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COVER STORY |
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COVER STORY |
Broaden At a time when
political forces needed to broaden their alliances to overcome the political imbroglio,
they seem to be directed towards extremism thereby pushing the country further into
political uncertainty. From villages of western region to the streets of capital, for some
strange reasons, political forces seem to be bent on widening disputes among themselves.
As long as political forces continue to harp extremism, there is a thin possibility to
revive the political process. Uncertainty and crisis can prolonged but nobody will emerge
victorious. Instability, anarchy and extremism are in nobody’s interest. What the
country requires at this juncture is political moderation. As mainstream political parties
lead violent agitation along with three-day general strike called by the Maoists, the
return of moderation seems farther away
By KESHAB POUDEL When King Gyanendra addressed the civic
reception in Pokhara, the western city 200 kilometers west of capital, on March 28,
expressing his determination to hold the general elections and appealing for support from
mainstream political parties, people had reasons to heave sighs of relief hoping that the
long lasting conflict between the King and parties appeared to be over. Similarly, five agitating political parties
also replied positively by organizing the largest peaceful demonstration on 1, April in
capital. Led by congress octogenarian leader Girija Prasad Koirala, CPN-UML general
secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and all senior leaders, the agitation, though peaceful, was a
symbolic one. However, the efforts of country’s
constitutional political forces to embrace moderation did not last long. The very next day
on April 2 the demonstration turned wild with the bloody street battle. As usual, flame of
tyres, pile of stones and brutal lathi charges were what the streets of capital had to
witness. From CPN-UML leader Bamdev Gautam to Nepali
Congress leader Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and other scores of leaders were injured in street
battle. The peaceful political demonstration
quickly turned into a scene similar to Maoist mayhem resulting in destruction of public
and private properties. It seems that five agitating political
parties seem to have lost hope in the peaceful agitations and were sliding towards
extremism. As the political parties clashed in extreme manner, they appeared to be
fighting a losing battle. The street agitations of the subsequent days crossed all the
limits and norms of civilized society. Although it was not unpredictable, CPN-UML
leader Jhalnath Khanal had declared on April 1 itself that the second day agitation would
be violent. Whether it is a coincidence or just a
normal political incident, Kathmandu’s streets witness violent agitation frequently.
Following the nationwide address of late King Birendra in 1990, the People’s Movement
ended with advent of multi-party democracy. Following the nationwide address of King
Gyanendra, the streets of Kathmandu turned into a battleground. As long as King Gyanendra sounded adamant,
the streets of capital remained peaceful and demonstrations were small. When King
Gyanendra took hard stance in Nepalgunj, the parties’ reactions were verbally very
strong but they did not organize any violent agitation. Interestingly, however, when King
Gyanendra sounded flexible and accommodative and when he appealed for support from parties
in his Pokhara speech, the parties reacted by holding violence demonstrations in
Kathmandu. It indicates that the internal political
forces monarchy and political parties are not in the decisive position. Divided and
desperate, the ongoing battle will push them towards the course of extremism while an
invisible but decisive external element will secure almost all benefits of extremism. Commonalities of Moderation Moderate forces have many commonalities and
common interests but they are taking such an extreme stand that they are even justifying
alliance with extremists and external forces to secure or retain power. As the differences among the liberal and
moderate democratic forces are widening, sharing of power among the internal forces appear
far away as their dependency on external elements increases. The house of moderates remain divided in
such a way that they stand against each other. Nepali Congress - country’s largest
moderate and democratic party- is yet to unite. Despite their efforts Koirala and former
prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba failed to join hands. In Koirala’s party, senior
moderate leaders like Shailaja Acharya, Chakra Bastola, Bhim Bahadur Tamang, Taranath
Ranabhat and others have been sidelined in decision-making. Former prime minister Deuba, too, is in
indecisive position. Pradeep Giri, Bimlendra Nidhi and Prakash Man Singh are compelling
him to stand in a divided party. Following the dismissal of Deuba government, King
Gyanendra, too, seems to be under the pressure of hardliners. Although the rise of extremism and violent
struggle in Nepal will ultimately create problems in long run not only in Nepal but also
beyond its territory, the political forces are struggling for short-term gain. The scenario is such that the revival of
constitutional process appears very far away. More violent the agitations and more the
moderates siding with extremists, lesser are the possibilities for reviving liberal
democracy. Broaden the Alliance Whatever the circumstances may be,
political forces do not have any other option other than to broaden their alliances and
strike compromises. At a time when some provocative elements are actively working in
government as well as agitating parties with an aim to create anarchy and bloody
confrontation, sensible political leadership can avoid confrontation. Given the derogative and provocative
statements and sloganeering, political leaders do not see what consequences the country
will have to face. “This is just a casting. We will show more than this,” said
CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal. “First of all, internal political
forces need to broaden alliance and identify commonalities among them. Then, they will
have strong political bargaining power,” said a political analyst. “The
foremost priority should be given to broaden alliances among internal forces.” When five agitating parties announced the
programs, they declared that the final round of program would be peaceful. “I would
guarantee you that this round of agitation will be peaceful and our workers will remain
peaceful,” said Nepali Congress leader and supreme leader of five agitating parties
Girija Prasad Koirala. “If government intervenes in our peaceful demonstration, it
will have to bear responsibility for the consequences.” The government side had also vowed to be
tolerant to the peaceful demonstration. “The government will not intervene in any
peaceful demonstration. The Constitution of Kingdom of Nepal 1990 guarantees the rights of
individuals to assemble and organize peaceful demonstration,” said Minister of Home,
Information and Communication. “If the agitation turns violent, the government,
however, will use the force.” Violent Agitations
The promises of agitating political
leaders and government have turned to be hollow. Following pitched battles this week, the
city turned into a battlefield. Tired of watching destruction and flames in the street,
the common citizens - who had began to show a certain degree of sympathy towards agitating
political parties - seem to be frustrated by the manner the parties and government acted. At a time when Maoists are lurking behind
the scene ready to exploit any advantages through the violent means, five agitating
political parties, who preach peaceful demonstration, cannot justify their acts. With the
public statement of Maoist leaders to support agitation, the parties have been trapped
into a vicious circle. The government has already warned the
possibility of involvement of Maoist elements in the agitation. “We have evidences
that the Maoists have already mixed up with the mainstream agitation,” said Kamal
Thapa, minister of Home affairs and Information and Communication. Apathy of Common People Despite wide coverage of mainstream media
justifying and at times even seemingly inciting destructions as a democratic struggle,
large number of public remain apathetic. “People of Kathmandu are opportunistic since
they never supported democratic agitation,” said a senior Congress leader expressing
anger over the low turn out of local population. As is their nature, large numbers of people
of the valley have shown that they don’t have any faith on extremism. Tired of living
in constant strikes and destruction, common people seem to have lost the faith on
political system. From the so-called die-hard monarchists to democrats, no one succeeded
to lure them. If political parties continue to launch
violent agitations, they will lose their utility as constitutional and peaceful forces. In
case of withdrawal of the agitation, they will lose their credibility and in case they
continue violent agitations, they will have to pay high price. “If political parties opt for more
violence, they will, knowingly and unknowingly, side with the Maoists, who have been
championing the cause of revolution through violence. Political parties have no way other
than to show restraint and be peaceful,” said a lawyer close to CPN-UML. Forces of Extremism Out of five agitating parties, four hold
the view of extremism to a different extent. Congress is the only party with moderate and
democratic ideals. Unfortunately, its moderate and democratic sympathizers were terrorized
by the events this week. As Nepali Congress has joined hands with
extremist groups by giving up the ideology of moderate democracy, it will ultimately
lose its own relevance. “Nepali Congress is a centrist party and it must play its
original centrist role to bring the two extreme sides in right place. It is unfortunate
for me to be saying that Nepali Congress leadership has already lost its direction,”
said Congress leader and former deputy prime minister Shailaja Acharya. Source of Conflict Nepalese intellectuals and political
leaders have hardly made efforts to understand the nature of discord. Many see the present
conflict is a result of differences between monarchy and political parties. Where is real
source of conflict? Had it been simply the conflict between
King and parties, it would have been settled a long time ago. There is another equally
powerful but invisible element – which plays decisive role in the crisis. When Nepal’s internal political forces
are divided, the invisible but other invisible force becomes decisive. Broadening the
alliance among internal political forces can narrow down the sphere of influence of other
force. As long as liberal democrats remain divided; and monarchy and democratic forces
remain split; the country will have to continue experiencing uncertainties. What is the Solution?
Political parties know where their
interests lie. The last twelve years of political exercises have taught all kinds of
experience to them. Unlike so-called intellectuals, political
leaders are still matured and realistic. When a section of so-called intellectuals are
engaged in efforts to push the political leaders towards the point of no return, the
latter have shown that they are still open minded. “We are ready to negotiate with the
King but the negotiations must be for the all party government with a mandate to hold the
peace talks with Maoists and hold the free and fair elections,” said CPN-UML general
secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal.” Our only one demand is to revive the constitutional
process.” King Gyanendra, too, seems to be prepared
to accept the reasonable demands of political parties to bring the constitutional process
back to the right track. What is genuinely lacking is confidence between them. This is
time for King to broaden his alliances inviting political leaders for negotiations. If
King continues to ignore these political leaders, they will be compelled to shake hands
with other forces. One of the most unfortunate situations is
that the parties and the King are heading towards opposite directions. When parties were
in the mood for compromise, King took hard stance. And now, when the King sounds flexible,
the parties have hardened. “As long as King Gyanendra took hard
line approach, political parties were tolerant. Soon after King softened his stand, the
parties have expressed anger and frustration,” said another analyst. “This
indicates that the return of democratic process is far away.” Political forces must act in accordance
with the reality. Whatever the stand they take, five agitating political parties do have
little choice just like the King. Whether one likes it or not, Nepalese
political forces must live together and they cannot change their allies. While monarchy
has a history and deep root in society, political parties have organizations to mobilize
people. Although the democratic parties have
threatened to go to the extent of demanding republic, King is ignoring them. The reality
is that both of them have certain limitations. “Unlike political parties, King does
not have the privilege and organization to regularly organize mass meetings. Democratic
political forces, too, can enjoy enormous freedom only under the shadow of monarchy. In
the absence of monarchy, political leaders might not be able to enjoy the present degree
of freedom,” added the analyst. Intensification of Insurgency When the parties are trying to intensify
the agitation, the Maoists, too, are intensifying their activities. After setting to fire
18 Indian tankers in Mahendranagar, Maoist attacked the police station in Janakpur killing
18 policemen. On the eve of their three-day Nepal Bandh
(April 6-8), these two Maoist attacks also give a message about where the country’s
future is heading. It seems that all these events are inviting a large-scale violence. Utility of Political Forces There are misunderstandings among the
political forces about their strength and utility. One has to accept the monarchy as a
force to guarantee the stability and prevalence of moderate forces to prevent any
tyrannical ruler form taking over. Since monarchy and the moderate democratic
forces are inter-dependant, sooner or later, they have to unite and reconcile. Longer they
travel alone, more the political instability will prolong. The unification among all democratic and
moderate political forces, external and internal, is the only way out for the long lasting
peace, security and prosperity in Nepal. No force is in the position to survive in
perpetual phase of political uncertainty. As British statesman Winston Churchill said
democracy is worst form of government but there is no alternative; since we don’t
have other alternatives, we have to produce the best from this worst system of governance. VIOLENT AGITATION The recent violent
agitation of five parties resembles with all the past ones By A CORRESPONDENT They come with determination. They set fire
to the tyres and throw stone. Before deserting the city street, the leave behind a huge
pile burnt tyres and stones. Whether it was in the case of 1990
People’s Movement or 2000 Hrithik Roshan episode or agitation against prime minister
Girija Prasad Koirala asking for his resignation on Lauda scandal or disturbance after the
Royal Massacre or the recent agitations, demonstrators have displayed common characters. As soon as a small group of agitators throw
stones at the police, the police would not wait for even a second to use batons or tear
gas shells. Quickly the angry mob and police force
engage in pitched battles in the streets for hours on end. At the end of the day the
political leaders denounce the government for overuse of force while the government
denounces agitators for breaking the laws. The work of certain trained provocateurs
change the whole complexion of the otherwise peaceful demonstrations. Along with lathi,
demonstrators will throw stones stored by them at different premises. To continue the
battle, party workers will be replaced by the violent workers. Then, the city will witness
mayhem in the streets. Then comes charges and counter charges with
big headlines in the local newspapers, tabloids, FM Radios and dailies. Instead of
discouraging uncivilized actions, newspapers regularly term them as handiwork of
revolutionary and democrats. According to a tyre dealer at Kalimati, a
week before the beginning of agitation, he sold 1,000 pieces of old tyres and dropped them
in various corners of capital. “We also supply the broken bricks in five different
places in the valley,” the broker said on condition of anonymity. The demonstrators - who are responsible for
igniting the flames - are professionals rather than regular workers of political parties.
From throwing stones to uprooting the railings, political parties always hire
professionals. There is a set price for uprooting
railings, destroying vehicles, burning tyres and pelting stones. One person gets
Rs.300 each for burning the tyres and more money for other functions and taking part in
pitched battle. One of the achievements of the last 12
years has been that a skillful professional group has evolved that can wage violent
demonstrations. From destabilizing Koirala’s government to Thapa’s government,
these groups were hired for all purposes and at all times. As long as these groups of trained
professionals are there, every government, whether it is democratic or autocratic, has to
pass through these kinds of situation. This group will be ready to do everything on the
ground that they should be paid. A few years ago, the current prime minister
Surya Bahadur Thapa and leaders of other five parties had hired similar bunch of people
demonstrating against then prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala. Now Koirala with other
five parties are recruiting similar workers to press Thapa. The faces of political leaders who call
general strikes change but that of the people who are used to destroy vehicles and
vandalize public properties have remained the same. The only difference is that while
every incumbent prime ministers termed these demonstrators as violent forces, those in the
opposition hail them as revolutionary. Issuing his statement, Congress leader
Koirala - who has seen many violent agitations in his tenure as a prime minister –
blamed the government for igniting the violence. “It is the government agents who are
responsible for all mayhem,” said Congress leader Koirala, who knows who these forces
really are. His compulsion is that these forces can be used to create trouble for the King
who has ignored the parties. Interestingly, when Koirala was addressing
his party workers blaming the government for all violence, his student leaders were busy
burning tyres at the premises of campuses destroying public vehicles. “We are not responsible for what
happened in the streets,” said Arjun Narsingh K.C. spokesperson of Nepali Congress,
who received a clean chit just a few days ago from the Commission of Investigation of
Abuse of Authority (CIAA) from corruption charges. Whoever may rule, the country will have to
see this kind of culture for a long time to come. Until and unless all moderate political
parties denounce such acts, they will continue. Every new government will be welcomed by
the flames of tyres, bandh and broken railings. INDIAN RESPONSE The Indian government has taken serious note of the recent Maoist attacks against Indian vehicles and nationals in Nepal. “Government of India strongly condemns the attack on Indian cargo vehicles by CPN (Maoist) insurgents at various places in Nepal in which a number of Indian nationals were shot and seriously wounded and several oil tankers and cargo vehicles were burnt and destroyed. This is a blatant act of terrorism and its perpetrators must be apprehended and punished for their crimes. The Government of India holds the leadership of CPN (Maoists) responsible for these incidents,” states the press statement of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs issued on April 5. “The Government of India also requests His Majesty’s Government of Nepal to provide full security for Indian personnel and property in Nepal. The Government of India is already working together with the authorities in Nepal to confront the challenge of terrorism through mutual cooperation. Such incidents, far from deterring such cooperation, will only lead to redoubled efforts on the part of both countries to overcome the danger which such terrorism poses to the security of both our neighbouring countries,” the statement adds. “Nepal faces an unprecedented crisis, the solution of which demands mutual understanding and cooperation between all the constitutional forces in the country in particular between the institution of Constitutional Monarchy and the political parties. As a close and friendly neighbour of Nepal sharing an open border, India would urge that, in recognising the seriousness of the current crisis, both Constitutional Monarchy as well as the political parties demonstrate flexibility and forge a national consensus to deal with this situation with the urgency it deserves. India will, as always, extend its full support to the people of Nepal in their hour of need.” |
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