Enough is enough

The Maoist-affiliated student wing — All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (ANNISU-R) — unleashed "terror" to force schools in Kathmandu Valley to close down the  other day. Although they subsequently agreed to withdraw their closure dictat, they set six vehicles on fire and vandalised a number of school buildings in different parts of the valley. This kind of action that directly undermines law and order not in some remote mid western district  but in the heart of the capital shows just how weak the government has become. It goes to show how ineffective the law of the land is now. Whether this government can bring such culprits to justice is not the only question in the current situation. How could the   Maoist-affiliated students unleash such terror without seemingly batting an eyelid? And this is not the first time that the ANNISU-R has gone on such rampage. Earlier too, they had set  some buses belonging to state corporations and technical educational institutes on fire. Such acts of terror aimed at disrupting the smooth functioning of educational institutions would not have come about, had the government taken more stringent measures to prevent such vandalism and had there not been such lack of equity in our educational system, a main reason the rebels have targetted the schools all along.

ANNISU-R pillaged Rato Bangla School and forced as many as fifty centres of higher learning to close down until Sunday, no sooner had these schools and colleges begun their classes. The reason for the violence and threat of violence was simple. Most schools and colleges did not observe what the Maoist students had ordered. The order was a complete closure of educational institutions for a week to meet their "preposterous" demand. ANNISU-R exhorted money from various schools for their general gathering that was to have taken place last week. As a result, many schools and colleges had declared a weeklong holiday as they had been ordered to provide accommodation for the Maoist student cadres. However, the Maoist students later put off their general meeting for an indefinite period. To show their strength, ANNISU-R withdrew their planned closure of educational institutions at the weekend. The way the Maoist students have closed down institutions and openly exhorted money from private schools shows that our laws have turned ineffective and the government can do nothing against such students.

The Maoist students set ablaze three government vehicles to demand release of their student colleagues. The Rato Bangla School was holding an out of school programme when the ANNISU-R stormed it. This was more a terror tactic than a demand worth noting. The government cannot remain mute when some rascals, who claim to be students, attack educational institutions and close them down arbitrarily. This can neither be considered a way to meet their demands nor can we allow such things to happen. The government must introduce stringent measures that prevent frequent closure of educational institutions.

Is the cease-fire permanent ?

By Arjun Bhandari

The cease-fire between the government and underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) is like lull before the impending storm. The question is how long the cease-fire continues, should the talks fail. Going through the post-cease-fire activities of both sides, people are sceptical over the prospects of long term peace. The scope of the government’s flexibility to the extent of Maoist demands is limited within the Constitution. Maoist demand of an interim government for holding elections of constituent assemblies to draft a new constitution leading to the republican state is something which cannot be achieved through dialogues. As a party fighting against the present system, the Maoists are also very much aware that their three-point demand cannot be achieved by just sitting at the negotiating table. The government has already made its position clear that it is going to hold peace talks, keeping itself within the constitutional parameters.

Then, why to hold such dialogues whose outcome is pre-destined? It seems that both sides are buying time for consolidating their position should there arise the second phase of arms confrontations. Undoubtedly, the rebels are prepared for confrontation with the new Armed Police Force (APF), which could be aided by the elite Royal Nepal Army (RNA) in case the peace talks fail to come up with any significant result. By the time the APF Bill is passed through the parliament, the government will have a strong paramilitary force under its command to contain the rebels.

The Maoists said "We are determined to fight to the finish". Their strength can be judged only after the APF and/or army are involved in the second phase of confrontation in the mountain terrain. The rebels cannot be expected to give up their hard line stands that easily unless they face a major set back, beyond any possibility of re-organising themselves for another battle. They seem to be encouraged by the humiliating defeats of the untrained policemen for such guerrilla warfare.

But it is premature to speculate that the government can easily wipe out the rebel outfit which indirectly controls about 16 per cent of the country’s population and 20 per cent of its territory. On the other hand, the government will also have to learn lessons from the Kilo Sera Two Operation (shoot-at-sight) and Romeo Operation (encircling an area) launched some two and a half years back. Political analysts say the two police operations proved to be a backlash on the part of the government. It is believed that the rebels grew stronger by bringing about changes on their previous strategies after these operations were carried out to quell the insurgency.

The operations flake from various quarters, and the government was pressed for holding talks with them. What will happen should the peace talks derail and APF is pushed for similar operations in the days ahead? The major stumbling block for the government is to get its already defunct state machinery established in the rebel controlled areas, especially in the rural parts of the Mid-Western region, which lacks basic amenities. The government bureaucracy has confined only to its district headquarters and the rest of the rural areas are under the Maoist control.

If the third round of peace talks derail, which is more than likely, the government will have an excuse to tell the nation and the world that it had no other options but to use force against the rebels. The third round of talks which is yet to be scheduled may probably be the last round of negotiations after which both sides may officially announce the deadlock of the much exercised peace talks. It is still unclear whether both sides would further extend the cease-fire or engage in battlefield. The second round of confrontation would claim more lives and mayhem.

Another challenge for the government is to abide by its commitments if the rebels agree to end the insurgency and join the mainstream politics through the peace talks. If both sides agree on political reforms within the constitutional framework, the agenda for economic reforms will hound them. Imbalance in regional development, unemployed and grassroots level rebels, who are enjoying unlimited power at gun points, will be the biggest hurdles for lasting peace. A possibility of internal revolt within the rebel side cannot be ruled out unless the economic agendas are addressed properly. Will the grassroots level cadres lay down their guns once their leadership declares an end of the six year old violent insurgency? Will the government recruit the young rebels into state security forces as has been suggested by some prominent leaders of the main opposition party? These questions have to be addressed seriously before heaving a sigh of relief from the insurgency.

Apart from the three major extra-constitutional demands, Maoist negotiators have demanded the government negotiators that the APF be dissolved and the RNA mobilised under the Integrated and Security Development Plan (ISDP) be withdrawn from the Maoist strongholds. These demands from the Maoist side are set to weaken the government position in the wake of another confrontation. The government negotiators have already made it clear that once the rebels agree to lay down their arms and come to the mainstream politics, the APF and ISDP would no longer be a threat to them.

Following the government’s cease-fire, the dubious motive of the Maoists have been exposed to the public. There are so many incidents of public wrath and revolts against them. People have organised themselves in protest against their extortion spree and mugging. The fresh counter-Maoist incidents are a sheer indication that once the rebels are on the ground, they will have tough time accommodating themselves in a normal society. It may be the reason the Maoists want to maintain its tough stand at the strength of a few hundred armed rebels. What would happen, if a section of the rebels, as has happened in some villages of Banke district, revolt against the central leadership, which has already lost its grip in some parts of its stronghold?

More than rights

By Shailaja Khadka

At a time when the country is amidst uncertainty, it is no better for women either. At every step of life, someone else decides and plans the "fate" of women. From birth to death, others rule her life. Here, the term "women" encompasses not only the privileged few, but the unfortunate ones as well. They are women from 14 zones and 75 districts and not just from this valley.

Now and then, we read in papers and hear about attempts made by some to uplift the status of women, some fighting for the property rights, some trying to save women from being sold into the flesh trade, and so on. If we observe it carefully, we find that almost all campaigns for women’s rights are conceptualized and designed by the women themselves. But unfortunately, it takes a long time to be implemented and enacted into law. These attempts are nothing more than frivolous as the lawmakers treat them with disdain. The saying "one person with courage is majority" becomes completely irrelevant.

I don’t say, the status of women has not improved over the years. But to interpret "improvement’ is yet another aspect. Do we say that the status of women has improved just because the social problems as child marriages, dowry system have been abolished in papers and documents? Or their working outside in offices like her male counterparts enough to justify their improved status? Let’s not forget that this is the pleasant scenario of women in Kathmandu Valley. Even today, if we go to the adjoining villages of the capital, we can see that the lives of young girls are limited to the household chores. Does she have any other choices? The Constitution pledges equality to all and prohibits all forms of discrimination against women. Still, women are suffering from social prejudices and male chauvinism.

Much has been said and written about the women’s property rights, but there has hardly been any progress. Property rights bill is still gathering dust in Parliament. But there are hundreds of thousands of women who do not have enough to afford two meals a day. More than "rights", they need food, shelter, medicine, education etc. Empowering women and making them self-reliant is the duty of men as well. Unless there is awareness among all, women cannot improve their status.

For a world more humane

By Narad Bharadwaj

The horrendous terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and on the Pentagon in Washington on September 11 has exposed, among other things, a gaping hole in the American defence system. It has also highlighted the fact that terrorism has sprung back with a new strategy and more destructive capability. As American society limps back to normal after the unprecedentedly brutal terrorist act on US soil, questions are being raised whether technology and superior weapons are effective against such crimes against humanity.

Constituting as it does the most gruesome act of terrorism in human history, this incident marks a new turning point in the development of organised terrorism. It shows that despite various measures taken to control terrorism in the world, its operational networks are becoming more widespread, their strategies and tactics are acquiring better precision and their attacks are assuming more destructive dimensions.

The United States of America has in past decades found itself on centre stage in the war against terrorism and has understandably been a prime target of terrorist retaliation on a number of times. The most recent attacks, besides Tuesday’s, against the US were the Oklahoma bombing on February 26, 1995 that killed 168 people, and the explosion aboard an aircraft over Lockerbi on December 21, 1968 killing 270 people. The perpetrators were identified and brought to justice in both cases. The prime accused in the Oklahoma bombing Timothy McVeigh, was only recently put to death after being found guilty of the crime, in a long judicial investigation.

Hijacking of aircraft and the bombing of sensitive targets are not new fields for terrorist strikes. There have been cases of plane hijacking and holding of passengers to ransom in order to press some specific political or monetary demands. But it is entirely new on the part of terrorist outfits to use hijacked civilian aircraft to attack on the most sensitive military and commercial installations.

This time the terrorists have selected two targets which not only represented the most sensitive commercial and military entities but also stood as symbols of America’s economic and military might. The ease which the suicidal attacks were launched causing such devastation, and the seemingly helpless situation into which the defence system of the most powerful country of the world was put, must have compelled the bosses on Capitol Hill to cogitate about the need to give a complete reorientation to US defence policy.

Terrorism seems to be raising its ugly head in various forms in the world today. This, in fact, is a new menace that humanity faces since the end of the Cold War era. At a time when the global balance of forces is slowly but steadily changing to the side of peace, such kinds of terrorist attacks with such enormous destructive capability should alert the whole community of nations irrespective of ideological orientation and political systems.

There are forces drawing their sustenance from religious fundamentalism and hatred towards the plurality of human society. It is they who are often found to be behind every such incident of terrorist onslaught. The involvement of such fundamentalists cannot be ruled out even in this ghastly act of terrorism. Saudi Arabian dissident Osama bin Laden is being tipped off as the prime suspect in the engineering and execution of this criminal act. If he is found guilty, all countries should declare him an enemy of the civilised world, and do everything possible to bring him to face this horrific crime against humanity.

The truth will surely come out as the investigation into the circumstances leading to this incident unfolds. American President George W Bush has already assured his people that the perpetrators of the crime shall be tracked down and brought to justice, no matter at what cost. It is the duty of the entire world to stand by the American people at this time of their national crisis.

At the same time, a word of caution would not be out of place here. The government of the United States has been taking arbitrary decisions regarding issues of defence. Its policy of declaring unfriendly countries ‘rogue nations’ and branding them sponsors of terrorism has created unnecessary hostility in international politics. The use of its clout in the United Nations to bring down sanctions against smaller nations like Iraq and North Korea has been engendering deep hatred and animosity among the people of these countries towards the US government, its democratic system and its people. Because of this and the activities of professional terrorists like Osama Bin Laden, American interests stand exposed to greater vulnerability.

The astounding and unimaginable way the attack against America was mounted on September 11, should serve as a lesson to the US government that no amount of strength in terms of technology and money is enough to prevent damage done by depraved human beings. The basic philosophy of humanity and the ideal of peace are the most powerful weapons against all types of violence and terror. The staggering amount of resources being spent on armament and scientific research to perfect modern means of warfare is money wasted if nothing is done to reduce the appalling degree of poverty and destruction that are forcing a great majority of human beings to live wretched lives in damp cellars and shanty towns, on the fringe of forests and river banks.

Terrorists assigned to suicidal missions like that in New York are often those people who are born and brought up there. Osama bin Laden may be an exception. These people, having lost all hope for a better life and dignity, become ready to destroy themselves in infernal explosions out of utter desperation and revolt against the existing society. This being the case, the United States of America is barking up the wrong tree in placing its financial resources into an anti-missile defence system and other war-like projects.

The distress and agony brought to the American people by the perfect calamity is best felt than expressed in words. But it is time President Bush and his colleagues paused and visualised the future of America and the world in the humanistic share of economic dividend, not in the exclusivity of superior armament.