Silent Moderation
And
Violent Extremism
As the saying goes extremism breeds extremism, numerous new extremist groups are now competing with each other. Silent moderation will have to see extremism tendency in Nepalese politics for a long time to come
By KESHAB POUDEL
* “In Loktantra, every one has the right to express their desires and expectations but they must follow the peaceful means,” said prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala in his first national address. “We can find every solution through the peaceful means,” said Koirala, who became prime minister following 19 days long Janandolan II in April 2006.
* “Though the demands of Madhesi community are genuine, royalists and Hindu fundamentalists are behind the present rampage and destruction in Terai,” said Maoist leader Prachanda in his recent press conference. “If violence and destruction continues, the government has to mobilize army and Maoist militia to quell it,” said Prachanda, who led agitation for 12 years which killed more than 13,000 people and destroyed enormous infrastructures.
* “If Seven Parties Alliance and Maoists justified all destruction and devastation to achieve their goals, they don’t have moral authority to advise Madhesia people what they need to do when people reacted against the suppression of brutal police force,” said Upendra Yadav leader of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum in a press conference organized by Everest Press Club. Yadav, who was associated with the Maoists in the past, is now leading Madhesi andolan.
Whether a person has democratic, communist or communal commitment, all are competing with each other in senseless and suicidal extremism. Maoists have not only reached to their ideological goal of absolute power but they established a convention of violent means to gain political concessions. All political parties in Seven Party Alliance - which entered into the politics of parliamentary elections with experience of three subsequent parliaments - too have nothing left for that competitive democratic process other than harp the slogan for extremism.
As end is the power, anything is justified to the leaders of all those parties to achieve their goal. Violence of Maoists has been amply rewarded by two major political parties sharing equal power with it in interim parliament.
When power sharing arrangements were made through the violent and destruction and not through the electoral process, recent agitation in terai is also a continuation in the process of extremist politics.
Derailment of Parliamentary Procedure
Though there were failing and foul plays even in parliamentary period, it had its in built process of correction in parliamentary polity. When violence was rewarded with power, nobody will have the patience to go through the long process of competitive politics. Although the extremism was there in the past in Nepalese politics, the parliamentary system somehow had sidelined it during its twelve years long experiments. Even Maoists could not challenge it as long as parliament functioned properly.
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Political leaders: Tilting towards extremism |
“The most unfortunate turn of events took place after the surprise dismissal of Deuba government and postponement of general elections on October 4, 2002.That was a very serious step as short sightedness and miscalculation by the King against parliamentary democracy was counterproductive to the respectability and the position of monarchy,” said a political analyst. “Soon after that step, the King was surrounded by persons of doubtful backgrounds which made him much ambitious and over confident of his steps. That extremist experiment was not at all expected under the constitution of that time and subsequent events made the King almost a total loser.”
As soon as the King dismissed elected prime minister, a new phase of an extremist experiment of one nature began. Forces with enough of democratic commitments with a promise to revive the constitutional process, too, were not free from undesirable alliances external as well as internal to promote another brand of extremism.
“As long as there was no strong backing from an invisible center, the agitation led by seven party alliances had very little influence upon the people and their mobilization. A compromise was made with Maoists in a series of meeting in New Delhi which involved them in the agitation with seven parties without relinquishing violence and arms. In fact the agitation had a powerful backing of armed persons who were declared terrorists by the same parties when they were in the government,” said the analyst.
It was such a strange alliance which had many secrets yet to be revealed to the people. In recent book on prime minister G.P. Koirala, he had confided to his interviewer Sital Koirala that his first meeting with Prachanda was held on May 5, 2001 .
“If that date is correctly mentioned, that was 25 days before the Royal Palace massacre when Koirala was himself the prime minister. The interviewer did not mention whether then prime minister Koirala discussed with late King Birendra or not but that was a beginning of a new crisis in Nepal which has not yet come to an end,” said the analyst.
Compared to invisible forces active around the country, Nepalese politicians, from King Gyanendra to politician like Girija Prasad Koirala with six decade long political experience, all have appeared as too much of simpletons and ignorant of the machinations and manipulations.
“King Gyanendra had a major contribution for this tragic development but other major political parties have no less contribution in the development of present situation.”
Revived Parliament
Had the revived parliament worked under the spirit of constitution, the present crisis would have been averted. After the revival of parliament in April 24, 2006 , there was abrupt declaration from the parliament by which the constitution of 1990 was subordinated to that. All the state power of the King was removed and the parliament established a practice of almost a government of decree like that of any military take over.
“All the previous norm and practices of constitutionalism and the rule of law were flagrantly discarded. People were not sure about their rights. This alliance in the government ultimately promulgated interim constitution. It was produced in the parliament but no amendment was allowed,” said the analyst. “The members of the dissolved parliament were permitted simply to raise their hands in its support. Even a substantial minority of a few political parties like RPP were forced to support the interim constitution.”
Terai’s Upsurge
After the promulgation of new interim constitution, common people had a great hope that this new change would restore peace and stability very soon as they need it very much. But others’ needs are more in priority than that of the country.
Little more than 24 hours after the promulgation of constitution on January 15, another violent agitation mysteriously erupted in Southern parts of the Nepal . In the name of Madhesis, three major groups have appeared in the leadership till now. The nickname of the prominent leader of the group is Jwala Singh (Volcano). In fact, this denotes the mystery and suddenness of eruption of violence in almost half the southern part of Nepal adjoining India .
Having a porous border, it is easy for any force to manipulate such kind of agitation but it is difficult to control. “Some of the political leaders including Maoists who were operating from that territory till last few months have now started accusing the neighbor in a vague but in meaningful terms,” said the analyst.
Even CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal sees the royalists and Hindu Fundamentalists from across the border behind the riot in terai. “The demands of Madhesis are genuine but Royalist regressive forces and some foreign elements are behind the present violent agitation in terai,” said CPN-UML leader Nepal .
It was Maoists in the past who found a safe sanctuary for violent activities in Nepal . As they are in the power now, others have replaced them doing the same. How long and far this game of violent extremism will continue in the country is difficult to predict.
“Politics of ideological commitments and higher ideals have been lost somewhere in this prolonged instability which has made the violent extremism as the rule of the game. It is not only the upholders of communist ideology who preach and practice violence and extremism. In fact there rarely appears any moderate and peaceful person to be effective alternative,” said the analyst. “If an octogenarian fighter for pluralist democracy does not hesitate to accept the leadership of self-nominated oligarchy in power who are free from the accountability to any constituency of the people, what one can expect from communists of varied brands.”
Hope for Moderation
But the population is not fully politicized and involved into the active polity. Even the urban centered and enlightened people who have their own opinion in the public matters have been sidelined by the situation of an organized threat of extremism.
“Anything uttered in moderation is denounced as a voice of reactionary or revivalist force implicating that as a conservative view. There is mass hysteria generated in the society in such a way that for prestige and social status, too, one has to use changed vocabularies such as Loktantra for Prajatantra (in English both means Democracy). Even prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who has 60 years long political background and emotional attachment with the word Prajatantra, too, switched over to Loktantra,” said the analyst.
Similarly, the southern part of Nepal was popularly known as a Terai till recent week but all of a sudden, the old and outmoded term Madhesh has been revived and the whole country has to switch over to a new word for the same identity for the region. Besides, the euphoria of Maoism has been completely wiped out in eastern part of terai by a regional sentiment of non-ideological sense.
“It is puzzling for thoughtful persons how mass of the people or the people of a certain regions belonging to certain ethnic or linguistic group suddenly outburst through the diktat of invisible agency. But ultimately one has to find out purpose behind all these painful destructive and dangerous trends of extremism. Analyzing the changing behaviors, one reaches to the conclusion that there are no stable symptoms in the crisis. Had there been a genuine and interest-based upsurge of the people there would have been stable phenomenon to identify. Till few years back, it was the general phenomenon that the people wanted to ameliorate all their miseries through multi-party democracy despite threat of arms from Maoists,” said the analyst.
Soon after the Royal Palace massacre in 2001, a dramatic turn took place in the Nepalese politics. The challenges of Maoists were so imminent and widespread that even communist China was puzzled over the upsurge of communist ideology of Maoist brand in Nepal .
The world had seriously believed that Nepal was under the threat of communist takeover. All the western friends of Nepal , the UN experts and NGOs have taken it on the face value and were changing their strategies to deal with that accordingly before all these readjustments took place. A few weeks of dramatic events in south of Nepal have seen the cleaning operation directed against the Maoist influence.
None of the Maoist leaders are in terai to share the new crisis. The same kind of operation has begun in piece-meal basis in the hills in Nepal in the name of different ethnic identity.
“For serious analysts, all these appearances are surfacial. The realities of the country remain the same. All these problems are the reflections of the readjustment of geo-political situation. People in Nepal have various problems of underdevelopment which were sometimes used and exploited for strategic gains or ulterior interest of invisible powers. In the modern days that is done under the cover not owned or accepted officially,” said the analyst. “Countries in South Asia are quite familiar with the machinations and manipulation of unseen hands. It requires wisdom and capability in the leadership of the country to expose and oppose that. Unfortunately, Nepal was never so poorer in the matter of upright but poorer in the leadership to ventilate its grievances and stand for the national interest.”
Is violent extremism the convinced alternative of the people? Ask any Nepali of ordinary prudence, the reply will be completely negative. Has politics of moderation become irrelevant? Ask anybody in Nepal , their reply will again be negative. Then why, the rule of the game has been violent extremism? Why the moderation has been silenced?
PRACHANDA DEPLORES PM’S ADDRESS
Two days after Prime Minister’s address to the nation on January 31, Maoist chairman Prachanda organized a press meet terming it as incomplete and inadequate. Addressing a press meet in Kathmandu , Prachanda expressed support and solidarity with Madhesi agitation for proportional representation, federal system and right to self-determination.
“Since the Madhesi people want proportional representation, federal republic and right to self-determination, yesterday’s speech of the Prime Minister does not adequately address these issues. It has created more confusion,” Prachanda said, adding that these demands should be addressed directly. He argued that proportional electoral system, federalism and republican set up were inter-linked. “We are firm on these agendas,” he said, adding that the Maoists had not backtracked from any of the political agendas they raised during the armed movement.
Conceding his party worker’s wrongdoing in Lahan incident, which sparked angry protests by Madhesi groups, Prachanda pledged to investigate into the case and make the probe report public. He, however, reiterated the claim that royalists and foreign elements had infiltrated into the agitation of the Madhesis to create communal strife and derail the peace process.
“The Indian government has so far been supportive of the peace process in Nepal , but some [Indian] fundamentalist elements are trying to play in the Terai protests. Some of these elements might also have links with the establishment in one way or the other. And, there is the American ambassador who has been openly making provocative statements,” he said. Prachanda further said his party was not in favor of dialogue with "groups which have been falsely projecting themselves to be the leaders of the ongoing agitations in Terai", but would have no objection if the government reaches out to these groups including the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) and two factions of the Terai Janatantrik Mukti Morcha (JTMM), which is a breakaway faction of the Maoists.
Prachanda also revealed that there was discussion among the eight parties about jointly mobilizing the army and the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in Terai if the situation there grows into a full-blown anarchy. “The PLA would be mobilized, along with the Nepal Army, proportionate to its strength,” he said, “But such an option should be executed only after the eight-party consensus and the government decision.” The Maoist supremo also made it a point to blame the seven-party government for its lack of focus on holding the constituent assembly elections in the stipulated time.
“The recent government appointments, the dillydallying in providing basic facilities to the PLA cantonments which is necessary to facilitate the arms management process and the indifference towards forming laws demanded by the Election Commission indicate that the SPA government is not serious about holding constituent assembly elections in mid-June,” he said. (Courtesy: nepalnews.com)
