form an interim government (IG) and fix a date for the constituent assembly (CA) elections. This was not a new thing, but just a reiteration of their earlier commitment. But the process of setting the IG has been set in motion with their agreement that PM Girija Prasad Koirala would hold bilateral consultations from Wednesday yesterday) with the seven parties to prepare a blueprint for the new government. The meeting also formed a committee — which represents the four parties and will include representation of the four smaller parties — to draw up a Common Minimum Programme CMP), which would guide the conduct of the IG. The upcoming eight-party meeting is to finalise these three things.

The foremost function of the IG is to hold the CA polls, which would write a new constitution, leading to an elected legislature and government. This process is expected to take about two years. In the meantime, the IG has also to provide overall good governance. An eight-party government, installed after a nationwide people’s movement which has already ushered in far-reaching political change, is not a lame-duck one. Moreover, public expectations from this government, which will include the Maoists, are running high. At least it must be able to provide the public with clear signs of good things to come. To start with, the CMP should embody these aspirations. There is also a need for the parties to break with the past in ensuring that their policies and programmes are not meant to be forgotten soon after. Neither should these look like a mere collection of things to be expressed in terms of money.

There is much that can be accomplished with a resolve to be good and to do good — to set certain norms for governance and stick to them. One of these must be zero-tolerance for financial dishonesty in the dealings of government, its leaders and officials. A failure on this count gave the post-1990 governments a bad name. For the parties and leaders who have promised a New Nepal, the interim period will also constitute a kind of probation as to whether they can deliver what they have promised. The CMP will set down, among other things, a consensus on economic and social policies and programmes. But the IG will be judged in terms of whether it can make things easier and better for the elected government to come, as well as for the people, besides holding the CA polls. Political leaders would also be helping to improve the national political environment during the transition by thinking twice before they speak. For example, Maoist chairman Prachanda’s statement this week that his party still had a good quantity of arms outside that could not be registered with the UN has created confusion, though he later tried to explain it away by saying that his statement, made in jest, had been wrongly interpreted. Serious things should be said in a serious way, or not at all.