NS-jyu,

This whole business of search for a president (check mysansar.com http://www.mysansar.com/?p=2740 ) by non-Maoist enthusiasts brings the memory of the former King Gyanendra’s famous tender call for premiership. Then, it was king who wanted to rule arbitrarily disregarding norms and system. Now, it is Haruwa political parties and their partisans who are trying to re-interpret the popular mandate or are working towards inducing amnesia about the election and some innocents who are succumbing to these manuvres.

But, the fact be recalled, Maoist won the election. People voted for them and they voted for them with a purpose. And the purpose is that they wanted to see, now for one election term, how Maoist do things.

This was an extremely wise decision of Nepali voters (Maoist really needs to be tested !). Even if it was a foolish decision, we all must respect it. Because, this is people’s decision. And then it is only for one election term, baba, that too a very short one, of just two and half years.

And testing Maoists means giving them a fully free hand, yes fully free hand, to do things their way.

If you don’t give Maoist fully free hand to do things their way, you are just giving them an excuse if and when they have a bad report card at the end of their term.

So, for everyone’s true and long term good, it is very important for other parties to stay away from the Maoist government or at least not to appear trying to tie Maoist’s hands and feet.

The argument that Maoist does not have a simple majority is a lame excuse, for three reasons,

One, the minorities have no obligation to be in the government. What they have is a right which they can use by deciding to support the largest party.

Two, the margin with which Maoist is ahead of it’s runner up is so high, there is no point arguing about 'simple majority'.

Third, and the most important of all, this election was meant for Constituent Assembly and was aimed towards making as “hung” as possible. So what Maoist got is despite that tendency. In other words, had it been for electing the government (and no pressure for making it “hung”), Maoist would have secured much more votes. So we should assume that the actual votes for Maoist government is much more than the votes they got for Constituent Assembly.

These are my thoughts.

Finally, I think, if NC/UML joined the government anyhow, Maoist will have to do nothing at all to win the next election !

Nepe