JON APPEL
The High Level Political Committee is inherently undemocratic, it does not respect the result of the election and will hinder the chance of a coalition government being formed anytime soon. As the two parties that espouse peaceful democratic change and the parties that got the most votes, the onus is on the NC and UML to take the lead together and set an example. Membership of the HLPC allows the Maoists to exert far more influence than its diminished mandate allows. This week, Dahal and Co finally realised their folly and have stopped talking about a boycott of the CA. But it may be premature to break open the champagne just yet, we are still frozen on Step 1 after the election.