The Movement Has Been Gathering Much Momentum

Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests

The streets have been warming. There is definite momentum. There is no stopping the movement now.

Baburam Bhattarai On The Maoists' Army

In a recent interview Dr. Baburam Bhattarai came across as unclear on the issue to me. So far I have taken him for his honesty on the possibilities of a Maoist-Democrat alliance. But his recent remarks are of concern. He is suggesting the RNA will be disbanded, and the PLA will take its place. I can imagine that to be the internal Maoist thinking. That is understandable.

But when it is time to finally sit down and talk, I see something like this happening.

RNA = 80,000 fighters
PLA = 10,000 fighters
Size of the unified army to be in 5 years = 30,000

So PLA gets to send 3,000 of its fighters into the unified state army. Not as separate battalions. There has to be total integration. And the army gets 5 years to lay off 53,000 of its fighters. It might be possible to seek foreign aid to facilitate a retraining of those individuals into the private sector of the economy. Likewise for the 7,000 Maoists in uniform who will not make it.

Something like that has to happen.

I request Dr. Bhattarai to think along these lines if he is serious about a Maoist-Democrat alliance.

The Maoist rank and file, armed and otherwise, if they are to draw state salaries, they should hope to do so as (1) elected officials, (2) school teachers, and (3) primary health care workers. Very few of them will stay in uniform.

On the other hand, if the Maoists are unflinching, the Democrats will have to opt to steal their political and social thunder. It is possible to herald a democracy, even a republic, without Maoist cooperation. That is not my first choice, but that is sure an option.

And my thinking is based on an extrapolation of what Dr. Bhattarai has already said. He has said he is for a Democratic Republic as a first choice, and a Constituent Assembly that might retain a ceremonial monarchy as a second, final, minimal choice. Once that happens, the Maoists will engage in a peaceful transformation of the state to ultimately achieve a commuist utopia which might take a hundred, or a thousand years. Which means, post-peace, the Maoists do not have any political use for an army of any kind.

What I am saying is not that different from what they are saying, are on record saying.

In The News

• Moriarty: Nepal Desperate For Reconciliation Spotlight ..... there is a national security waiver where if the Secretary of State feels that she is worried that the development in Nepal represented threat to the national security of the United States , she can waive the requirement and go ahead with the security assistance...... We are absolutely afraid something might happen to this country that will allow the Maoists to take over. Obviously, we don’t want that to happen..... Maoists are still extorting, killing people and committing all crimes in the country...... There is nothing to be said against trying to figure out whether the Maoists are ready to renounce violence. People have to be very careful and not pretend that the Maoists have changed....... I have been misquoted and I have been accused of saying that the parties have to come crawling on their bellies to the government. I am not saying that at all. What I have been saying is that the government has to reach out and the palace has to reach out to the parties. If palace does so, the parties need to respond....... we look upon our relations with Nepal through our own eyes or our own perspective and our own interest..... there was discussion between President Bush and Indian prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh (recently) in the Oval Office about the status and affairs of Nepal ....... the Maoist insurgency has grown into the most serious threat even as outside powers have tried to figure out how to respond to the move of February 1...... Without any reservation, Beijing does not want to see any chaos in Nepal and Beijing does not want to see the so-called Maoist regime trying to export its revolution towards its neighbors. I see nothing but desires on the part of China to play helpful role here. I don’t see any intention on the part of Beijing to try to use this uncertainty and confusion...... the worst enemies of freedom of Nepal as far as I can see are the Maoists. Their actions say so and their words say so. Their formula for the future is horrific as their actions now...... I don’t think any such meeting between President George Bush and King Gyanendra will take place (on the sidelines of UN summit).
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