By DR. TULSI P. UPRETY
It is a good sign that Maoist leader Mr. Puspa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) decided to surface from underground and meet with the Prime Minister as well as other members of Seven Party Alliance. However, Maoists must stop extortion and violence if they want to establish themselves as a legitimate political force and win the confidence of the people of Nepal . King Gaynendra also had 90,000 strong army but he had to surrender his absolute power to the people and the Maoists must learn a lesson from this political change. They must realize and accept that intimidation, threat, extortion, violence, black mailing and kidnapping are not democratic norms. Democracy demands peace, love, compassion, mutual respect, giving and forgiving, freedom, transparency and respect for the rule of law and the Maoists must incorporate these democratic values and norms in their behavior and practices for establishing their credibility in the national and international arenas.
It is a positive sign that the Maoist leaders are trying to establish their democratic credibility by meeting various government leaders, diplomats and the members of civic society. However, their public relation and diplomatic exercise would not amount to anything unless they renounce violence and lay down their arms. This is exactly what US Ambassador to Nepal James F. Moriarty recently said, “Instead of continuing their diplomatic parleys, the Maoists should change their conduct.” We must all understand that ambassador Moriarty is not trying to derail the peace process, as many would have you believe, but simply trying to ensure that the Maoist keep their end of the bargain in the process and make an honest effort at achieving peace through negotiations. And this is only possible when the explicit threat of potential violence is removed from the negotiations. To their credit, Maoists are now openly and freely meeting diplomatic corps and other members of Nepalese society and trying to be recognized as a legitimate political force.
Maoists must also understand that foreign aid plays a big role in the economic development of Nepal . With this in mind, they also need to make an honest effort to be recognized as a legitimate political party in the eyes of these donor nations and not see them as a threat to the political process. At a time when the country needs to build its infrastructure and get itself out of economic downturn, we can not loose aid from our donor nations. Thus the goal of achieving political and an economical stability in the country rests, to a large extent, in Maoists’ hands.
Maoists also need to learn to function in a democratic environment where opposing views and dissent are not only allowed but encouraged. Just like Maoists have been allowed to freely hold press conferences and share their ideas with the masses, every citizen should be given the right to express their views without the threat of violence. The Maoists leadership needs to educate its party workers on this if they ever want to be integrated in the mainstream.
It is an encouraging sign that Mr. Dahal has suggested that, perhaps, Maoists army could be put under the command of the Prime Minister. However, there should not be two armies that could be loyal to two different groups or parties as sometimes suggested by the Maoists leader. In addition, implementing mandatory military training to its citizen to ease the burden on the military would not be very much welcomed by the people either. Mr. Dahal has said the army is too big and should be reduced in size. But the army can be used for development works throughout the country. Various, vocational training programs can be established for providing training to Maoist army and equip them with proper skills and tools. With this kind of approach they would be melted into a productive force as opposed to a destructive force. If such training programs are established, Nepal Army could play a complementary role on development works while assisting Maoists.
It is encouraging to learn that Maoists leaders are willing to participate in liberal, transparent and competitive economic system. They have realized that in consideration of the existing economic realities of the country, industrial, commercial, tourism and water development sectors could take a lion’s share in creating employment and income opportunities for the people.
Maoists say that they are fair and they would like to play by the rule and abide by the law of the land. If this is true, then they must abide by the existing laws, rules and regulations of Nepal but not create a parallel government.
It is a good sign that Maoist leaders are trying to find alternative ways to feed and compensate their army. While the negotiation is going on, perhaps Nepalese government can offer some financial relief so that they do not have to depend on extortion. Regardless of whether it is rural or urban area, as long as the Maoists continue to resort to extortion to feed their army, it will not help them to establish their credibility and win the hearts and mind of the people.
The parliament has been questioning some of the decisions made by the negotiating team and the Cabinet. This is how the democracy works and the Maoists must get used to the process of check and balance in a democratic state. The parliament should be continued even after the inception of interim government and until the election of Constituent Assembly is not completed.
The current government has been flexible and has been providing all the concessions and accommodations to the Maoists’ demand. However, it is time for the government to demand from the Maoists to renounce violence and lay down their arms prior to the formation of the interim government and Maoists must do so for the sake of their own credibility and for winning the confidence of the people. The people of Nepal are simply hungry for peace and economic prosperity and it will all depend how Maoists will behave.
(Dr. Tulsi P. Uprety has twenty five years of experience in economic development. As an economic development specialist, Dr. Uprety specializes in industrial and business development, formulation of development policies and planning, financing and institutionalization of development process. He taught micro and macro economic classes in various colleges. Dr. Uprety participated in development activities of Native American Indians of Northern America and worked in Asia . He has a Doctorate Degree in Economic Development and Public Administration from the University of California , Berkeley . ( Send your comments and reaction at : [email protected].)