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| Kathmandu, Tuesday April 01, 2003 Chaitra 18, 2059. |
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Shed rhetoric
It is indeed a significant step forward that the
entire dialogue team from the Maoist side has made a public appearance and public pledge
that the rebels are serious for dialogue as well as the peace process. That entrusts equal
responsibility on the part of the government and other political parties to keep the
interests of the nation above their politics and not hinder the peace process.
What appears from the latest utterances and
activities of the Maoists is that they have no desire to isolate the political parties
from the peace efforts, which is essentially a political process as feared by them. The
Maoist team led by Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai has engaged in serious consultations with
political parties including the Nepali Congress, UML, RPP and others during the past three
days to explain that they would want the political parties to be part of the process.
However, how can that happen is something which
the Maoists are not clear about as yet. Are they expecting the political parties to
support the Maoists for negotiation, which is also a bargaining process with the king at a
later stage? The Maoists cannot be expected to reveal all their cards at once even before
they get to the negotiating table, but it is time that they shed rhetoric and make clear
the political pronouncements on the peripheral and related issues.
The round table conference, interim government
and elected constituent assembly are something they have been wanting. But if the Maoists
want a larger involvement in the process, they should first try to garner support for
their demands from the political parties as well as representatives of the civil
societies. Otherwise, a dialogue between the Maoists and what they say now representatives
of the old regime would leave enough scope for a vast silent majority to altogether reject
or be skeptical about the whole peace process even after a deal is clinched.
The Maoists, who have put their guns aside,
should look more democratic at this stage and try to see substance in what others say. But
the establishment, including the king, has an equally important role to play. The Maoist
team, which has come over-ground, should not feel being disappointed and betrayed.
Beginning with the release of some leaders who have arbitrarily and illegally been
detained, the process should become a forum for much larger involvement. If substitution
of the Lokendra Bahadur Chand government is the price required to involve political
parties, that is worth paying. |
