Democracy For Nepal: A Federal Republic Electoral Alliance Against The Maoists Needed

Sunday, March 11, 2007

A Federal Republic Electoral Alliance Against The Maoists Needed

Enough appeasing, enough handholding, enough of running scared. The peace process owed the Maoists a constituent assembly. The Maoists owed good behavior to the peace process. The Maoists have consistently failed to deliver. They have not made effort to instill democratic culture in their ranks. They still seem to want a one party state.

There is an urgent need to form an electoral alliance for a federal republic minus the Maoists. The Maoists can not be allowed to emerge the majority or the largest party in the constituent assembly, period.

Any non-Maoist party that would agree to the agenda of a federal republic would be welcome, and each such party will have to put forth a clear map for federalism. There might be a few different maps, and that is okay.

The Maoists have given too much room for suspicion. And we can not take any chances.

The federal republic has to be a federal democratic republic.

The very idea of the peace process was to transform the Maoists from being a parallel state to becoming a political party. That transformation has not yet happened. The Maoist militia are like a parallel police force. That is not a sign of cooperation between the Maoists and the seven party alliance. That is a blatant Maoist disrespect to the peace process. That ensures that the cloud of Maoist fear hangs over the country. The seven party cadres at the grassroots level feel the fear. But the seven party leaders would like us to believe they are busy shaping up a peace process. This is no peace process. This is appeasement.

Either the Maoists behave or they don't, and so far they have not behaved. Giving them more time does not change anything if they have decided to misbehave. Either there is an internal decision to that effect, or they have continued with their one party culture from before the launch of the peace process.

After the king's coup I vouched early, strong and consistent with the need for an eight party alliance. A constituent assembly was the only meeting ground for such an alliance. That materialized.

But it is wrong to think an electoral alliance against the Maoists will cost us the peace process. And if it does, there was no peace in the first place. We do not owe the Maoists an electoral victory. And it is in the nature of a multi-party framework that one party can compete against another, one alliance can compete against another alliance or party.

Right now if elections were to be held, it would not be free and fair. The Maoists stand like a menace across the country. The Maoist militia "help" with the traffic in the cities, they "help" with law enforcement. That is a scary scenario that has to end before elections can take place.

The Maoists may have a youth league, but not a parallel police force. And if they have a parallel police force, they have not yet become a political party. And if they have not become a political party, what is the point in holding elections? They are going to rig it anyway.

If the Maoists do become a political party, and free and fair elections are held, and even if every political party competes against every other, I doubt the Maoists will become the majority or the largest party. It will be a fractured assembly where no party has a majority. And even if the Maoists are the largest but a minority party, there will be room to form an anti-Maoist alliance post-election. But will such an alliance materialize? I doubt it. The Maoists have been doing such a good job of forging an "alliance" with the Nepali Congress to sideline the UML that the relationship between the UML and the Congress will be too damaged by then. And the largest party tends to have this gravity to it. Others will feel the need to flock to it.

The lesson is the anti-Maoist alliance has to be formed before the elections, not after.

If the Maoists had become just another political party, I would not mind their becoming the largest or the majority party, but the thing is that they have not become a political party. Political parties don't run the traffic. Political parties don't carry out law enforcement work.

And we have only a few months to the elections.

Maybe Kamal Thapa's party will contest the elections vouching for a ceremonial monarchy, but I doubt anyone else will, I doubt the RPP or the RJP will, and so they are potential members of the federal republic electoral alliance as well. The alliance has to be issue based.

Federalism. Republic. Democracy. That would be the common minimum program. Other than that the parties would happily disagree. But each would be required to put forth a specific map for federalism. But of course it is okay to have a few different maps.

There will be seats where members of the electoral alliance would not compete against each other, but then again there would be seats where they would compete, depends on how it works out.

This is the best, clear signal the democrats could send to the Maoists to tell them it is not okay for them to misbehave. This will be more powerful than any possible military maneuvre. And this move would be perfectly legitimate. The Maoists will not have the option to cry foul.

This alliance will also pave way for the formation of a meaningful Truth And Reconciliation Commission. This alliance will also work towards meaningful security sector reform.

There is a clear politial solution to the lingering Maoist menace. This alliance is it. Its formation will do the trick.

Just a thought. But even this begins with the Home Minister's resignation.

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