Municipal Polls Or Mass Protests

The king has made it very clear as to what his roadmap is. In a way he is just like the Maoists. Classic Maoism is in the books.

If the democrats do not come up with a forward-looking political program, do not pick a formal leader, and do not forge a strong alliance with the Maoists, and hence fail to ignite the imagination of the masses, and you have a thousand people here, a thousand people there kind of tepid responses, as opposed to hundreds of thousands, and it is already April, and municipal polls are held, the parties will be under tremendous pressure to participate.

So what I say to them is, do your homework or participate in the polls.

Madhav Nepal, Commander Of The Movement
Alliance Of Steel

Who is the formal leader of the movement? Right now nobody formally. Why should the people come out into the streets? There is no program. The seven parties have not agreed on anything. Girija needs to let go of the House revival idea: it is an idiotic idea. I have always maintained that. That idiotic idea is preventing the movement from taking off. And if he does not let go, he needs to participate in the municipal polls. Or he could retire.

There has to be a formal leader. My vote goes to Madhav Nepal because he leads the largest party in the alliance. And there has to be a five point or a 10-point program. I have suggested one here: Alliance Of Steel.

It is so obvious to me the Bahuns in the Congress and the UML want to do just enough to maybe get back into power, but not enough to ignite the imagination of the masses. For me federalism is the litmus test. The seven party alliance needs to adopt federalism in its program for the movement. It has refused to do so thus far.

Either you come for federalism, or you publicly give your reasons as to why not. The same applies to the anti-corruption plank. My proposal is that all elected officials submit their family property statements on an annual basis that get put online. You can't just avoid the topic. You have to deal with it. Come for it, or give reasons why not. The issue is not going to go away.

There is no seven party consensus on if the movement is for a democratic republic or something else. There is no consensus on House revival. And this is a biggie, there has not been a political program offered on the big corruption issue. So why should the people show up in the streets in large numbers? They should look at Girija's pretty face and show up, is that the suggestion?

The seven party alliance needs to do its homework, and it needs to do it now. And if it refuses, as it has done so far, it should prepare to participate in the municipal polls to be conducted by an illegitimate regime.

Of course, I am against the idea of municipal polls. But the seven party alliance is really trying my patience. There is this basic refusal to do homework.

Feel the time pressure, folks, because there is.

I think the best option on the table right now is an all party government under Article 127 under the leadership of Madhav Nepal. And this has to be a political decision. The breakaway factions of the Congress, the RPP and the Sadbhavana will all have to be recognized. You can't right now go into the semantics of who the Election Commission recognizes and who it does not.

But even with that the ball is still in the king's court. The king is the one who can take the initiative or not. And if he does not, the seven party alliance has to do its homework and go for a decisive movement.

The good thing about the seven parties giving a hint they might take a look at the all-party government option is, if the king does not come along, he is exposed further, and the movement is further energized.

A Question For Mahara

In The News

• EU Troika arrives in Kathmandu NepalNews Tom Phillips, Director for South Asia and Afghanistan at the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, representing the Presidency of the EU ..... Herve Jouanjean, Deputy Director General of the European Commission, Nikolaus Scherk, Director of Asia and Oceana Department representing the incoming Austrian Presidency of the EU and Michael Swann who represents the EU's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy...... An EU Troika had visited Nepal in mid-December 2004 to acquire information on the state ongoing conflict in Nepal.
• RPP in favor of all-party government: Rana "RPP is even ready to amend the present constitution for resolving the problems related to indigenous people and other forms of discrimination but the political outlet could be find from the ambit of this constitution" ..... unlike other political parties RPP will hold mass meetings and other programs to pressurize all to accept RPP's stance that constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy are essential for the country.
• Tourist arrivals grow by 46.5pc in Sept Tourist arrivals grew by a record 46.5 percent in the month of September, which has been largely attributed to the unilateral ceasefire declared by the Maoists early that month and the stiff price cuts in airfare..... a total of 27,511 tourists visited the country during September as compared to 18,785 tourists during the same month in 2004.
• Elections don’t mean democracy: Prof. Mishra Prof. Mishra said the (proposed) elections would not have legitimacy if major political parties did not take part in it. .... challenged the constitutionality of the present Election Commission saying that it was appointed by the King not by the Judicial Council as per the constitutional provisions ..... at a time when royal nominees including regional and zonal administrators were manhandling government employees including chief district officer
• Parties to implement Mallik Commission's report .... Madhav Kumar Nepal has vowed to take action against those indicated by the Mallik Commission after the success of the ongoing agitation of the seven political parties which he said will defeat the autocratic monarchy..... to probe the excesses those in power during the movement had committed..... ruled out the possibility of talks with the King for the time being saying seven-party alliance did not even want to listen to words like dialogue or understanding....... Nepal said the alliance would bring over 500 thousand people out on the city streets after the national festivals are over......
  
• Maoists capture two tankers In a statement issued a few weeks ago, the Maoist-affiliated student body ANNFSU (Revolutionary) had announced that it would seize petroleum products during Dashain holidays and distribute them to local people.
• King plotting further autocratic steps: Nepal Kantipur Online, Nepal Nepal also challenged the king if he had the courage in the face of widespread public opinion to undertake a referendum.
• Maoists kill civilian in Rautahat: RNA Laxmi Yadav, a resident of Samanpur area was gunned down at a nearby school in the area, a statement issued by the army said. The Maoists also seriously injured Yadav's mother after attacking her by sharp weapons..... In a separate incident, Karidevi Mukhiya and her 14-year-old daughter Anju Kumari Mukhiya were injured in a bomb explosion in Badharmala area of Siraha district the same day ..... the Maoists captured four tankers carrying 12,000 liters of kerosene and 3, 000 liters of diesel in Chuha, Kailali district.
• No ceasefire as we never declared war: Govt spokesman
  
• 'Polls to be partyless, if major parties boycott' "The EC is trying to show its relevance, as the present commission was constituted directly by the king and not by the recommendation of a Constitutional Council." ..... Nepali Congress leader Arjun Narsingh KC, Yuva Raj Gyawali of CPN-UML, Dr Minendra Rijal of NC-D and Hridyesh Tripathi of Nepal Sadbhavana Party- (Anandi Devi) argued that the municipal elections were not possible without resolving the Maoist problem.
• Parties are engaged in talks with Maoists: Leaders
• Over 500 teachers, students abducted in Paanchthar
• Nepal calls on all to take to streets for democracy Kantipur Online, Nepal
  
• Nepal: UN Envoy Blames Govt, Maoists SouthAsia Network, Asia