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| Kathmandu, Saturday March 29, 2003 Chaitra 15, 2059. |
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Peace comes from strength
By VIJAYA K SIGDEL
After spending seven long years in the pits of
hell, the Nepalese people are breathing a sigh of relief, thanks to a very shaky
cease-fire. Yet, though there maybe calm in a few urban centers, the Maoist terror hasn’t
stopped in the rest of the countryside despite the signing of the so-called Code of
Conduct that prohibits them from engaging in such activities. While bombings, murder and
mayhem may have stopped, kidnappings, extortion and threats persist unabated. Thus, we are
a long, long way from ending the Maoist violence and realising a true semblance of peace.
Our lives received a devastating blow when the
Maoist warlords opened the gates of hell in Nepal. We can only hope that the cease-fire
will be permanent so that people can start painstakingly rebuilding their shattered lives.
For those who have lost one of the nearly 8,000 loved ones, it won’t be easy to go
on. For others who lost whatever meager possessions and life’s savings they had, it
won’t be simple to rebuild a life from the rubble and ashes. Indeed, it will take a
few generations to recover from the brutality and sadness that the people have endured.
Now, to add insult to injury, Mr Pun, the
mouthpiece of the unconstitutional regime, says that the people who have fought against
the terrorists will be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. Frankly, it will be a cold
day in hell before that happens. If anybody should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of
the law, it is the Maoists who have committed unimaginable crimes in Nepal.
Tragically, the power elite in Kathmandu took
six years to recognise and respond to the horrific crimes being committed by the Maoists.
They woke up to reality only after the Maoists made a strategic blunder by attacking an
army post in Dang. By that time, the Maoists had already made the greatest leap forward in
Nepal – by being the biggest mass murderers in our history. The power elite, at the
beginning, completely underestimated and ignored the Maoist threat and failed to take
appropriate action. As a consequence, the Maoists had the opportunity to build a deadly
force with very little effort, unleashing one of the worst crimes in the world’s
history. The authorities are now overestimating the Maoist strength and believe that
negotiation is the only option left.
The Maoists may have succeeded in spreading
terror and violence throughout the country, but they are nowhere near winning this war.
They will never win the war through subversion, assassinations and bombing of public
facilities. In order to succeed, they would require a fully equipped conventional army
that’s bigger than the Royal Nepal Army.
In the meantime, the commanders of the death
squads, to their necks with fellow citizens’ blood, are busy in Kathmandu pretending
to be angels of peace, appealing everyone to create a "conducive environment"
for a dialogue. No one, except them, knows what that means. If the Maoists were sincere in
ending the violence through dialogue, they would present a realistic proposal that the
people of Nepal could accept. We can never accept the demand they have put forth: an
interim government and a constituent assembly.
Let us not mislead ourselves, the Maoists are
still trying to negotiate a deal while holding the people at gunpoint. Their belligerent
attitude hasn’t changed and they haven’t renounced violence. It is certain that
they are trying to use their old familiar tactics of confusing and double-crossing us, and
using the cease-fire as cover to prepare for future violence. As their most revered leader
Lenin once declared, "Lying, deceit, and violence are justifiable means to bring
about the end [objective] of a classless society." They will pretend to be real
peacemakers for now, but refuse to negotiate in good faith later, walk off from the talk,
and return to the killing fields.
Every time the Maoists send out a teaser from
their hideouts, the power elite in Kathmandu greets it with the most irrational
exuberance. When the Maoists move a foot towards them, these people hurriedly march two
feet towards the Maoists. Thus, they fall right into the Maoist strategy: two-steps
forward, one-step backward. The present regime has proven that it only knows how to
appease the Maoists; it doesn’t have the strategy, courage or determination necessary
to defeat them. After all, this power elite has no stomach for fighting for the freedom,
justice, peace, security and honor of the Nepalese people.
By all accounts, the existing regime in
Kathmandu is in a Napoleon-like dilemma: "What a mess we are in now – peace has
been declared." It has no clue how to restore or negotiate a lasting peace after
declaring a cease-fire. To deflect this conundrum, Mr Pun, on a daily basis, never fails
to go on a tirade lambasting political leaders. Lately, he has even started accusing
foreign elements of attempting to sabotage the peace process. Only he would know which
foreign element it is. Meanwhile, Pun is too happy to take the Maoists on a joyride rather
than sitting down for a hard negotiation.
It is not clear why the Maoists have agreed to
hold talks although they see no urgency in starting the impending peace talks immediately.
One thing is for sure that our security forces were slowly tightening the noose around the
Maoists. In addition, the international community has shown a real commitment to helping
Nepal defeat terrorism. Another reason why the Maoists may have decided to hold talks is
that they found a weak regime in Kathmandu. They may have concluded that they might be
able to strike a deal in their favor with the present regime. Meanwhile, they are busy
disseminating propaganda and quietly preparing for future attack. For them, this is the
ultimate win-win situation.
Already, the authorities have made too many
concessions to the Maoists kingpins in the hopes of appeasing them. In return, the
government has received no significant concessions from the Maoists. The Code of Conduct
is long in rhetoric and short in substance. There was no deadline set when the talks would
start. Instead, this regime is falling into the same trap that Deuba did. The Maoists want
their comrades’ immediate release and the freedom to organise; they are not really
interested in wasting time at the negotiating table. Therefore, we shouldn’t be
surprised that the Maoists are insisting upon their comrades’ release before starting
a dialogue.
If the government allows the Maoists to move and
organise freely, they will have no reason to surrender their weapons, end the conflict
peacefully and accept a democratic path. Moreover, most of those who have committed crimes
should never be freed. The prosecution of these people must proceed unless a comprehensive
peace agreement is reached. In that case, a general amnesty should be considered for a
select few. Nepal can’t fail to prosecute these people who have committed the most
heinous crimes in Nepal. Hence there can never be peace without justice. We can’t
afford to purchase peace at any price.
Neither the present regime nor the previous
administrations understood that in violent conflicts they could negotiate only with
strength. That strength lies in educating the people, getting their support, and building
a strong security force. Without the threat of force and the backing of the people, no
talk will succeed. As President John F Kennedy once warned, "If you want peace, we
must prepare for war…And while we believe not only in the force of arms, but in the
force of right and reason, we have learned that reason does not always appeal to
unreasonable men, that it is not always true that ‘a soft answer turneth away wrath’,
and that right does not always make might."
Unmistakably, we are dealing with people who
have proven most vicious and unreasonable. In pursuit of their objectives, they are
willing to destroy anything and kill anyone. The Maoists have violated every international
and domestic norm. Reconciliation and cooperation are not in their character. They will
continue to follow what they have learned all along by reading 1950’s and 60’s
communists propaganda that came out of the Soviet Union and China, which glorifies
violence. If one reads these materials, it is easy to understand why the Maoists were able
to devalue humanity in Nepal. Can we really trust people who chop off the heads of their
fallen comrades, carry off and dump them somewhere else so that no one would recognise
them?
The current regime lost half of the battle when
it senselessly stated that the Maoists were not terrorists and that a political solution
was the only answer. The government should have firmly declared in unequivocal terms all
along that if the Maoists did not want to end the conflict peacefully, they would be
disarmed with force and brought to justice. After all, our security personnel have
repeatedly assured us that they could defeat the Maoists if provided with adequate
resources.
History is a glaring reminder that not every
conflict is solved peacefully. Winston Churchill wrote, "How many wars have been
averted by patience and persisting good will! … How many wars have been precipitated
by firebrands!"
We cannot forever wait in chaos hoping that
somehow and some way the Maoists’ cold hearts will start warming, show compassion,
admit mistakes, and forsake violence. Their mindless violence is intended to end our
democracy, our religion and our culture, and establish a totalitarian society. If this is
not a battle worth fight for a thousand years if necessary, then what does our country
stand for?
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