Nepali politics: On the collision course (Nepalnews analysis)

May 31, 2006
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By Pratibedan Baidya

Notwithstanding persistent national and international pressure on the king and the parties to reconcile, major opposition political parties are preparing for a showdown with the royal government.

His Majesty King Gyanendra

His Majesty King Gyanendra
(File photo)
Major donor countries India and China, the US, Britain and the European Union have been reiterating that reconciliation between the king and major political parties is a must to resolve the long-drawn political stalemate in Nepal. But so far, both the sides remain indifferent to bury their differences

With less than a week to go for the four-day national strike (April 6-9) called by the seven party alliance (SPA), both the sides seem to be preparing fully for a showdown.

The government stepped up security ahead of the protests as Home Minister Kamal Thapa said the government had credible information that Maoists were preparing to infiltrate into the protest rallies and incite violent.

“Upon entering into second understanding with the Maoists, the SPA preponed its protest programme beginning April 6. Hence, there should be no illusion that the four-day strike is, in fact, the Maoists’ programme,”

The Home Ministry also issued a notice in similar line and urged common people to defer their programme to visit Kathmandu unless it was urgent.

The alliance, on its part, says the agitation will be peaceful and decisive to return people’s sovereignty back to them.

The government had imposed day-long curfew and arrested top leaders of the seven party alliance a day ahead of a mass meeting called by the seven party alliance on January 20 this year.

And, both the sides know that time factor is quite crucial for them.

NC president Girija Prasad Koirala

NC president Girija Prasad Koirala
(File photo)
In an interview with Himal Southasian magazine, former Prime Minister and the seniormost leader of the seven opposition parties, Girija Prasad Koirala, said the on-going agitation being launched by the alliance must finish off before the monsoon.

Monsoon normally starts in Nepal in the months of June-July. Nepal being a predominantly agrarian country, monsoon is the season when people—including political party workers—return to their villages to undertake farming.

The government seems to be in the mood of foiling the agitation until monsoon so that it could announce dates for parliamentary polls. The municipal elections—boycotted by major political parties and participated in by nearly 21 percent of the eligible voters only—was said to be a prelude to the parliamentary polls.

Central Committee Member of CPN-UML, one of the major allies of the seven party alliance, Bharat Mohan Adhikari said the parties were ready with a plan to make the general strike successful even if the government imposes curfew.

He further claimed that there would be massive support from the people in the SPA’s forthcoming protests.

 

Likewise, acting president of Nepali Congress (Democratic), another constituent of the alliance, Gopal Man Shrestha said, “We are ready to bypass all obstructions, including curfew, in a peaceful way and conduct our declared protest programmes successfully.”

Stating that the general strike has been called by the seven parties, he assured, “It will be non-violent and Maoists will not infiltrate.”

Talking to Nepalnews about the current political situation of the country, co-chairperson of the Rastriya Janashakti Party Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani said that dialogue between political parties and Maoists is a must to restore peace in the country. “Both the sides should come to the negotiation table respecting the verdict of the Supreme Court,” he added.

He also said that the government should initiate efforts for dialogue to find consensus between parties and the King.

In a landmark verdict last month while scrapping the controversial Royal Commission on Corruption Control, the Supreme Court held that sovereignty lay with people and needed to be used as proscribed in the constitution.

 

US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Camp
(File photo)
As the ‘constitutional forces’ within the country prepare for a showdown, Nepal’s international friends stand worried. Addressing the House sub-committee on International Relations on Asia and the Pacific, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Camp, said, “The King has not initiated a dialogue with the parties and he is losing domestic support. The seven major political parties have been equally reluctant to engage with the King and have entered into a “12 Point Understanding” with the Maoists.”

Commenting on the royal government’s plans to conduct parliamentary elections by April 2007, British ambassador to Nepal, Keith G. Bloomfield, said there should be democratic environment for an election to work. “Locking up senior political leaders arbitrarily and without trial, using intimidation to force people to vote, and banning peaceful demonstrations will not contribute to such an environment,” he added.

Addressing a function in Kathmandu, Bloomfield added that there should be representation of credible political parties for the elections to be valid. “It is not the number of parties that counts here, but their ability to mobilise the people as demonstrated by their track record in the previous elections. Elections which were boycotted by nearly all the parties represented in the last parliament would not be an exercise in meaningful democracy and do little to solve the constitutional crisis,” he added.

 

 

British ambassador to Nepal, Keith G. Bloomfield
(File photo)
Analysts say by refusing to meet the British parliamentary delegation, King Gyanendra may have conveyed the message that he is not going to give up his “road map” come what may. “During a year of autocratic rule, he has not been forced to amend any important policy as a result of pressure at home or abroad,” wrote The Economist magazine in its latest issue. “If the monarchy is to survive the current crisis, the king had better make some friends,” it added.

By alienating royalist parties like Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Rastriya Janashakti Parties, it is least likely that the “royal coalition of willing” will come forward to defend the king’s desire to rule single-handedly. With the rebels stepping up their attacks and the major parliamentary parties exerting pressure through street agitation, days ahead for the ruling elite are anything but comfortable.

For common people as well as professionals, it’s time to choose—whether they want to side with the active monarchy or stand in favor of multi-party democracy, however flawed it may be. nepalnews.com Mar 31 06