Why are the seven political parties accepting the Maoist demand of a constituent assembly in the ruse of establishing full democracy

By Preeti Koirala

The Chaite Dashain is one of the major festivals for all Hindus. In Nepal and in West Bengal, the festival is celebrated in a grand manner similar to the main Dashain festival which falls around October. In conservative households, animal sacrifices are done on that day, while puja is offered to goddess Durga and people throng to the temples in their cities. In Nepal, the day is a declared national holiday. It is on this busy day when devotees have to get up early and clean themselves and their premises, housewives need to prepare for the whole day of puja and the general people need to visit the main Durga temples of Kathmandu that the Maoists have declared a general strike supported by the seven agitating political parties. One does not know why they have chosen this specific Hindu festival to kick off the engine of an agitation that just does not seem to get started.

However, this is not the first time that the Maoists have targeted Hindu festivals and temples so as to “make Nepal secular”. Dozens of temples around the country have been devastated by the Maoists, beef eating has been encouraged amongst its cadres and religious festivals such as Dashain been boycotted in their last one decade of people’s war. For the first time, the once peaceful kingdom in which people of all faiths and religions co-existed have been motivated with the sense of their “identity” as a consequence the Rais and Limbus have been told that they are actually Kirats and Kiratis don’t celebrate Hindu festivals, etc. That the Maoists would want to mess up any existing religious structure whether it is a temple or a culture is well comprehended given the fact of Mao’s red books being for them the ultimate Gita and eliminating the class enemy the only mantra.

But why are the seven political parties, especially the two Nepali Congresses, towing the line of the Maoists whether in the name of flagging off an agitation on the day of Dashain or accepting their demand of a constituent assembly in the ruse of establishing full democracy? This is what reasonable people in Nepal and increasingly here in the United States are failing to understand. Why are the mainstream centrist parties hell bent in shouldering the Maoists whom they themselves declared “terrorists” when they know that if the monarchy and the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) are weakened, it will be themselves that will be the next sure target of the Maoist vandals? Without the monarchy and with a deflated RNA, the political parties will only be able to hold the Maoists for a few weeks if not less. Even with international backing, tremendous support from the free press and the so-called civil society groups, they have not been able to muster strength to bring in a few thousand people in Kathmandu- a city of three million population! How on earth are they going to stop a total Maoist victory once the monarchy and the army are simultaneously undermined inside the Nepali power structure?

The actual raison d’être for this facetious nexus with the insurgents is a virus like infiltration of the Maoists’, their leaders in the guise of human rights workers, lawyers and peace activists, their penetration into the press and obviously their access into the political party’s hierarchy. From the very beginning of the insurgency in 1996, there was rumor that some of the political party’s top bosses have a budding relationship with the Maoist higher command. Home ministers were known to pay regular levy to the Maoists, the opposition party M. Ps were known to request the Maoists to declare bandhs on specific dates so as to pressurize the government while facing no-confidence motions, and cadres of UML have always been having dual loyalty to their mother party; taking up official positions in their VDCs and underneath concurrently collaborating with the Maoists. All this has now been formalized with the infamous 12-point agreement by which obviously the Maoists have gained politically, tactically and purposefully but all that the parties have got is a wrath of the world’s only superpower along with the Nepalis people who don’t believe in a failed ideology of the 19th century which has been dumped even in countries like Russia and China.

It is in this perspective that one must view the up-coming terror warnings of “agitation” and so-called “people’s movement”. If there were no Maoists in Nepal, obviously it could have been called a democracy struggle, but in lieu of the 12-point agreement, and the strike being sponsored both by the seven parties along with the Maoists that it becomes a primary concern for the government and the general people. If the government fails to safeguard the life and property of the people of Kathmandu like the Deuba government on that horrible day on September 1st 2004, then this government has no right to last for a single day. If the state security sits and watches while a mob of gangsters and thugs loot shops, burn tyres, destroy media houses, vandalize two holy mosques in the center of the capital city, then why should the Nepali taxpayers spend their money to run a 150,000 strong state security force? Governments should not hesitate in using force for the collective benefit of the people and this is done by any government of any civilized state. The Maoists are clever in using any opportunity to create havoc and disturb the calm of Kathmandu valley. They will surely try to use this agitation and its dubious “democracy slogan” to their maximum advantage and move on in their ultimate motive of a one-party communist dictatorship. For the long-term benefit of the Nepali people themselves, this agitation must either be postponed by the seven parties or thwarted by the government.

Of course, if the parties scrap their comradeship with the Maoists, they should be given their constitutional privilege for the right of assembly but together with the Maoists, it is like the CPI (M) organizing a joint rally with the PWG and the MCC in Pragati Maidan or the Liberal Democrats making plans of a joint agitation together with the Al Qaeda in Hyde Park. How will President George Bush react if the National Libertarian Party (which is the third largest party in the United States) announces a 12-point agreement with Osama Bin Laden in order to bring the Al Qaeda into the mainstream American politics since a military solution does not seem to be working? The seven political parties of Nepal have forged a working relationship with the Maoists who are declared terrorists and have a red corner Interpol notice, therefore this protest is a danger to national security, democracy and safety of the Nepali people. Just on March 31st they bombarded a school in Dailekh district where students were taking their S.L.C exams, how on earth can the party leaders be hopeful of increased people support for a joint strike called by the same perpetrators a week later? CDOs and LDOs in various districts have either been mercilessly killed or kidnapped and yet the parties appeal for the active participation of civil servants? Isn’t it amazing that the same industrialists and businessmen who have to pay regular ransom to the Maoists are now “humbly requested” to support the united gathering of the ransom takers?

The authorities have meanwhile arrested a few commandos of Maoist Special Taskforce who had entered Kathmandu specially for this agitation. According to officials, those arrested include Narayan GC alias Nirmal, Ram Prasad Sapkota alias Dip Shikha, Iswor Sapkota alias Suman, Sajan Kuwor alias Madhav and Badri Parajuli alias Bidroha. The Nepal Television has telecast their pictures along with their interviews. If the evidence of the Maoist infiltration into this proposed agitation is so blatant and transparent why are the seven parties hell bent in destroying their own motherland and ultimately themselves?

An insurance executive based in the United States, Ms. Koirala writes on contemporary affairs. This article was written before the CPN (Maoist) announced unilateral ceasefire only for the Kathmandu valley. Whether you agree with Ms. Koirala or not, please send your comments to [email protected] or [email protected]– Ed.

(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected])