There is a saying in Nepali: Ikh nabhayeko chhora ra bikh nabhayeko sarpa ekai hun [A son without resolve and snake without poison are same (or useless)]. Sher Bahadur Deuba, the former Prime Minister and president of Nepali Congress (Democratic), is a perfect example. He is speaking against the election of Constituent Assembly and indirectly helping the king.
The king kicked on his face several times but Deuba never stops acting like a loyal royal slave. And he always talks in such a way that would be beneficial to the king. [King Gyanendra sacked Deuba from the post of Prime Minister branding him "incompetent" to hold the general election in 2004 and, again in 2005, put him in house arrest in 2005 after sacking from the same post of PM.] After the royal coup of Feb 2005, Sher Bahadur Deuba was vocally against the king (or monrchy) though there were some people who used to say that this man could do the U turn at anytime. They used to cite Deuba’s pro-royal activities, including accepting royal awards which have been traditionally declined Nepali Congress leaders for decades. It seems those skeptics are going to be correct. Deuba has started showing the sing of U turn. Yesterday he talked against the possibility of election of Constituent Assembly on time (by June). He thinks the security situation is too bad to hold an election and says eight parties [ruling alliance and the Maoist] should unanimously agree to reschedule the election program. Talking to journalists at his party’s headquarters in Maharajgunj, Deuba said: “In light of the recent incidents in the country, the voters are in no position to cast their votes in a fear-free environment.” How can an ‘incompetent’ Deuba say so? For him, the security situation wasn’t favorable even in 2004 and, when he tried to push the election dates, faced royal sacking. Now, the same guy is talking about pushing the election to uncertainty on the pretext of same old reason.
Yes, security situation is not good in Nepal these days. Even the Prime Minister has accepted this harsh reality. But it’s not bad in all areas. The situation is challenging mainly in a few districts in southern Nepal. There is no security problem in hilly and mountainous districts. No problem in many other districts in Terai itself. Some, including the election commission, say there are not enough staffs and security personnel for the election. Why not go for options like holding election in phases? The most promising aspect is that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is committed to holding election in time. He said so in his recent meeting with the election commissioner which was attended by all leaders including Prachanda of the Maoist, Madhav Kumar Nepal of CPN UML and Deuba. Deuba expressed negativism on the prospects of election in that meeting as well where as Koirala, Nepal and Prachanda firmly committed themselves towards the democratic process. (Today MK Nepal said that “worsening law and order situation has overshadowed the election issue”. This statement from his is intended at pressurizing the government than trying to push the election to uncertainty.) The only person supporting Deuba in the meeting was Surya Bahadur Thapa (of Rastriya Janashakti Party.) Thapa recently came heavily against democratic development. It’s not hard to see the anti-election nexus that is slowly growing.
The main point is we should not push the election of Constituent Assembly on any pretext. We have the history, very bitter, about not being able to hold the CA election. And the king took advantage of that situation in the 50s. There was no effective pressure for CA election at that time because, as I read somewhere, the CA election issue was only raised by the parties at that time. Today situation is different. People want constituent assembly. The whole country has made the CA election the main agenda. When the whole country is ready to caste vote, the masked efforts from people like Deuba to derail the election plan must be countered effectively. In the past few days Nepali Congress general secretary Ram Chandra Poudel has also hinted that the process of election couldn’t be finished by the end of Jestha meaning that the process could be extended for weeks. That can be accepted but I see some problem with Deuba statement. He isn’t honest. I see some kind of conspiracy in his remarks. It is a known fact that the palace wants to stop the election of the assembly that will decide the fate of monarchy with a simple majority. It’s almost certain that the assembly will vote to eradicate the feudal institution from Nepal. Even a child understands why palace wants to stop the election.
The Constituent Assembly is not just for dealing with monarchy in Nepal. It’s about drafting the new future plans for the country. It’s about restructuring the state, empowering various groups and ethnic/marginalized communities and bringing them to the mainstream of Nepali ruling. That is why all efforts must be focused on making the election of Constituent Assembly a reality.
The End Game: Maoists Fail to Abide by the Peace Agreement
Maoists are unquestionably the primary political party in the alliance. Unfortunately the violence and brutality perpetuated by them has not subsided. Going by the government’s lack of policy, the indications are that in any event, the Maoist will capture state power- either through forcing fraudulent elections or by brewing public discontent against the government.
By Siddhartha Thapa
Comment of the Moment (originally posted in this blog)
“The mere absence of war is not peace”, said J. F. Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis. This statement is relevant to Nepal’s context today. Despite repeated assurances from the Maoists that they have retracted from violent politics, the reality is vastly different. Clearly, the Maoist have made a travesty out of the peace process and arms management. It has become obvious that the elections to the Constituent Assembly cannot be held in the stipulated time frame for mid June. This unfortunate circumstance is mainly due to the failure of the government to confine Maoist to peacetime politics. This failure consequently led to the rapid deterioration of law and order. The ramification of the postponement of the elections is immense – a fluid political vacuum.
The government still has not learnt from the Maoist war. It is this war, which forced the nation into a grinding halt. It is also the Maoists who have distanced the country from peacetime democratic politics. Deeper understanding is needed to comprehend the issues plaguing the country’s transition into a peaceful nation with a sustainable democracy.
Our portly political pundits need to understand that the discontented ethnic groups that have been staging agitations across the country are just now in the initial phase of their revolution. The issues of seclusion and minority rights have the necessary ingredients for the brewing of a greater revolution. Therefore, the continued dillydallying and delay in addressing ethnic issues, has the potential to push country into further quagmire– with the rise of a series of mini and counter revolutions, which could lead to the disintegration of the nation state. The ethnicity dilemma could and should have been solved at the beginning of its insurrection but unfortunately, the demands set forth by the various agitating groups have soared due to continued negligence from the government. On the other hand the Maoist insurgency has served an ideal benchmarking model for agitating groups to attain political limelight and power through the use of arms and violent politics. Continue reading →
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