Monday, September 12, 2005

Could The King Impose Another Emergency?


Short answer: No.

There were rumors yesterday to the effect he is waiting for the UN jamboree to get over, and then he is going to ban the political parties, arrest a few hundred leaders, and totally clamp down.

Yo hallai halla ko desh ho.

First, the timing will make no sense. In this day and age of global communication, it does not really matter that the heads of state are no longer convening in New York, that they have already gone home. 10 days from now is not a better time. And the global reaction now is going to be much more fierce than it was after 2/1. The Maoists have declared a ceasefire. You respond to that by declaring an emergency? Would make no sense.

Second, for the king to go that route would be akin to inviting a political depression for himself. He ends up in a bigger ditch. The global reaction after 2/1 will look like a picnic should he impose another emergency. On ther other hand, what he is sticking to is his three year mantra. That he has shown no signs of abandoning. Rumors of an impending emergency are not news, his obstinacy is.

What is hurting the democrats is an utter refusal to do political homework. Leaders find it easier to show up at public functions and wax eloquent than to actually hold political dialogue, to work towards a platform that might ignite the people's imagination and to downright organize.

The king does not have to impose an emergency. He just has to keep refusing to give in. That is and will be bad enough. And that is his obvious gameplan. It is called inertia.

So, no, it is not a possible emergency. It is municipal polls.

Sharad Chandra Shaha

I just called him up at his hotel and left a voice mail. It would not hurt to meet and talk. Though I am not sure how much leeway he has, with the king totally focusing on his three year mantra and the municipal polls. But I would still be interested in meeting Shaha, just to get a feel for the guy. And to open up a channel of communication. Or maybe he is not interested. Paramendra who?

Charlie Szrom

I got an email from Charlie. The thing about this possibility is not the amount of money that might get raised. It is more that it will get raised all over the country. And these students who donate will be in a position to call up their Senators and other elected representatives, should the occasion arise.

Prachanda Baburam Two Line Struggle

Baburam is not about to get arrested again, but I read Prachanda's interview yesterday and the impression I got was there is a two line struggle going on between them. For Baburam Prakash Karat is a hero. For Prachanda that might not be the case. One most important reason to engage the Maoists in peace talks might be to wedge into that rift. I think Prachanda feels intellectually inferior to Baburam, but Prachanda has better organizational skills. So he keeps putting out position papers to present himself as an ideological rival to Baburam. Otherwise some of the things Prachanda says in the interview make little sense.

"The democratic republic, which we are saying, is the transitional republic that can address the problems related to class, nationality, region and sex in today’s Nepal. Transitional means, it is a republic in between new democratic republic and parliamentary republic with Nepalese specificity."

What is this supposed to mean? That is why it is important for the seven parties to engage the Maoists in talking about what the next constitution might look like.

The King's Visits

Obviously he is no longer just a mayor of Kathmandu. The guy apparently has been doing his homework. His visits to various parts of the country send a message.

On the other hand, when he visits, he is mostly surrounded by his sycophants. How much reality does he get to see?

But still, just being able to go to some of the districts that have been considered Maoist fortresses gets him scoring a few points.

The Masses

So far the masses have not showed up in large numbers for the protests. I think it is for the lack of a forward looking political program. But the momentum is there. The resources are few. It will take some time.

Monarchists And Indophobia

Prachanda declares a ceasefire and the first reaction of the Monarchists is to spread false rumors about Prachanda being an Indian stooge. That right there might be my number one gripe with the Monarchists.

Dictator Mahendra banned Hindi. He tried his best to dilute the Madhesi population in the Terai.

Maoist Military Strength: Diminished?

Let's for a moment believe the monarchist propaganda. If it is true, that is good news. There is more room to forge a political alliance with the Maoists.

Do I believe they are less strong now? I don't know. The RNA is a traditional army. The PLA is a guerrilla army. The PLA fights a war of asymmetry. The RNA yardsticks might not be accurate.

Municipal Polls

If the king can make it safe for the people to vote, and the muncipal polls are announced, that would really put the parties in a bind.

On the other hand, that step would also be like inviting the Maoists to do something "spectacular" to disrupt the polls. What a disaster that would be.

Third option: the Maoists and the Democrats make the best use of the three months, and forge an Alliance Of Steel. That could pre-empt the polls.
In The News
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Interview With Comrade Prachanda

Published in www.krishnasenonline.org, September 08,2005.

Interview With Comrade Prachanda

Comrade Chairman, why did you declare unilateral cease-fire all of a sudden?

To create environment in both the national and international level for a forward-looking political way out, to inspire the seven political parties to come in cooperation by clarifying their immediate slogan, to reinforce the movement of civil society, to increase political intervention upon the old state and to consolidate party’s relation with the broad masses by honouring their sentiment and aspiration etc. are the main motivating reasons behind the declaration of cease-fire.

The royal state has its own military. How will the ceasefire declared without its agreement succeed?

In our opinion, the development of the events of 3/4 days has justified the correctness of political intervention against the old state, the purpose with which the ceasefire was declared. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the important aspect of the psychological war against the royal army underlies in this ceasefire. To prove that the royal army is not in support of peace and way out from a new height is not less significant.

Royal state is speaking the language of repression. Does not this ceasefire become counter-productive in the situation when the parliamentarian seven political parties have not been able to come unitedly with a concrete program?

In my opinion, no question of it being counter-productive arises for its correctness lies in exposing worldwide the fascist character of the royal state and inspiring to change the vacillating and unclear character of parliamentarian seven political parties. Concretely speaking, the ceasefire has already played that role within 3/4 days.

Now, some rumour is spreading out that the ceasefire can be a respite for the royal state in the situation when the party is now acquiring military successes!

The political intervention that has been made by stepping at the footing of military success has never become a respite to the old state. None, who has seriously observed and understood the historical reality that the key of the development of Nepalese people’s war lies with the appropriate coordination of political and military intervention, can have such kind of talk. It is also necessary here to pay attention to the strategy of active defence, offend when attacked, of People’s Liberation Army.

What would you do if the royal government also by declaring ceasefire calls on you for a dialogue? Is it that you won’t have a dialogue in any case with the government?

Right now, we are not seeing any possibility and justification of dialogue with the royal government. If it makes such declaration and put forward clearly that it is ready to provide opportunity for the people to decide their fate then there can be dialogue in agreement of political parties and civil society. We are never absolute to talk with the aim of providing total right to the people.

There was an outside propaganda that an especial agenda on Nepal would be tabled in the general assembly of the United Nations and Gyanendra would participate in that. Is not this ceasefire declared aiming at influencing the forthcoming convention of the United Nations?

Definitely, there lies an objective of clarifying doubts remaining within different sections in the world on our party politics and exposing the old feudal power. But, it was not declared with the prime objective of influencing the forthcoming convention of the United Nations.

You have said in your statement that all from the UNO to the main neighbour and entire international community are showing concern on the present situation in Nepal from their own angle and are presenting their own kind of solution to the problem. Would you please clarify it further?

I think, the international concern, move and anxiety that is being shown on the present Nepalese civil war is known to and endured by all. Also it is not hidden that some of the power-centres are working with the strategy of isolating our movement by creating an alliance between king and the parliamentarian parties, some of them are working with the strategy of making the king agree with constitutional monarchy by creating a pressure of cooperation to a certain limit between our party and the parliamentarian parties, where as some of them are in favour of a real democracy and peace in Nepal. In this very context, it has been clarified in the statement that none can deny some of the elements are not trying to gain from by declaring Nepal a failed State. The essence of the aforesaid saying in the statement is to make the Nepalese people further clear by clarifying the reality that all of the international communities have no unified standpoint.

A short time before, India was very much offensive towards you and the previous CC meeting had raised the danger of Indian expansionism. Now, how has been the role of India?

Following the step of February 1, 2005, the fact is open that the discord and contradiction to a certain extent between the king of Nepal and the Indian ruling class has increased. In spite of class unity, today’s necessity is to try to use the contradiction emerged between them in favour of the democratic aspiration of the Nepalese people.

Comrade Chairman, the propaganda like, you declared ceasefire after meeting the foreign minister of India and according to India’s suggestion, is coming from the media of royal government. What is truth, would you clarify?

Nothing can be proved from such propaganda excepting that our declaration of ceasefire caused the brain of royal ringleaders to disfigure. The misinformation of the national betrayers that are killing the best sons and daughters, who love the national integrity and sovereignty of the country more than they do for their life, is nothing other than the excuse to hide their defeat. The fact that who is sensitive and responsible and who is criminal towards the interest of Nepal and Nepalese people is clear as daylight. The feudal palace’s move that the patriotic Nepalese people can be confused by planned misinformation has been too old. Nepalese people have been able to identify their real friend and foe. I challenge the lackeys of the feudal palace to prove that I met with any of the authorities of the Indian government and the ceasefire was declared according to their plan. This kind of misinformation can never save the feudal elements standing in the palisade to get thrown into the garbage can.

Will this ceasefire lead to a concrete result in the situation when, though objectively necessary, the dialogue and cooperation between the Maoist and seven political parties has not yet taken a concrete shape?

The decision the seven political parties took on the next day of our declaration clarifies the fact that our declaration of ceasefire has motivated them to go forward to the direction of taking concrete decision. But, because of vacillating, unclear and collaborationist stance of some of the leaders of the seven political parties, how resolutely they should have taken initiative and decision has not been observed. Nevertheless, we are optimistic that they will come forward with the passing of time.

Comrade Chairman, had this ceasefire been declared by having discussion with seven parliamentarian parties? Was this ceasefire declared to resolve the complexity arisen between the forces waging armed struggle and the peaceful movement?

The present decision of ceasefire has been taken based on our party’s political analysis not by having discussion with anyone else. It is not also true that this declaration has been done to resolve the complexity between peaceful and armed struggle. What is true has been said before.

Can the political movement against the feudal autocracy reach to its climax now? How much optimistic you are towards the possibility of a forward-looking political way out in the near future?

Nepal, in her political history, is in a serious turning point. In the immediate sense, the country can have a forward move only through people’s victory against the feudal power. We, on our behalf, are making efforts to make the people’s movement victorious by utilizing both the tactics of firmness and flexibility maximally as necessitates. The feudal autocratic monarchy has been in political isolation and confined within people’s encirclement from all sides. In this turning point of the history, it is necessary for all of us to push on. What is necessary here is to make ineffective the strategy of some of the international power centres and mainly the United States of America, which does not want this political way out to take place under the leadership of a revolutionary party, is another point to pay attention to.

All have raised the question of democracy. In fact, what kind of democratic republic you mean?

The democratic republic, which we are saying, is the transitional republic that can address the problems related to class, nationality, region and sex in today’s Nepal. Transitional means, it is a republic in between new democratic republic and parliamentary republic with Nepalese specificity.

What is Party’s opinion on the new decisions of the N.C. and UML?

Objectively our party has taken the NC’s decision to remove constitutional monarchy from their party constitution and go ahead for constituent assembly and the UML’s decision that they could go up to democratic republic through constituent assembly as positive and advanced ones, whatever be the reasons subjectively.

How are you looking at the role the civil society is playing now?

In the political movement in Nepal, the civil society has been playing a very important role since the period of anti Panchayat movement. The political clarity and mass mobilisation that is taking place under the initiative of intellectual personalities, including Devendra Raj Pandey, the civil society has become an imitable inspiration for the political parties. In this sense, we have high regard to the role of civil society.

For a party in war, the military success becomes a pressure against the enemy. Now, is not there any possibility of the Party being cornered because of the ceasefire? How much is there the possibility of conspiracy from different internal and external power-centres?

We must never understand the political and military intervention in an absolute sense. If military support for every political intervention and political correctness of every military success could not be justified the movement can fall prey to the conspiracies of national and foreign reactionary powers. We must never forget this salient particularity of Nepalese people’s war of ten years. Enemy’s business is always to conspire. The coordination of military and political intervention is unavoidable to make such kinds of conspiracies ineffective. In this sense, the present declaration of ceasefire is pushing the reactionaries into corner not us.

How possible you see to make the parliamentarian party confront against you by the palace fulfilling their demand of parliament?

Although the palace can move that pawn of conspiracy but right now it has not been imminent. Therefore, we have been appealing the parliamentarian parties to come forward directly to the interim government and constituent assembly for their slogan of reinstatement of parliament has already been outdated and turned to be a weapon for the palace to play.

What is the situation of inner-struggle within the party? Has it gone to the direction of resolution?

The problem of unhealthy inner-struggle has already been resolved. Healthy inner-struggle is the party life so it continues uninterruptedly.

A joint statement of Ganapathy, the general secretary of CPI (Maoist), and yours has come out. How will the communist movement in the region and the world go ahead?

Ideologically, we are confident on the fact that a new wave of revolution in South Asia and the world is coming up. Our joint statement with comrade Ganapathy is the expression of that identical ideological conviction.

In The News

  • Let’s visualize Nepal without king: Nepal Kantipur .... Speaking at a program in Tulsipur of Dang district in the Mid-western region yesterday Nepal further said, “The restoration of Citizens’ rights is possible only through constituent assembly elections. Therefore, let’s imagine Nepal without a king.” ...... the ongoing political agitation launched by the seven-party alliance was aimed at ending the two-and-a-half year old royal arrogance.
  • Prohibitory orders for civil society
  • Circle of monarchists narrowing down: Thapa .... Surya Bahadur Thapa Sunday said that circle of constitutional monarchists is narrowing down due to the government’s wrong policy adopted to eliminate the entity of the political parties ....... “Our party has concluded that the country is being polarized towards extremism, so we will present ourselves as offensive but medium progressive force in this situation” ....... his party did not agree with the decisions taken by the bigger parties such as Nepali Congress and CPN-UML in the recent days....... also expressed profound concern over the government’s repressive stance taken towards the press
  • Seven Maoists arrested in Dang .... A security forces patrol arrested seven Maoists while they were holding a programme at Tulsipur Municipality Ward No. 6 Motipur, in Dang district ..... “area member” Meghraj Pandey, Maoist-aligned Tharuwan Mukti Morcha "central member" Ram Bahadur Dahit, “area secretary” Gandharam Chaudhari, “district members” Bhim Chaudhari, Bishnu Sharma, Sundarlal Chaudhari, and Khum Bahadur Rana, the RNA No. 19 Brigade Tulsipur informed. .....
  • Agitation On The Rise INSN
  • Internally Displaced Population Syndrome In Nepal INSN The Government of Nepal’s atrocious treatment of members of the Maoist Victims Association, who protested for recognition as “internal refugees” status in May 2005, raises some legitimate questions about the Government’s commitment to Internally Displaced Population (IDP) protection. Its ruthless actions make clear that the IDP problem is not a main concern for them..... between 100,000 and 200,000, and the number of Nepalese who have been forced to flee to India could be as high as 500,000 ..... approximately 80 percent of all displaced populations are generally women and children under age 18...... number of internally displaced children in Nepal may be as high as 100,000 to 120,000....... even after more than the nice years of conflict, the UN and international community still tend to approach their activities in Nepal from a development perspective only, resulting in little or no focus on the displaced population....... refugeesinternational.org .....

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