Kathmandu: The crisis looms. It appears that both government and the Maoists posture are hardening. This bodes ill for the third round of talks, which have yet to be scheduled. There is rampant public concern on Maoist extortion of funds, which is said to have now accumulated millions for a treasury that can further fuel the stalled civil war. Government inability to check this spell doom for the new cabinet which ahs met with little response from both the agitating parties on the one hand and the Maoists on the other.

Perhaps more damaging to the heightened sense of public expectation after the King’s October moves is the lack of motion in the ousted Lokendra Bahadur Chand government and the standstill approach of the Thapa regime. At least Chand had within weeks of formation of cabinet prompted the Maoist ceasefire. Over a month after the formation of the Thapa cabinet things remain at a standstill. The agitating parties are agitating, the Maoists are mobile and are increasingly confrontational at the grassroots.

Regardless of the fact that the agitation is not making headway, the political parties concerned contribute to the mayhem further by instigating their student and professional organizations to disrupt an already disturbed civic society. The lack of direction contributes further to the chaos.

Prime Minister Thapa appears to be concentrating his activities in strengthening his organizational opportunities in the RPP and the government machinery. His well-honed administrative experience is reflected in the smooth appointments of public servants much postponed by Lokendra Bahadur Chand’s indecisiveness. Thapa is known previously too to have built a following among Civil servants on this account. However, even this will have disturbed public expectations since the civil service has been recruiting ground for Girija Koirala and so the public demand for a crack-down will have been thwarted at the executing level itself.

Clearly the looming crisis demands a strong crackdown and a public demonstration of determination which Thapa is reluctant to display. These suggest that either Thapa must go or must function. If he is to go, it should be sooner, much more soon than his safeguards are built. As yet, the public laments that Palace moves have been so ill timed as to have lost initiatives and be merely reacting to events.