Minister for Information and Communications and the government’s spokesman, Dr Mohammed Mohsin, has said the government would have to quit if the elections could not be held.
Talking to BBC Nepali service Wednesday, Dr Mohsin, however, said the government was committed to hold elections. “This is our mandate and we are committed to fulfill that,” he added.
When asked how the elections could be held amid escalating violence, Dr Mohsin said elections were being held in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Iraq and that the international community had endorsed them. “All the government will have to do is to fix dates for elections and after that it will be the responsibility of the Election Commission (to organize elections). And, the EC has said it is ready to implement the government’s decision,” he added.
Dr Mohsin further said thousands of people had rebelled against the Maoist atrocities in districts like Dailekh and Kailali. “If given an opportunity, people will exercise their rights,” he added.
When asked what led him to predict that an alternative to the present government would be an authoritarian regime, the minister said all he meant was to unite democratic forces and protect democracy. “All I said was let’s shut the doors before the typhoon hits us. If the scientists had predicted about the tsunami, the world would not have to face such a disaster,” said Dr Mohsin.
Earlier, talking to Radio City FM98.8 MHz, a Kathmandu-based private radio station, Dr Mohsin said the government was not in favour of inviting the third party in the proposed peace process. “Give me the name of the country where the UN-brokered peace process has succeeded?” he asked. He, however, said the UN could be involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation works.
“If the rebels don’t come to the table of negotiations by mid-April this year, the government will have to go for elections,” said Dr Mohsin. “For this, it could take up to four months for preparations.”
“It is high time to reach to a conclusion through dialogue,” the minister added. nepalnews.com by Jan 05 05