National 1 (Spotlight Weekly)

A Distant Dream

The prospect for political stability appears as distant as ever, the latest political developments indicate

By A CORRESSPONDENT

The violence and terror unleashed by smaller and little-known ethnic liberation fronts in the eastern hills indicate that the country will have to pass through another round of insurgency even if the present Maoist insurgency is ended. If caste, ethnicity and region based insurgencies rise, they will be more difficult to settle than the Maoist problem.

At a time when seven years long violent Maoist insurgency seems to be heading towards the peaceful settlement, smaller so- called liberation fronts seems to have sprouted out of nowhere waiting to unleash their brand of violence. Unlike the Maoist organization, which has the central command and is guided by certain ideology, the smaller liberation fronts will have smaller units with no central command — thus far too dangerous.

Violent agitation : Whither Nepal ?

All different major ethnic groups like Kirat, Khumbu, Madhesh, Tharu and Magar have already formed separate fronts to launch the violent activities. Nepal's intellectuals, political forces, King and political parties, and planners are yet to see the dangers hovering over the sky.

In the early 1996, Nepal's intellectuals and political forces initially saw the Maoist insurgency as a by-product of the corruption and irregularities of then six-year-old practice of multi-party democracy. Till the Maoists tightened their grip and launched nation wide violent insurgency, no one was prepared to buy the argument of involvement of any external elements.

If intellectuals and political forces ignore the emerging new trends, the country will have to face the crisis that could lead to the disintegration of the nation. Following a long self imposed exile in India, Ramraja Prasad Singh, who led the violent insurgency in 1986 bombing then Rastriya Panchayat, Hotel Annapurna and main gate of Royal Palace and Singh Durbar, has suddenly come back to the country after the January ceasefire. Singh is currently active in Terai region where he is inciting the people by using provocative remarks against established monarchy and demanding autonomy for the southern plains of Terai.

There are some leaders in the Maoist camp also who share Singh's point of view. "If the state denies the rights of the citizens, the people have right to hold the gun and revolt against the establishment, which discriminate its own citizens," Matrika Prasad Yadav, politburo member of CPN-Maoist and convener of Madhishe Mukti Morcha (Madhise Liberation Front), a sister organization affiliated to the Maoist, told during its recently concluded underground convention held somewhere near Biratnagar.

Although Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) — another Terai-based party - is still joining the common front with four major political parties, the recent stern remark by its leaders against the decision of the Elections Commission indicates that something is cooking.

Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi), Ramraja Prasad Singh and other fronts represent different political factions. But they share their common stand against unified Nepal.

"After the decision of Elections Commission in 1995 over the split of United People's Front, the Maoist sides left the main stream politics and went to jungle and now we may be compelled to follow the similar line," said Anandi Devi Singh, president of the faction, criticizing the commission's decision to award the elections symbol to other faction of the party led by Badri Prasad Mandal.

Singh, whose husband claimed himself as a pure follower of Gandhiji's peaceful way also demanded federal structure for Nepal giving autonomy to terai, seems to be losing her temperament giving up her husband's belief in such an old age.

"I perceive something very dangerous design against Nepal lurking at the horizon and this will be another major threat following the ceasefire between the government and the Maoist," said an analyst.

At a time when the country's major constitutional political forces are in a row to discredit each other and confronting to restore their own rights and privileges, efforts are slowly on to bring another violent force to destabilize again. It is beyond the comprehension of the rational people to understand who is benefiting from the chaos and instability in Nepal?

Nepal remains a buffer state between the two major Asian powers India and China. As Nepal lies in the South of Himalayas and it cannot limit the influence of Southern neighbor, Nepal's chaos and instability will have direct impact on southern neighbor. Strangely, the parties who are said to have close affiliation with Nepal's southern neighbor are preaching violence and uncertainty. This is what is beyond the comprehension of the ordinary Nepalese.