Where would Maoists Lead Nepal?

Author: Prakash Bom

As per the rule that Maoists agreed upon, Nepal has elected Constituent
Assembly that made fundamental decisions such as abolition of monarchy,
declaration of federal republic, drafting of a new constitution, and
restructuring of federal states. But, Maoists declaring autonomous federal
states prior to the statute has overruled the political coherence.

Yet, Maoists claim that their program does not conflict with the interim
constitution rather it reinforces peace process and revitalizes people´s
movement. But the program is not acceptable to the rest of the political
parties of the nation at this point. However, Maoists´ attempt to lead the
nation on their own clearly meant to bypass democratic processes.

It has been obvious to the international community that the main democratic
political parties are devoting their energies to power-sharing hurdle rather
than central issues of peace process and drafting a new constitution. The
hurdle has even created leadership fractions within major political party
organizations such as UML "rightwing" domination.

Basically, Maoists´ recent moves have been accelerated by the ruling
governments´ failure to find way to address Maoists´ recent stand. As a
result, the nation has been completely divided between two political forces
that one supports the status quo of Nepal Army with apathy for changes and
other wants to grab the military to systematically takeover the nation for
greater communism in the name of people supremacy.

This has to be absolutely clear to the democratic political parties that
Nepal is not only a poorest nation of the world but it has also long been
remained backward with its feudal ways of social life, traditions, laws,
regulations and culture of impunity. If the government is not transformed
with its military, security, judiciary and administrative systems to address
these issues there is no way for Nepal to have peace and Democracy.

It is obvious that due to the lack of willingness and fear to change old
ways of politics main democratic political parties could not find the way to
address current political crisis. As a result, Constituent Assembly is
becoming limbo with stalled peace process, which is crucial to drafting a
new constitution.

For example, the current military system that needs Prime Minister´s order
to arrest its army major upon civilian court order against human rights
violation in regard to famous Maina Sunuwar´s case, proves how willful is
the old system. Yet, Nepal Army has refused to hand over the offender to
civilian court for justice.

Nepal Army´s refusal, for example, stands against "Nepal Army Act" itself,
which provides arbitration of murder cases involving civilians under the
jurisdiction of civilian court. Besides, the interim constitution has
adopted independent judiciary.

As long as 22-party coalition government favors Nepal Army to put off
alleged military personnel from civilian court order against human rights
violation there will neither be justice nor peace in the nation. This is the
chance for democratic parties to break through the culture of impunity – put
an end to it by having Nepal Army to produce alleged army personnel to
civilian court.

If democratic parties could take this chance with their moral responsibility
the change that they implement can prevent so many culprits escape the
justice from both ails of twelve years of Maoist insurgency. Perhaps nation
can earn international respect and initiate the first act of rule of law.

In addition, this can reinvigorate law enforcement to bring those alleged
cadres of political parties who have committed crime against innocent
people, journalists, human rights activists and so on along the party-line
politics such as YCL or UML or NC cadres or government security personnel.

It is the question of 22-coalition party leaders´ mindset to act upon the
fact that the rule of law cannot be breached by the alleged crime of the
military personnel or the government official or the cabinet member or the
elected representative or the party leader.

Their failure to act will be the collapses of democratic process in Nepal,
which will give ample of opportunities to Maoists to reinforce their
programs such as declaration of autonomous federal states and confiscations
of land of landlords to distribute to the landless farmers.

In that case, people would know where Maoists will lead Nepal and
international community obviously will fail to support peace process and
Democracy. It is for sure the rise of Maoists under their progressive
hegemony – totalitarian communist agenda, there will be no peace in Nepal.
Such a lead is the permanent seed for civil war.

In the end, the 22-democratic political party coalition government will be
blamed for their lack of act to change Nepal from its backward feudal ways
of social life, traditions, laws, regulations and culture of impunity.
Despite their loud-mouth for Democracy their mindset will be considered not
better than of those who recently sacrificed million of animals at
"Gandha-mai" temple in Rautad open air against animal right to be killed in
a decent ways under proper sanitation for human health.