Straight faced commentaries on how the Indians prevented the unity efforts of the Tarai parties from being stalled by government or how the Americans helped surface the differences within the ruling party by prompting the party secretariat to summon the house for legislating the Millennium Challenge Fund or how the Chinese helped abort a break in NCP unity in order to prevent the MCC from resurfacing in the House actually shame the country. Prime Minister K.P. Oli and his cohorts can do little other than lament at the runaway no-holds-barred coverage of the media of diplomatic shenanigans and political buffoonery since he is part of those in the system that gained such journalistic largesse previously although he is now in the awkward receiving end from the profession. Nobody is asking from whence reports are sourced of differences in the central committee. We are told that Bam Dev Gautam’s perpetual thirst to lead government has now been assuaged by a simple assurance after the Central Secretariat meet. We are now told that the meet’s promise to Madhav Nepal on him leading the party has yet to sooth him satisfactorily. And we are told that a promise at the meet to simply correct the leaderships’ behaviour has put paid to the entire rumpus created to precipitate the central committee meet. Whew! K.P. Oli, has worked wonders, it seems. The secretariat is now charged the setting of agenda for the Standing Committee meet and the government is now to face the dated budget session united. If all is so hunky dory, what, one might ask, was the entire rumpus about? And so one does at times tend to agree with the prime minister for dumping the blame for all the fury on the media? Having said this, however, a population that concludes that its fundamental rights have been usurped by the political parties and its leaders cannot but look askance at the compliance of our politicians in cohort with the media. Had thing been settled so smoothly as the party secretariat claimed it did, the public would have dismissed residual media reports of the utter disenchantment of former prime minister Madhav Nepal with K.P. Oli. Nor is it possible for even the lay watcher to dismiss speculation ruffles yet to be smoothened in the continuing talks between the two party presidents who have to defend their agenda at the weekend’s central committee meet. Considering that the budget session follows the day immediately after, it is the prime minister’s camp that should be alert in projecting a united government party in the House. What is a safe conclusion is the utter lack of trust within the ruling party among its prime leaders which have evidently promoted the initiative to non-national actors. It is this, again, that threatens the delicate Nepali equilibrium heightening anticipation of change. Simply put, restoring national trust and confidence does appear not only a national priority but a regional and international prescription as well.