Two Armies: What To Do

There are a few options. Please click on the image above to take a look.

The seven parties have not even begun discussing the questions.

1. Does Nepal need an army or is it better without one?
2. If it is to have one, what should be its size?
3. What should be its ethnic composition? Gender composition?
4. How do you redesign the hiring, firing and promotion processes to make the institution meritocratic?
   

Prachanda's Militia

He has been confusing me with this word militia. All armed Maoists are soldiers. He may not distinguish. All Maoist cadres have to be divided into two: those who do political work, do not carry arms, and those who are battle ready.

Otherwise if he intends to send half of his armed cadres for peace talks details, and retain the other half because they are "militia," then that is not acceptable.

By the time the peace talks conclude, there are not going to be any armed Maoist groups.

The least complicated option I think is to demobilize both the armies, and to reorganize the state police to make it inclusive and meritocratic in terms of gender and ethnicity.

The Law And Order Situation

After every major revolution, the law and order situation gets a little questionable for a little while. That is expected. But then the new government has to get back on its feet as soon as possible. And that is why it is very important for the eight parties to work hard on the peace talks. The transition should not feel like it is going on forever.

Maoist Activities In The Villages

It is for the seven parties to report to the world if the Maoists are doing their part or not. Have their old ways changed?

The government has to start feeding the Maoist army and get the Maoists to halt their taxation completely. Then there has to be no public display of their arms. And send all their armed folks to barracks.

On The Web

Militia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia A militia is a group of citizens organized to provide paramilitary service. .... a militia is distinct from a national regular army. .... In many cases the role, or even the existence of a militia, is controversial.

In The News

Probe commission summons three former ministers NepalNews has summoned no. two in the royal government, Dr. Tulsi Giri, former minister Badri Prasad Mandal and former assistant minister Nikshya Shumsher Rana. ...... At least 21 people were killed and nearly five thousand others were injured during the nationwide pro-democracy movement
Prachanda meets UML gen secy the meeting, which started at around 9:00 a.m., took place “at a place in Kathmandu”. Senior Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattrai was with Prachanda during the meeting....... Prachanda and Dr Bhattrai arrived in Kathmandu Saturday evening after a series of training programs to Maoist cadres in the far-western districts. They are expected to hold discussions with other leaders of the SPA.
RJP laments disputes within SPA Lack of preparations and failure to include all concerned sides as well as some grave procedural mistakes from the responsible parties have led to uncertainty, Thapa said.
Interim Constitution Drafting Committee to begin formal work from Monday Sunday’s meeting agreed to induct one woman member and another member in the committee by Sunday afternoon....... the committee will complete the work of preparing interim constitution within 15-days from the date of starting work...... Other people from Dalit and indigenous communities have also been organizing protests demanding their representation in the committee.......
Row among top officials over statement of NA Serchan .. said, “The army should not raise political issues. The government is there for raising political issues.” ...... Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula asserted that as the army is an organ of the state ...... Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mahantha Thakur, has alleged that the Nepali Army was trying to sabotage the peace process. ......
Judiciary must execute its work in accordance with the changing situation: CJ Poudel "Judiciary should also keep abide by the laws passed in the parliament." ..... Poudel said the government forms law and the court has to follow it.

Prachanda proposes merger of Maoist army with Nepal Army Hindu, India Prachanda has proposed merging the armies of the rebels and Government ahead of the Constituent Assembly elections .....
Rebels, Nepal regular army may be merged Gulf Times
'Rebels inclusion in govt, arms management to go side-by-side' Hindu Bloomfield said, “For the West to support an interim government constituting Maoists, the rebels must end extortion, recruitment and intimidation as well as demonstrate a credible will to give up arms forever.” ..... an environment for free and fair elections would not be created as long as Maoists continue to carry weapons. ..... not only to pursue the peace process but also tackle fundamental problems such as corruption, social injustice, the issues of gender and ethnic minorities to gain the support of the donors. .....
Nepal Meets Prachanda, Dr Bhattarai Himalayan Times, Nepal for about 45 minutes .....

An American writes his experience of having close encounter with ... United We Blog By Neil Horning I was busy arguing with the cab driver about which hotel I wasn’t going to ...... Last year I was afraid to say the word Prachanda among mixed company. Now his poster is on the wall in three places outside my guest house, walking down the street I saw lines of 10 of them....... some people have the same impulse toward the Prachanda posters. Half of them I see are defaced in one way or another........ people are more optimistic about the future. I have yet to hear someone end a conversational topic with “what can we do?” ........ There was no observable “climate of terror” in either the cities or the Maoist controlled areas when I was here a year ago. But it does seem like people are much more willing to talk about their political opinions now, and conversations don’t suddenly end when the wrong topic is mentioned....... the police, they have gone through a major shift. .. They used to swagger around like they owned everything. Now the swagger has turned into a shuffle, and they look around nervously while playing with their sticks........ The most enigmatic, secretive, infamous man in the country, and the cause of every other headline in the Nepalese press for the last decade was finally speaking directly to the public......... We talked from about 7:30 to 12:15. ...... It was just amazing to see all these militia arrive…they were all dressed in green jumpsuits. 2 were women and were not in jumpsuits. One had a baby she was carrying in a basket. I don’t know the relation of these women and I don’t know if I want to ask. They seemed to be a fairly light hearted bunch......... I found out later that the woman with the baby was the district commander’s wife. She was the most beautiful woman I have seen in the country........ Q: How many people do you have in this district? ..... We have 700 activists. 50% have guns and 50% are political. ...... Q: How much public support do you have in Myagdi. What percentage? ...... 95% of the land is Maoist. We can go wherever we want and the government cannot....... For the first time from now on we won’t kill civilians........ Amnesty international is just in the center. They don’t really know what’s going on....... Just for now this is a war to change the Nation. We are not expecting any take over. If they do invade we will fight with those countries. If we win, we will extend the war all over world.......... After winning this war with the gun we will need social change, so it will be a continuous political war.......... Most of the positive change in the government is directly or indirectly a result of the Maoists. ....... Women in the beginning were like slaves. Before, the boys could make any demand for dowry, but now it is small. Poor families don’t have to borrow money to get their daughter married anymore.... Before all the wealth of parents went to sons, but now wealth goes to daughters as well. It should be similar property for daughter and son......... There are equal numbers. It is fifty-fifty. Maybe even more women then men. Some are in politics. Some are in the militia, and some in army........ From the center there is a quota of 40% women in leadership....... 18 and over for both. 45 years is the max age....... We must win in a political way, but if we have to by fighting its not so far off. We hope to have Control soon....... listening to speeches given with a backpack microphone and sound system....... The Maoist party is very good. Their political image is very good. It is for poor people, not for rich people. I want to do well for Nepal....... the children just came to play with us. They are just playing with the militia. They are not afraid. If the army comes the children go away in their house....... People who work are poor, people who don’t, are rich....... 7 party is not good for public because 7 party said in the 8 years before, please give us Vote/election we develop here quickly but seven party don’t do any develop in the village. only they went to high level. They did corruption, money is there pocket. So all our public are cleaver now. They said we support Maoist. But rich man doesn’t support us because it is for poor people war. I hope that you go to America you say your neighbors Maoist is good for people….... I hope that in America poor people also voilence against the Bush. Because a lot of people are poor in America......... That last slogan seemed very familiar to me. It was like I was in grade school again, listening to tales of patriots fighting for the independence of the 13 colonies...... My last memory of Bijay is handing the Declaration of Independence to him....... as far back as a year ago, the Maoists planned to fight a “continuous political war.” It seems they have already laid the groundwork for villagers to distrust the SPA when the Constituent Assembly rolls around next year.........holds a BA in International Relations from San Francisco State University.
Understanding Nepalese Politics: Playing the Game of Peace Though the media had reported that the government will be requesting the UN for its assistance in decommissioning arms, the 8-point agreement has not thrown much light in the issue of arms management. ... Other leaders, representing the SPA, sat there devoid of any emotion or expression in their faces. Most of them were listless and simply disinterested. The very next day, the regular columnists and political analysts in the national media wrote hagiography of Prachanda; perhaps they were awed by his presence. The write-ups clearly showed that they were impressed with the ‘clarity of his thoughts’, ‘profound knowledge of the Nepalese politico-social condition’, and his ‘serious intent to end centuries-old inequalities and perforce social justice’.......... others within the Prime Minister’s party were not amiable to his view regarding the Ceremonial King and strongly favored democratic republic. They cited the party’s official policy, which had adopted neutrality (rather than positivity) on the issue of the King’s role in the future Nepal......... Krishna Pahadi and Mathura Shrestha) went overdrive to criticize the Prime Minister and warned of new ‘people’s movement’ if the King was given the ceremonial role........ federalism to correct all anomalies prevalent in Nepal; reservation to uplift marginalized sections of the society, etc....... New jargons – participatory democracy, federalism on basis of tribes and community, reservation, secularism – are quickly adopted and abused whether they convey any meaning or not........ continuous bickering within the constituent parties of the SPA..... For the most, ground realities had not changed at all ....... The first immediate change, of course, that most of them experienced is manifold multiplication of the Maoists activities with new found legitimacy - what was done by the Maoists discreetly earlier had come over the ground. The second change, which is positive, is the drastic reduction in the Army excesses and abuses......... The Maoists are busy in establishing their kangaroo courts to issue edicts in the name of social justice, extorting indiscriminately in the name of levying tax by the People’s government, ferrying hapless villagers to mass rallies and indoctrinating them forcefully in the name of political activity, display weaponry publicly in the name of providing security, interfering in the development works such as road building etc. And these actions are in direct violation with the various ‘historic’ declarations between the Maoists and the SPA........ Sensing state of confusion, they are continuing their activities unabated with a single purpose – to fill political vacuum either by coercion or by indoctrination..... the local level Maoists’ leaderships are running their own shows, contradicting finer points of the various declarations...... there is no one to question or check their activities – neither the Maoist leadership nor the local-level SPA leadership...... the Maoists are widely perceived to be in the driving seat and the SPA relegated to the background because of lack of sound homework.
No Farewell to Arms? Krishna Sitaula remarked that Maoists can not participate in interim government unless they allow UN body to monitor their arms. Krishna Bahadur Mahara said that they could not do so before the election of Constituent Assembly. ...... the peace process has become stagnant. The issue of management of Maoist’s arms has become the intriguing aspect of dialogue now. Given that their power lies in the barrel of the guns, Maoists unwillingness to withdraw arms until the CA election may result in yet another stalemate....... April’s mass protest was hailed as exemplary and extra-ordinary from around the world...... Nowhere in the world does a rebel force agree to participate in the government while their guerillas still carry guns....... Is a government with parallel armed force possible? ...... Prachanda.. invoked Lord Buddha in his first public rendezvous with media persons. But, he failed to realize that his cadres have not ceased gun-wielding, killings and exhortations..... government can consider feeding the Maoists in barracks ...... the sides to negotiation have agreed not to demonstrate arms in public...... When prodded whether action would be initiated against the King, Sitaula said, “We will take action against everyone based on the commission’s report.” ..... UN’s lengthy process of decisionmaking
Eight Point Something An 8-point agreement was declared that effectively placed a stamp of approval on 12 years of methodical murder, political cleansing and intolerance for anything that remotely resembles western-style, liberal democracy....... India’s political left is keen on leveraging the Nepali Maoists as an example that political power need not “flow from the barrel of a gun.” ....... Nepal’s Maoist insurgency is a potent exhibition of how the mobilization of frustrated civil society elements, ideologically imprisoned intellectual capital and like-minded global elements can yield a position of strength from which to dictate terms...... what transpired between the Maoists and the SPA reads more like the state’s admission of defeat than a process of substantive give and take. The level of sophistication and finesse with which the Maoists have forwarded their agenda finds no intellectual counter-weight from either the political class or civil society in Nepal ........ the Maoist strategy appears to be based on three tactical pillars: the ascendancy to power through key positions (ministry of education, local development, land reform and agriculture), the forwarding of peace as a Maoist initiative, and the dismantling of the only effective deterrent to their final victory – the state’s military apparatus........ some may interpret the Maoist maneuverings as continued and shameless exploitation of a fragile situation....... it is the Maoists who are best positioned to be in full swing campaign mode..... the Maoist leadership has shifted its focus to harnessing Nepal’s thirst for peace ....... As convoluted as this line of reasoning may be, it is on par with Pushpa Dahal’s (otherwise plausible) assertion that a country like Nepal does not need a standing army of 90,000, that both the state’s army and the Maoist army should be dissolved and that elections are possible under a security blanket provided jointly by the police and Maoist militia........ There’s a reason why the Maoists are intent on mobilizing their militia – it’s because there’s no distinction between the Maoist army and their militia; there’s a reason why the Maoists are so keen on involving the UN – especially when it’s abundantly clear who’s word carries real weight in Nepal’s politics. One can absorb the rationale the Maoists are applying because given the position they’re in, there’s no way to decipher truth from propaganda or reality from perception........ The only way to understand the Maoists’ intent with certainty is to ask them (and their representatives in Washington DC, Brussels and London), piercing questions in public. Questions, similar to those fielded by leaders in democratic societies the world over. The time to test the water is now. Not tomorrow, not after constituent assembly elections, but now....... It’s time for Nepal’s political masters (especially the Nepali Congress) to re-mobilize its global resource base, from New York to Washington, from London to New Delhi........ trading “apples” for “orange peels” just isn’t smart and pretending that “orange peels” is better than nothing at all, is plain and simple stupid......
Maoists and Main Stream Politics of Nepal Instead of joining the mainstream the Maoists intend to define the mainstream..... The 19 day strike and protest program defied all conventional expectations ....... Elections to a constituent assembly with the authority to draft a new constitution.... These elections have even been hailed by the U.S. state department as an acceptable way to bring the Maoists into the main stream........ In what has become my favorite Maoist quote, Prachanda said in a 1999 interview: “My main thrust is that I hate revisionism. I seriously hate revisionism. And I never compromise with revisionism. I fought and fought again with revisionism. And the party’s correct line is based on the process of fighting revisionism. I hate revisionism. I seriously hate revisionism.”......... it isn’t a compromise, and they aren’t joining the mainstream........ The constituent assembly has been the consistent minimum demand of the Maoists since they first agreed to talks in 2001......... A state, according to Max Weber is nothing but a monopoly on the legitimate use of force....... Calls for the Maoists to give up their arms in order to “join the mainstream” both from domestic sources and abroad are the height of disingenuousness......

Six soldiers court marshaled Kantipur Publications
Maoist leaders Prachanda, Dr Bhattarai in capital to discuss political issues
Police involved in abduction, OHCHR concerned
Compensation sought for property used by army
Maoists yet to return seized property
Regressive elements 'pushed aside' after 8-pt deal, says Nepal
Homework on rebel, Nepali Army arms management underway: Home Minister
Probe gives clean chit to Inspector Timilsina, finds Bharat Keshar guilty
Merger of two armies problematic: Gautam
Govt asks army to keep mum
राष्ट्रसंघ टोली आउने
गाउँका ढोका खुले
नागरिकता नहुँदा सहिद पत्नी समस्यामा
हात्ती उभ्याई चक्काजाम
महिला भेलाद्वारा चितवन घोषणापत्र पारित
समितिहरूमा एक तिहाइ महिला हुनुपर्ने
भरतकेशर दोषी, निरीक्षकको कारबाही फिर्ता
जनआन्दोलनका घाइते भन्छन् ँमन बढी दुखेको छ’
संविधानसभामा जान राजा बाधक’
प्रहरीको सहयोगमा यातना
दिगो शान्ति र बर्दिवाला
३३ प्रतिशतको झड्का प्रतिनिधिसभाले ३३ प्रतिशत महिलालाई राज्यसंरचनाको हरेक क्षेत्रमा सहभागी गराउने घोषणा गरेको साता दिन नबित्दै गठित अन्तरिम संविधान निर्माण समितिमा ठ्याम्मै समावेश गराइएन । प्रतिक्रियास्वरूप महिला आक्रोशित भए र आफ्नो प्रतिनिधित्व सुनिश्चित गर्न सडक संघर्षमा होमिए ।

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Rubbing The Maoist Nose In The Dust Is Not Smart

The Maoists are the ones who have taken the lead on the question of a constituent assembly. None of the big parties were for it for the longest time.

Why It Is Important To Me The Congress Takes Up A Federal Republic
Time For The Nepali Congress To Take A Stand On The Constituent Assembly Question

The Maoists have accepted multi-party democracy as a matter of principle.

They have brought the Dalit, Janajati issues to the forefront. (Janajati Angst)

A big chunk of their soldiers are women. I wish that were instead the case for a non-violent, political outfit. But it is still impressive.

Matrika Yadav has spoken more forcefully for citizenship papers for the six million Madhesis who have been deprived the same than anyone else. He is a Maoist. (June 17 Madhesi Gathering In New York City)

More than 75% of the deaths in the decade long civil war have been at behest of the Royal Nepal Army.

Human rights abuses have been perpetrated by both sides, but most of them have been perpetrated by the state army.

Not only on the democracy question, but also on the market question, the Maoists have come out for a mixed economy. They are not wanting to nationalize everything. A command economy is not what they have in mind.

And Prachanda is right about the army having been an unnecessary burden upon the people, financially and otherwise. It has primarily been used to sustain the staus quo by the autocratic power elites.

An army that is 90,000 strong is too big. 20,000 would be enough, Prachanda said. I would agree. I would go one step further to what Kul Chandra Gautam, in some ways the most accomplished Nepali on the planet, just said, that Nepal should think in terms of not having an army at all. Why waste money?

If we can disband the two armies, if the Maoists are for both multi-party democracy and a mixed, market economy, and if Prachanda were to win elections and become president, the country will simply have to prepare to accept that result. I am not sure that is where we are headed. As to who will become Nepal's first president is anyone's guess at this point in time. It might as well be some Congressi. It might be some UML person. We don't know. But it might as well be Prachanda.

It was wrong of the army to have come out with its press statement. The army is not an autonomous institution. If KP Oli is so concerned, he should have said it first, as Deputy Prime Minister and acting Defense Minister.

Oli is right in alleging the Maoist army of human rights abuses. But the Nepal Army has to take the bigger chunk of the blame.

And that is why the country needs a Truth And Reconciliation Commission. It is amazing how silent the eight party leaders have been on this vital question. We don't want the peace process to go down the drain of finger pointing.

Land Reform, Truth And Reconciliation

I have not heard of any of the seven party leaders speak in terms of seeing what Nepal's April Revolution means to the world.

Not So Fast, Indian Communists

Prachanda has also come out saying he is willing to integrate the two armies before the constituent assembly elections. That is a new stand, different from what was in the 12 point agreement. He is exhibiting flexibility. We have to respond likewise.

If the UML feels the need to compete with the Maoists, it should hope to do so at the ballot box. Hurry up the peace process and go face the people.

A New Scenario For The Maoists

Prachanda, on his part, has to realize non-violent politics is a whole different ball game. He will be holding mass meetings, press conferences. He will be giving out interviews. His cadres will not be obeying his orders, more like following his leadership. His political opponents will engage in posturing here and now. Not every unfriendly word he might hear is an alarm bell. The adjustment he has been attempting can not possibly be easy, but overall I think he has been doing a good job of it.

The Nepali people want peace and democracy. And he has to continue doing his best to give both to them.

In The News

No participation of Maoists in govt before arms management: Home Minister NepalNews preparations were underway to formally request the United Nations for its involvement in arms management ...... UN has expressed readiness to supervise the armies of the state and the Maoists and manage the arms ...... UN assistant secretary general and deputy executive director of the UNICEF, Kul Chandra Gautam, said it would take few months for the UN to make internal preparations before engaging in Nepal’s peace process.
DPM Oli defends NA statement; criticizes Maoists Prachanda had alleged the NA of doing nothing in its history other than killing Nepali people...... Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) KP Sharma Oli .... remark of Maoist chairman Prachanda about the NA was not balanced and unsystematic...... Oli also added that Maoists are not only involved in development activities but also involved in raping women.
Maoists in favour of revolutionary land reform but not against liberal economy the Maoists would not go for blanket nationalisation of big industries ..... hey have no problem with liberal economic policies while the main focus will be on revolutionary land reform and promotion of small industries........ We are not saying we don’t want multinational companies or to prevent them from investing here. ...... the revolutionary land reform would be focussed on Terai where most of the cultivable land is owned by Shahs and Ranas. He said the land would go to the tillers but the landlords will be allowed to keep up to 10 bighas of land for their upkeep, as “they are also Nepali citizens”........ “The national capital is squeezed because of the monopoly of foreign capital.”
8-point agreement improved form of 12-point agreement: Prachanda “India and the United States are trying to break the agreements.” ...... He also added that the people's liberation army and Nepalese Army could be united before elections to the constituent assembly after forming an interim government following the adoption of an interim constitution........ On budget management, he said, “We are accused of extorting cash. If we have to discontinue collecting donation, a budget should be allocated for us also.” ...... Dr. Babu Ram Bhattrai said that there were no inner conflicts in the party anymore.
Reconstruction, economic agendas should be top priority: Gautam “A characteristic of Nepal and South Asia in general – in contrast to Southeast Asia – is that we are so obsessed with politics, that the economic agenda is left as an afterthought,” Gautam said ....... neither the 12-point understanding nor the 25-point code of conduct, nor the 8-point statement, offer any specifics on improving the people’s livelihood ...... very soon the “exhilaration of political revolution will wear off and people will be looking for the fruits of peace and democracy in terms of improved livelihood and basic services”...... First, the insecurity caused by remnants of armed groups, proliferation of small arms and poorly managed disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process which leads to resurgence of conflict and criminality even after successful peace settlement and, second, insecurity caused by human deprivation and lack of basic services.......... the efforts of the international community in resolving Nepal’s conflict, which is entirely homegrown unlike in many other conflict-hit countries, has largely been ineffective. ....... at the height of the people’s movement the international community, including the Kathmandu-based diplomatic missions seriously misjudged the popular mood and people’s movement ....... (1) massive expansion of basic social services (2) disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (3) local development activities, through bloc grants (4) targeted programs for disparity reduction (5) upgrading of physical infrastructure, and (6) creating a conducive environment for investment by the private sector, NRNs and FDI (foreign direct investment)....... The number of armed forces, according to him, could be downsized and the Nepali Army (NA) and the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could also be demobilised for development activities and the military expenses that is saved could be channeled to the development sector......... “First, It would seem objectionable to have an ideologically indoctrinated contingent loyal to one political party becoming part of a national army. Second, at a time when we are trying to downsize the army, expanding it by adding contingents seems illogical.” .........

Arms management will take time : UN Assistant Secretary-General

Villagers Take On India's Maoists BBC Maoist fighters, who now operate in almost half of the country's 28 states.
New uncertainty in Nepal Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates giving way to confusion and doubts: doubts as to whether the politicians are going to fail the nation again. Such feelings are strengthened by the differences that have surfaced between the political alliance and the Maoists ..... Indications are that the system of monarchy will be abolished, and Nepal will be turned into a republic run by the people .....
The fuzzy logic of Maoist transformation in Nepal Open Democracy While a section of civil society could not be more pleased with the inroads made by the Maoists into the national sphere, the political party rank-and-file wants disarmament to proceed immediately so that they can return and revive politics in the districts. They also fear a chasm between what the Maoists leaders say from the national pulpit and their ability to deliver a transformed cadre at the ground level........ the Maoists staged a massive rally in Kathmandu on 2 June, and intensified their demand for the disbanding of a parliament that was undercutting their plank with its many progressive pronouncements......... ($218 million) for consolidating the interim government's budget and kick-starting development....... In a significant departure, New Delhi also indicated its willingness to allow United Nations experts to oversee the demobilisation process. ........ After a quarter-century underground, Dahal suddenly became "public" on the national stage for the first time, in a crowded and impromptu night-time press conference....... the Maoist need to arrive at a "safe landing" as quickly as possible, before there was a dissipation of their forces and energy......... Koirala, meanwhile, was not telling
Nepal Grapples With Issue of Rebel Disarmament Voice of America