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Kathmandu Tuesday July 24, 2001 Shrawan 09, 2058.
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Maoist excess
The Maoist leadership appears to be trigger happy, slaying
about two dozen policemen in remote and difficult-to-reach police stations in eastern and
far western Nepal Saturday and Sunday nights. This slaughter comes across powerfully
as an inexplicable affront to the new Prime Minister. If the Maoists are at this stage
only putting on a facade of wanting to solve the problem through talks and negotiations
while at the same time keeping up such wanton killings, they appear to miscalculate
public opinion. For surely this is no time to overwhelm isolated police posts with
sheer superiority of numbers and then butcher the hapless policemen when they run out of
ammunition. The new prime minister has already indicated that the Maoist insurgency is his
topmost concern and that he wants to solve the problem through talks and negotiations. The
Maoists should at least give the new man time to carry out his resolve, even if they have
no intention of abandoning the gun. Causing more bloodshed
and taking more lives can only strengthen the hands of the hawks within the ruling Nepali
Congress who would like to see more retaliation. For surely, if the Shining Path movement
in Peru, which had many parallels with the Nepalese Maoists, can be wiped out and the
problem tackled once and for all, there is no reason why the same fate cannot be meted out
to the latter, given the determination of the state and the cooperation of the people.
Public support that depends on the power that flows out of
the barrel of a gun, whether that gun belongs to government forces or the Maoists, can
only be temporary. The more people are killed, the more alienated the people become from
those that wield the gun. In recent days, the Maoist insurgents have been killing off
policemen, who are basically ordinary Nepalese citizens, quite indiscriminately. The
Maoists have already made their point before the people and government of this country and
indeed the world at large. So there emphatically cannot be any excuse for further
indulgence in excesses now. With a new and resilient leader now at the helm of affairs,
there is every possibility of a negotiated settlement to the Maoist problem. The road
towards this is no doubt difficult but if everybody, including the Maoists, the government
and the opposition parties, are sincere about it, it is an attainable goal. There are
allegations the Maoists have been putting forward their proposals for talks without really
being serious about it. The time has come for them to prove that they are indeed sincere,
and cessation of wanton and, in most cases, senseless killings is one good way to convince
everyone of their sincerity. The five years of Maoist insurgency and government
mishandling have bled the nation white. It is time both government and Maoists chalk out
strategies to end the nasty conflict so that the poor of this country can live in peace
and get the opportunity to better their lot and that of their children. For this, the
Maoists must end their excesses forthwith.
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