Quite a few weeks have passed after the
ceasefire. And even the code of conduct to be followed by both the signatories has been
agreed upon for quite some time. But the peace talks still seem elusive. When both the
parties ñ the security forces or the government and the Maoists know fully well that
there is no alternative to peace talks, what is restraining them to go to the negotiating
table? It is true there would be hidden hands who must be trying to disrupt the peace
talks. And it is also true that the political parties, who consider themselves as the only
legitimate agents to rule the country despite the fact that they are the main culprits and
should have been placed where they lawfully belong to long back, are getting more
apprehensive each passing day that unless they become a party to the talks they would be
doomed, are sparing no effort to poison the minds of the Maoists. If the Maoists again
fail to see through the real designs of the enemies of the state and the people and fall
easy prey to the machinations and dilly dally to sit in the peace talks, they would not
only be endangering the peace process but inviting trouble for themselves. They should not
be that naive not to realize that the failure of the negotiations would turn their
objectives, which are now not very far from their grasp, into a chimera. If the Maoists
still refuse to read the writings on the wall and coalesce with the corrupt, discredited
and anti-national forces which have been totally rejected by the millions of poor Nepalis,
they would not only fail to take lessons from the past but miss the bus outright. Indeed,
they have been misguided to have embroiled the poor country in a devastating civil war,
but the millions of Nepalis have still not banded them as quislings. The one and only
alternative they have at the moment is to arrive at a satisfactory mutual solution with
the government and force the government to go for elections without losing any time. The
greater the delay in holding the elections, the greater the danger of conservative forces
gaining strength at the cost of democratic elements. Consequently, if the Maoists have
been sincerely fighting for the betterment of the poor people, the only course open to
them is to create a situation conducive to holding the elections. And this demands a
peaceful atmosphere which can be achieved only through a successful dialogue. They should
not lose sight of the fact that it was they that had abandoned the negotiations and
resorted to violent insurgency that cost thousands of precious lives of our brothers and
sisters. So, the onus now falls on their shoulders to establish their bona fide to restore
peace and normalcy in the country. So far as can be seen clearly, the government has
acceded to most of their demands. Now they must manifest their sincerity to sit at the
table for talks. The government is being already criticized for their wobbling knees and
may not take any more pressure. Moreover, the Maoists must understand who they are dealing
with and how far they can go. They must not force them to completely expose themselves.
All channels of negotiation must not be exhausted in the beginning. We do trust, the
Maoists will be able to rise up to the occasion and emerge as a peace loving patriotic
political force the country lacks very badly.
The Iraq war has taken its toll in Nepal
also. With the unimaginable increase in the prices of oil products, the country has been
further plunged into more severe trouble. What kind of repercussions this price hike is
going to have on the lives of poor Nepalis will not take long to unfold. Maybe, the
government might have been facing big constraints and had no option. But they should not
stay complacent. They must find ways to give proper relief to the masses by effective
monitoring so that the unscrupulous businessmen do not exploit the common man. Since this
price increase might give a big fillip to crime, the government must immediately start
taking preventive measures to avoid such a situation. |
