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Kathmandu Wednesday April 04, 2001 Chaitra 22, 2057.
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Be responsible
In the latest spate of Maoist attacks, 37 police personnel plus at least
three Maoist insurgents have been killed in rural districts ravaged by the five-year-old
insurgency. The worst ever assault on Rukum and Dolakha districts comes six months after
the Dunai raid that left 15 dead. To add to the woe, the insurgents are also holding up
over two dozen police personnel. This is by far the deadliest ever Maoist attack on the
police, and the Maoists need to be condemned for the brutal act. For by killing the police
who are just carrying out orders from their political bosses, the Maoists can achieve
nothing. The Maoists should well realise that the ordinary police personnel are very much
like themselves and most of them have come from families with sub-subsistence economies.
In killing such policemen, the Maoists are surely striking at and wounding the Nepalese
heart. In addition, the Maoists also need to realise that if they genuinely want talks
with the government, then this kind of mayhem and senseless killings must stop.
The government cannot but be stunned by this carnage. In the face of such an
unprecedented crisis, the call for the Prime Minister’s and Home Minister’s
resignations is natural and not without reasons. Last year, Minister Govinda Raj Joshi was
made to resign in the aftermath of the Dunai episode. When former Prime Minister Krishna
Prasad Bhattarai was shunted out of the office, Koirala rode to power on the slogan of
good governance, corruption control and guarantee of law and order. Despite a dramatic
increase in budget for security measures, the law and order problem has worsened. The
latest offensive indicates that the situation is beyond redemption, and if the incompetent
and lackadaisical leadership is allowed to get the upper hand in state affairs, the
Maoists would launch more offensive operations all over the country, including the
Kathmandu Valley. Emboldened by lax security even in the capital itself, inefficient
intelligence service and low morale of the police force, the insurgents have made the
audacious attack. But poor law and order situation could also mean that anti-social
elements could have a field day and make life miserable for the people.
This incident will certainly sink the government's credibility to its nadir.
The endless bickering within the Nepali Congress may go unabated, but it is no excuse for
the Koirala government. It is time the ruling party legislators probed their conscience
and determine whether the Koirala government is doing right. Merely clinging to the 103
number game could invite disaster for the ruling party and to the country. Surely saner NC
barons should take action against the government that has floundered on almost every
front, and elect to power a capable and dynamic leader who can revitalise the sagging
morale of not only the police but the whole nation. Only then could the party’s
already tainted reputation and accountability be redeemed and it might also pull back the
country from the brink of a major disaster. Incidents such as the one that took place in
Rukumkot must not be allowed to be repeated.
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