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Questions & Questions
 After the restored House of Representatives (HoR) and new government made a number of revolutionary changes and announcements, the government and Maoist negotiation teams sat for the first meeting and finalised a 25-point ceasefire code of conduct. However, all these decisions, declarations and code of conduct have raised a new set of questions.
First, how effectively these changes are going to be implemented? This is particularly due to the fact that the entire set of state machinery is still left intact. What is affected is the transfer of secretaries, Chief District Officers and police officers. Though the government offices have changed their signboards from "His Majesty's Government" to "Nepal Government" and "Royal Nepal Army" is changed to "Nepal Army" following the May-18 declaration of the HoR, whether their loyalty has really shifted from the King to the people is still to be proved. Meanwhile, a high level commission headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court has been set up and it is probing into the atrocities caused to the people and misuse of state coffers by the King's government. Looking at the fate of the recommendations of similar commission that was set up after the 1990 popular movement, questions are being raised about whether the government will really implement the recommendations of the new commission.
One point of the HoR declaration has made Nepal a secular state and this is feared to have provided a pretext for royalists to incite the Hindu religious fundamentalists against the present government. Some disturbances on those lines are already being created in different parts of the country though they have not received much support of the common people so far.
More immediate questions are raised about how seriously the ceasefire code of conduct is going to be followed by both the parties. There have been reports of its violation by both parties but it is hoped that the situation will be under control very soon as it percolates down the line of command from both sides. However, as the ceasefire is for only three months and one month has already passed, there are question about why the duration is not being extended.
Still serious question is about the shape of the economic policy for the country in the coming days. The Maoists seem to be eager to join the government by concluding the peace negotiations which, as rebels are trying to impress the people, is only a formality and is likely to be concluded within the coming 15 days. That is to be followed by inducting the Maoists in the government. But the confusion about the economic philosophy of the Maoists is causing a lot of anxiety across the business community and general people. Though some rebel leaders have said they are in favour of free market economy, their concept of free market is not really free. Moreover, their views about foreign investment are very much belligerent. However, some representatives of foreign investors who have some experience in Nepal think that there is no need to go by the rhetoric of Maoists. They don’t mean what they say in public. Also the views expressed by the Maoist leaders during June 2 mass meeting at Kathmandu did not clarify this. The meeting was, however, able to impress the general masses with the people strength of the rebels. Some wonder what would have happened to Kathmandu streets if June 2 wasn’t a holiday.
The sooner these questions are clarified the better for the political parties including the Maoists and the country.
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