The royal government may be wise to initiate dialogue with the mainstream political parties and the Maoists to resolve the crisis

By Dr. Som P Pudasaini

The seven-party alliance (SPA) and the CPN (Maoist) signed a second statement on 19 March 2006 reconfirming their commitment to the 12-point understanding reached between them on 22 November 2005, which was said to be a roadmap to peace, prosperity and democracy to be achieved through an election to a constituent assembly and by fighting against an autocratic monarchy.

Top leaders of SPA, however, were reluctant to sign the statement jointly with the Maoist leadership in view of the international pressure and their own lack of full trust on the Maoists. Also, it is rumored that the SPA wanted to protect their parties from being branded “terrorists” and face possible ban by the government if they entered into joint statement and actions right away. The move is probably pragmatic since the “slow and steady wins the race”.

The insurgent’s total commitment to peace and multiparty democracy is still a suspect. The USA has openly advised the parties to break the 12-point agreement with the Maoists. Even India, which has tacitly supported the understanding by allowing the SPA and the Maoists to conduct negotiations in the vicinity of New Delhi, is reported to have advised the parties not to be hasty in trusting the insurgents.

The Chinese State Councilor, Tang Jiaxuan, equivalent to a Deputy Prime Minister, during his March 16-18 Nepal visit had advised all the “constitutional forces in Nepal” to appropriately settle the current difficulties “through dialogue” maintaining national independence, sovereignty and unity. This was also the first time that a high ranking Chinese official met three top leaders of agitating mainstream parties- Girija Prasad Koirala of Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepali Congress (D) and Amrit Bohara of UML.

While the SPA and the Maoists have now been able to protect the spirit of the 12-point understanding, they have yet to travel an arduous road before they reach a full understanding towards peace and stability in both letter and spirit. Nevertheless, salvaging the understanding in spite of pressures, confusions and attempt to widen misunderstanding has created a pace for them to move ahead. Among others, one of the difficulties now lies in the fact that the parties want to go for a constituent assembly election by reinstating the House of Representative dissolved four years ago but the Maoists insist on an interim government resulting from a national political conference. They have agreed to continue consultations to resolve differences.

The immediate benefit of the signed statement was the withdrawal of the 20-day blockade of cities imposed by the Maoists on 14 March and the indefinite Nepal bandh called to begin from April 3. In spite of the patrolling by security forces to secure supplies and movements, the blockade was beginning to cause shortages of petrol and kerosene in different places, raising prices and availability of necessities; including vegetables and fruits; and affecting movements of people and goods. The Maoists had felled trees and piled stones on roads and highways or dug them in many places. Farmers had started to suffer waste and losses as they could not transport perishables such as milk, vegetables and meat to markets. The movement of about 350,000 students soon appearing in the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination would have also been affected causing further pain to the already stressed examinees and their guardians.

The Maoists agreed to withdraw their blockade in return for the four day general strike and non-cooperation movement by the SPA beginning April 6 to mainstream fragmented movements for a decisive knock against the “royal regime”. The parties and the Maoists have also urged the international community to support their efforts to resolve the 10-year old conflict and attain progressive reform in the country. The government ministers are reported to be threatening the SPA to impose curfews if they went ahead with the strike and will not respond to the “Made in Delhi” statement. However, the people will have to bear again the brunt of the strike and government’s repression to foil it, including a loss of Rs. 4 billion in those four days.

The efforts of the seven party alliance to attract the Maoists towards peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict deserves due support from all those interested in peace, prosperity and stability in Nepal.
Political mainstreaming of the Maoists is widely seen as a preferred choice for lasting peace and political stability. The efforts of the SPA to attract the Maoists towards peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict deserves due support from all those interested in peace, prosperity and stability in Nepal. They must, however, present a clear roadmap to inclusive polity, good governance, conflict resolution and intra-party democracy to win full trust of the people towards their movements.

The Maoists must sincerely abandon violence, extortions and abductions and commit to competitive politics. However, they are likely to strike hard leading up to the general strike and beyond if one looks at the attacks they have intensified in the recent days, including around Kathmandu such as Dhading and Kavre district, and their commitment to the general strike.

The monarch and royal government may be wise to initiate dialogue with the mainstream political parties and the Maoists to resolve the crisis. The SPA and the Maoists should not shy away in offering a genuine safe landing to the king as their 12-point understanding is against “autocratic monarchy” not against a “constitutional” one. Too confrontational approach on the part of any will lead to further bloodshed against the wishes of the masses desirous of peace and development.

However, the king is likely to watch how the political events unfold in the coming weeks, including the impact of the general strike. He may then indicate his next move in his Nepali New Year 2063 message on April 14; which may include dates for the parliamentary election as per his February one roadmap or a clearer call for dialogue or the continuation of a confused status quo.

(Dr. Pudasaini has served as the Representative of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Sri Lanka and Yemen and Country Director for Maldives. Please send your comments to [email protected] or [email protected])

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