Maoists, Be Sincere

THE Maoist insurgency has steadily become a major national problem. A huge amount of the national budget, which should have been used for development purposes, is now spent for security reasons. Furthermore, more than one thousand people have lost their lives and there is a sense of insecurity prevailing in the country. Thus, the insurgency is not in the interest of either the nation or the people. However, it was an encouraging development when His Majesty's Government decided to free two top Maoists leaders and create an environmnt for talks to be held with the insurgents. The rebels had been demanding the whereabouts of those two persons for quite sometime. Going one step ahead, the government freed the two Maoists, hoping that it would pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the long-standing insurgency. However, going by the continued violent activities of the insurgents even after this gesture from the government, it can be seen that the Maoists are not serious about seeking a peaceful solution to the ongoing problem. Speaking at a press conference Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel informed that the recent release of Dinesh Sharma and Dinanath Gautam was meant to create an environment for talks with the Maoists.

Quite correctly, Deputy Prime Minister Poudel appealed to the intellectuals and the civil society to make a rational judgement on who – the government or the Maoists – is more sincere and honest to find a permanent solution to the insurgency issue. Going by the current developments, the government clearly looks more open and sincere in its dealings. The Maoists on the other hand, are continuing their terrorist activities and killing police personnel as well as innocent people. This is a stark contradiction to what they had said earlier. The insurgents had promised that they would come forward and hold talks if the government created the minimum environment for it. In the meantime, all the people should appreciate the efforts of the government and put pressure on the Maoists to halt their violent activities and come to the table for talks so that the insurgency can be ended in a peaceful manner. It can be said that now the ball is in the court of the Maoists and the people are watching whether they mean what they say or are they resorting to deception and duplicity, as accused by the government.

Post-Liberation Kamaiyas

WHEN jubilation broke out on July 17 at the announcement of the freedom from bondage of the Kamaiyas, there was little in the air to indicate that their plight will continue  in much the same way as usual, nay, even worse than before. Many non-governmental organisations had battled for the Kamaiya liberation. It had taken much time and energy from a lot of people in the civil society. The pressure got more and more intense, as Kamaiyas themselves dared to rebel. In the teeth of the opposition from none other than elected local bodies officials themselves, the campaign somehow got momentum, thanks to the dedication of some non-governmental organisations who had for long been demanding the declaration of freedom of bondage for Kamaiyas, who lived under abject conditions in the districts of Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur. All right thinking Nepalese and Kamaiya- sympathisers abroad hailed the decision. So the jubilation was big. And there were hopes that things would finally get better for the Kamaiyas in the days to come.

The hopes, it seems, have been belied, if the present state of the 'free Kamaiyas are taken into account. In the aftermath of the announcement, Kamaiya Liberation Movement Mobilisation Committee and others had made a list of suggestions to the government on how to take care of the freed Kamaiyas. For, freedom meant very little to these Kamaiyas if the question of daily bread was not addressed. They were suddenly free, but without any wherewithal to eke out a living. The government did promise. But apparently it has not made good on the promise. The Kamaiyas, as promised, has not been rehabilitated. So, understandably the Kamaiyas and their supporters are not happy over this apathy.  At a recent meeting in Dhangadhi, they warned the government of another round of agitation if their demands are not fulfilled. A big lacuna, which also remains to be addressed, is a legal provision that spells out how the Kamaiyas should be rehabilitated. The key question is that of land. The Kamaiyas who   have been working  in the fields for others all their lives cannot survive if they don't have land, big enough to grow food to feed their families. If there are other means to enable them to keep their body and soul together, they should be suggested too. In any case, it is high time the government gave some attention to this very real post-liberation Kamaiya problems.