Govt. - Maoist Talks
Challenges Are Ahead

By Raj Kumar K.C

AFTER months of meticulous exercise, the present government headed by Lokendra Bahadur Chand has been successful in breaking a tough ice for initiating 'peace dialogue' with the Maoist forces.

Remarkable

This is of course, a remarkable initiative in maintaining peace and security. This shows that both the government and CPN- Maoists are committed to resolve the crisis facing the nation.

Undoubtedly the January 29 announcement of ceasefire from both the government and the Nepal Communist Party - Maoists, bear a significant importance in the Nepalese politics.

The truce has radiated hopes among the Nepalese people and their well-wishers, across the globe.
It is the desire of everybody that the dialogue will be a success and open a new avenue for political purification and empowerment of people in real sense. If not, the ceasefire announcement may turn into euphoria; which can trigger distrust and confusion.

The domino effect of distrust and uncertainty could be very costly for a sovereign nation. The Nepalese people are watching very cautiously of how the dialogue would start.

Setting a ground for dialogue is really a tough task for both the government and the CPN- Maoists. Everybody expects that the dialogue would find a healthy solution of the crisis.

But there arises a question as to how and when the talks would start. Has the government chalked out any code of conduct that is acceptable to the Maoists? Has the Maoists brought out their views to the public? These questions are still unanswered. There is a fear that the delay in negotiation could erode the faith of both sides.

Both parties should clarify their positions and norms for the round table meet; otherwise a serious misunderstanding, like in the past could emerge.

The government and the Maoist forces should realise their points of strength and weakness and should come forward with frankness and commitment.

Withdrawal of the government announcement of award for "head of top Maoist leaders," red corner notice and terrorists labels was remarkable step in bringing the CPN- Maoists to the negotiation table.
The then Deuba government declared the Maoists as terrorists when they staged a violent attack in Dang following the failure of three round of talks on November 25, 2001.

Certainly both sides have learnt some lessons from the past. But it should be assumed that both the government and the Maoists are serious towards their commitment this time.

After all the Maoists are also the citizens of Nepal and they are equally responsible for every consequences of violent activities. As a responsible political party, they should understand the dire consequences the nation is facing tomorrow.

Similarly, the government and other political parties should also be serious-as to how far they are committed towards the people and the state. In fact, it is high time for major political parties specially the Nepali Congress and the CPN- Unified Marxist Leninist to go for soul searching.

The issues raised by the Maoist are very genuine and people oriented. They have been fighting for people's empowerment, equality and economic rights. And they should be appreciated for their genuine cause.

The politicians of some major political parties seem not to be happy with the announcement of ceasefire.

They have also expressed their grudges over the government for not consulting them while announcing the ceasefire.

Some political parties have awfully reacted over the announcement and raised question over the legitimacy of the dialogue. This is, in fact, a very serious matter to be taken into consideration. Will there be any representation of major political parties or not? It is still undecided.

The Nepalese people had great aspirations that reinstatement of democracy in 1990 would improve their lives. But nothing as such happened. They understood democracy in different way. The widening economic disparity, social injustice and rampant corruption made people more frustrated.
The groundwork for dialogue is underway. The government is doing homework. But the modality of dialogue has not been made public yet. Some major issues like "Who will represent the government and mainstream political parties in the dialogue? What are the provisions for dialogue? What are the position of militants and the government security personnel?" and how transparent the talks would be? are yet to be clarified. Whosoever behind the dialogue is, the role of major political parties at this juncture should not be overlooked.

There will be no foreign arbitration in the dialogue. The case of Nepal is different from Sri Lanka, Peru, El Salvador and the Philippines.

The round table discussion bears a significant meaning. People want to know how the dialogues are going on. If the major political parties are marginalised in the dialogue, it could give birth to other dissatisfactions. It can be expected that the political parties could lead the dialogue towards more result oriented.

However, there is a fear that the Maoists could still 'betray' the government as they did in the past.
The Philippines has been facing similar problem for decades. Neither the political parties are faithful and committed, nor are the rebellions. Economic disparity and social injustice are the major problems of the Philippines like in Nepal.

The government should understand political agenda of the Maoists. Hence all major political forces at this moment should be clear about their political agenda and commitment towards people.

If they were really serious towards nation building process, political leaders would have taken initiatives for massive reforms through Constitutional Assembly.

Apart from this, the Maoists should convince people by making their programmes public.
The Nepalese people have already experienced different types of leaderships in the last 12 years. They want peace, social justice, economic progress and freedom.

Considering the major agenda on which the government and the Maoists have agreed, the upcoming round-table discussion could be a turning point in shaping the future of Nepal.

Optimistic

The people across the country are very optimistic that the change would be positive, which would provide equality, justice and freedom. If leaders of the political parties fail to regard the people's aspiration, the crisis will continue to hit the Nepalese people.

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