Government-Maoists’ Talks
A Good Beginning

By Prem N. Kakkar

THE government-Maoist talks is receiving the focus that is due to it. The whole reason around which it revolves is understandable. The return to normalcy is the demand of the day. Without peace returning to the districts, the development process may suffer. And any disturbance now will have long-term impacts. This is borne by the fact since the Maoists had submitted their set of demands some five and a half years ago during the tenure of the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba much water has passed under the bridge. All these years the sailing for the country mainly its economy has not been smooth.

Besides the Maoist movement, the country is under immense pressure to revive its economy including the tourism sector which has probably suffered the most. Now that the government and the Maoists have sat down for talks, the outcome will be good. The fact that the talks will be successful or not is besides the point. The whole thing is that the two parties have at least agreed to sit down at the table. This is a good thing.

For any difference to be settled, the first and foremost thing is that the parties concerned at least agree on point: to sit down for negotiations. So the process starts with an agreement to discuss their differences. When talks take place it is not that the answer always has to be either ‘YES’ or ‘NO’. There are always other options that is to say that compromises can be reached. But if the demands are rigid and not flexible then there is no possibility of the two sides sitting face to face at the negotiating table.

Herein, optimism prevails in the sense that the Maoists and the government have agreed to discuss the demands put forth by the former. Of course, the venue and the agreement to talk have come after lot of deliberations though not in the open. This signals that the way the developments are taking place merits attention. It also is a way to alleviate the fears of the people in general that the future is gloomy. The bright rays come in the form of the talks. Even Prachanda, the seniormost Maoist leader, has proposed two other dates and venues for later talks. This indicates that Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) is also serious and not taking the talks lightly.

In this context, it is not exactly clear what the Maoists will be expressing. But it is clear that the government is not going to compromise on the Maoists’ demand for a republic or anything out of the purview of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990. This is the basis how the talks will move forward unless some other contingency arises.

Another event that has pulled the attention is the all party meet that was held two days back. Of course, consensus has been a word that has often been misused. The rhetoric for consensus has been in the air for many years but action in those lines has not taken place. But, now the political parties have realised that the problems and challenges of the nation are their problem. The outcome of this particular all party meet was encouraging in the sense that all who attended the meet endorsed the government to sit for dialogue with the Maoist representatives.

This is new phase in the ruling party’s relations with the opposition parties. A continuity must be given to this type of exercise. After all, every political party and their leaders have to bear the burden of giving outlet to problems faced by the country. Fighting it out for trivial issues does good to no one. In this regard, the cooperation extended by the opposition is very meaningful. Moreover, this comes at a time when the House proceedings have been stalled for the seventh day with Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) MPs leading the show. Whatever their demand may be, they should realise that the country is now standing at a crucial phase when the talks with the Maoists are going on.

The first direct talks with the Maoists will have bearing on further such exercises in the future. Though no preconditions were specified for the first ever meet between the government and Maoist representatives, but it will pave the path for fixing the agenda for such meets.

There may be some demands wherein deadlocks may emerge but that does not mean that no further parleys are possible. Whatever the outcome be from the first meet, it is essential that the government do its homework in the right perspective. An opportunity has come when an outlet to a major problem could be arrived at. Though there is no need to be very optimistic at the moment but hopes rest that something fruitful will emerge in the days to come.

There is appreciation by the other political parties for the government’s bold initiative to go ahead with the talks with the Maoists. Overnight solutions to a problem that has been simmering for almost six years are not possible. But at least efforts can be directed to come to an amicable solution. The government on its part has taken the necessary decisions in this regard to create a congenial environment for the talks to take place like the security personnel stopping all action, release of the Maoists in custody and also the announcement of the revolutionary land reform package. All these should mean that the results of the government-Maoist talks will be conclusive even if it takes time.

Land Or Wealth Ceiling?

By Prakash Dahal

SHOEMAKER, Dambar Nepali 22, goes around Bhimsengola every Saturday, knocking on every door, hanging his shoe-mending wooden box around his neck. Wading knee-deep through mud (one has to plough his way through the mud in Bhimsengola, Jagritinagar tole), Dambar comes there to deliver his shoe-mending home service. Unlike many others, he doesn’t curse the couple of more-equal-than-others- rolling on wheels splashing mud on the passerby, or even regret for having no Minister or Parliamentarian choosing the place for temporary or permanent settlement.

He knows that at least fifty children wade through the knee-deep mud everyday to school, and at least ten of them spoil their shoes. Come Saturday, the school-going children swarm around him, tugging and shoving him to have their shoes mended.

Dambar has been frequenting and serving the inhabitants for long and has closely monitored the developments in Jagritinagar tole. He knows the terian State Minister of the bygone government getting no ministerial quarters at Pulchowk settled in a double story house, 100 yards away from the swampy road. The monsoon rain hit flag sticking around the iron bar like a drenched petticoat around a woman’s body bathing in a public tap, and the couple of yellow and white plate Pajeros and Land Cruiser standing-by on the other side of the road were enough to tell post-democratic Kathmanduites that the Minister dwelt there.

Dambar could be no exception. The shoemaker fell in the group of literate people. The sent-up pass and SLC fail rural Godavarian had reason to swell up in pride as he fell in the category of literate people who constituted thirty-one percent of the country’s population.

Not only Dambar, even the vegetable vendors and the Khasa goods traders were happy with the Minister’s arrival. Five hundred yards, an inner lane diversion, from the old Baneshwore road-head running to the airport across the Bagmati bridge, has now concrete road overlaid the hitherto knee-deep muddy way. Thanks to the Minister, the vegetable vendors no longer needed to plough their way through the swampy road.

Though the concretisation of the road couldn’t go beyond the minister’s dwelling, yet tens of houses along the road, its dwellers, the vegetable vendors and the hawkers, didn’t need to roll-up their pantaloons above knees and hold their shoes in hands. Unfortunate were the ones whose house fell behind the Minister’s hired apartment. They cursed the Minister and envied the houses benefiting the Minister’s temporary settlement.

The State Minister left immediately after his government fell like an empty sack. But, the Minister still lies fresh in the memory of Dambar, the shoemaker, for his choosing to live five hundred yards away from the road head. If only he had been two hundred yards interior, the whole of Jagritinagar could walk around without having their pajamas rolled-up or shoes and sandals held in hands.

Last Saturday, the talkative lad had just run his eyes through the front pages of newspapers and the issue he had picked for debate was the land ceiling issue that was stirring the hornets’ nest .

Land ceiling or property ceiling!

What actually had inspired or rather excited Dambar was the statement by Sadbhavna leader, Gajendra Narayan Singh who said, ‘ Let us put all our properties together and distribute them equally among the country’s over 23 million people’.

A great proposal, isn’t that? Dambar remarked in an exciting tone.

For the shoemaker, neither of them- land ceiling or property ceiling- made any sense as he possessed neither property nor owned land. But the boy piercing needles through the stiff leathers liked what the National Assembly member from Saptari said.

Dambar asked, ‘ Who is richer- the man owning bungalow and riding pajeros in the streets of Kathmandu or the man tilling land in the hills and tarai?’

Upon explained that downsizing of land would boost productivity and help distribute surplus land to the landless people, the SLC fail shoemaker further asked, ‘ What does the PM’s revolutionary step aim at?’

‘If it aims at distributive justice as that is what supposed-to-be socialist Congress’ ultimate goal, then it should ensure equal access to wealth and properties and not the land alone.’

Why don’t they put a ceiling on amassing of wealth and confiscate the properties that are not earned through a legitimate source, Dambar the Godavarian shoemaker said.

Apparently, the shoemaker is not talking nonsense. However, a million dollar question is, is that what he demands possible? Indeed, its possible, he says.

‘If the lawmakers can unanimously pass the bill that allows them procure duty-free Pajeros, why can’t they pass another bill that curtails their right to accumulate infinite and limitless properties? Dambar argued.

Regardless of what Dambar says, the question hanging over the issue is, whether or not our lawmakers can demonstrate a little moral strength in framing a bill that can rein in themselves and open door to distributive justice. Till now, they made bills for others, now they need to make bill for themselves.

As Dambar said, land ceiling sans wealth ceiling will bring no big change. However, if the ‘revolutionary’ political parties, ministers and parliamentarians really want to see change, then they may first need to change themselves. They should prove in deeds that charity begin from home. For that, they should mount pressure on the government to come up with a bill limiting the accumulation of wealth and property.

They can prove themselves revolutionary only when they can do that. Or else, Dambar and the likes will keep on asking, ‘ Who is richer- the land owner in the hills and tarai or the owner of bungalow and Pajeros in Kathmandu?’

For Him Means Is More Important Than End

By Santosh Pandey

A RESPECTED figure in Nepalese politics, a well wisher of the Nepalese people, a hero who had contributed significantly to usher in democracy in Nepal, a historian, and a towering personality. He is none other than Dr. Dilliraman Regmi. He was born on 19 December 1913 (Poush 4, 1970 BS) at Kilagal in Kathmandu. He had grown up in the Nepalese society in the lap of his late mother Mukti Devi Regmi and late father Rohini Raman Regmi.

Regmi passed Prathama from Ranipokhari Sanskrit School in 1926 and was admitted to Durbar High School at Ranipokhari in 1927 for English education. He had done Matriculation from the same school, affiliated to Patna University, in first division in 1932. He stood first among the Nepalese students. For graduate level studies he went to Patna University in Bihar, and graduated in 1936 with BA (Hons.). He passed MA in Economics in 1938 from the same university. He became the first Nepalese to obtain a research degree (M.Litt.) in 1940 from Madras University.

Dr. Regmi married in 1933. After twelve years of marriage his wife, Kalyani, died while Dr. Regmi was in an Indian jail.

Despite distrubing events in his life, his academic interest and research works continued unabated. In 1961, Patna University conferred on him the Degree of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Economics and he became the first Nepalese to obtain a D.Litt. from the same university in 1965. In the same way, Dr. Regmi was the first Nepalese to receive Honorary D.Sc. from the former Soviet Union.

An outstanding intellec-tual, he was constantly engaged in research, extensive study and writing as a integral part of his life. Dr. Regmi has written and published several volumes of Nepal’s ancient, medieval and modern history in English. His other remarkable publications are A Century of Family Autocracy, Nepalese Democratic Struggle and Indo-Nepalese Relation Through the Ages".

Freedom fighter and historian, Dr. Regmi had actively contributed to Nepalese political and intellectual life for the last six decades. He had played a leading role in the ushering in and restoration of democracy in Nepal through non-violence. He, thus, became a pioneer of the democratic movement in Nepal.

Since 1934, Dr.Regmi had involved himself in active politics and devoted time to secretly form an organization to propel the movement for democracy. With the initiative of Dr. Regmi and others, during exile in India, Nepal National Congress was established.

In the earthquake of 1934 (1990 BS), he was actively involved in relief operations by organizing a group of volunteers. It was also the beginning of his political career when Dr. Regmi and his associates decided to launch a campaign in Nepal similar to that already launched in India under Mahatma Gandhi.

When he was in India he came into close contact with prominent Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharial Nehru, Mohammed Kidwai in their struggle against the British colonialism and inspired and brought together the Nepalese in India to revolt against the Rana autocracy. Regmi prepared a ground for normalization of Sino-Nepal relations, and entry of Nepal into U.N.O in 1955 when he was the Foreign Minister.

In 1957, Regmi spearheaded the joint front for satyagraha movement demanding a specific date for democratic elections. Dr. Regmi, who never accepted the partyless system, raised his voice for the restoration of parliamentary democracy. He openly campaigned for multi-party democracy during the 1979 Referendum, went on fasting for the cause of democracy in 1987 (2044 BS) and vigorously inspired and cooperated even under house arrest, with pro-democratic forces during the people’s movement in 1989 (2046 BS).

Dr. Regmi was the chairman of the Nepal World Peace Council and Nepal-Asian Solidarity Committee, and the founder president of Society for the Promotion of International Peace and Understanding, Gandhi International Peace Center and Gautam Buddha Foundation.

A liberal personality Dr. Regmi donated his entire property including personal library worth Rs 100 million to the government in 1981. His beliefs are in multi-party democracy, nationalism and plural society.

A personality like Dr.Regmi who strongly believed in non-violence for political changes is rarely found in the world. He spent all his life for the welfare of the country.

To honour the contributions of such an eminent personality like Dr. Regmi, who is no longer among us now, the government ought to do something to perpetuate his memory in the days to come.