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| Kathmandu, Wednesday February 26, 2003 Falgun 14, 2059. |
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Code of conduct
Peace and conflict management may require the
art and skill of negotiation, but that alone would not be sufficient. First and foremost,
it requires parties to the conflict to accept peace as an instrument for settlement.
Secondly, they have to be accommodative in spirit so that differences could be narrowed
down gradually. The fact that the Maoists and the government declared a cease-fire nearly
a month ago shows they do not want to continue with violence, terror and killing in the
country. But this meeting of mind has to be followed up with positive and determined
actions, which unfortunately are still lacking.
It would be difficult for the Maoist leadership
to keep their cadres committed to the state of truce, if the rebels and the government do
not begin the serious business of narrowing down their differences. The Maoist insurgency
or movement was primarily fuelled by many disparities, which were social, economic,
developmental, regional and ethnic in nature. Therefore, the two sides have to agree on
one point that all those problems at the root of the seven-year long insurgency, which has
taken a toll of 8,000 human lives, have to be addressed.
Does the government understand the seriousness
it needs to possess in the post-truce phase ? There are serious misgivings about
government’s competence as well as the seriousness on the issue. The negotiating team
has not been formed yet. Nor has it come out with any code of conduct to be followed by
the negotiating team. The National Human Rights Commission has tried to enforce its code
of conduct on both sides, but its instruction could not be mandatory on the parties in
conflict.
People are eagerly waiting for a positive
outcome from the proposed negotiation. But such an outcome will be a far cry if the
government cannot even form its negotiating team. There are already murmurs on the Maoist
side over the continued detention, search and seizure of arms from its cadres after the
cease-fire declaration. No doubt, the government has to be alert about the security of its
citizens and the security forces cannot give up the role assigned to them unless expressly
asked by the government. Formulation of the code of conduct and strict adherence to it by
both sides would undoubtedly minimise the visibility of security forces. A minimised role
of the security agency would contribute to a confidence building exercise.
It may not be an easy task for a government—with
its legitimacy still under question—to deftly handle such a situation. Political
parties are equally confused. But it would be disastrous for the country if the
combination of these factors lead to abortion of peace initiative. Proper gestures like
disclosure of the list of the Maoist detainees by the government and declaration of the
mutually agreed code of conduct are something urgently required to keep the truce on
track. |
