Lull before the storm?

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has amply demonstrated his will that he will this round not settle for less than bringing the Maoists insurgents for "constructive and meaningful" talks. In the process the new Prime Minister has tentatively bagged the "required" sympathies of the competent political parties within and without the parliament and moreover the good wishes from the lay men who in essence have been the real victims of the two way warfare in between the establishments' security forces and those of the Maoists insurgents since five years or so. While Sher Bahadur Deuba at the moment enjoys the "unconditional" support from the top-hats of his own party, however, skeptics maintain that this support might not remain for long for obvious reasons. Indications to this effect have already been provided by the party's high command that during the talks the Prime Minister can't exceed his limits and that certain constitutional limits were a must which he ought to observe at any costs. Add to this the main opposition UML's addendum that their men should also be accommodated in the panel which will initiate talks with the Maoists.

Nevertheless, the talks will take soon, we presume so. We also presume that the talks will finally have a happy landing. However, what is really surprising for the Nepali intellectuals is the manner the new "energetic" Prime Minister is extending "concessions" after concessions to the Maoists insurgents prior to the talks. The speed with which he is extending concessions to the other camp apparently gives and impression to all and sun dry that what would be left with Deuba to offer to the insurgents during the talks if they wish some extra concessions? This should not mean that we are against providing extra facilities to the insurgents. What we fear is that some concessions should have been kept intact in the hands of the establishments for some extraordinary "moments" that might be in the offing during the impending dialogues.

Yet, however, if the chief negotiator that is Sher Bahadur Deuba remains confident of the fact that his awarding concessions at this juncture will please the insurgents and that they would too provide concessions to him with the same speed then we have nothing to worry. But then indications to that effect perhaps were yet to emerge from the other camp. This is intriguing indeed.

The fact is that the constitutional limits set by the constitution will perhaps be provoked by the insurgents at time of the talks. Indications to this effect became apparent only last week when some Maoists affiliated organizations made it clear that their final aim was a system which Deuba can't decide on his own. For the lay men indeed, any system in the globe is acceptable provided it cares the problems of the people. The fact is that we have already seen communists' UML rule, which allowed its leaders to accumulate wealth for generations and generations. The congress rule perhaps the people will never forget till they are alive.

However, let's be optimistic. Let's hope that Comrade Prachanda and Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai see to reasons and settle their "'differences" with the "system" in a cordial way and help restore peace which has already become a rare commodity in the Kingdom.

Yet a million dollar question will continue to hang in Nepali sky: What if the junior cadres of the insurgency flatly reject the outcome of the government-Maoists talks and enter again the jungles disobeying their commanders' orders? Definitely this is a question which ought to be properly taken care of both by the government and the present day top ranking leaders of the insurgency prior to and during the talks.

We wish all the best to the impending talks.

Fresh political overtures in the Left!

Nepali politics is presumably awaiting a big and monumental change whose repercussions would be felt far and wide. Indications to this effect have already been trickling in from various political quarters in Nepal of late. It is in this light we wish to delve on the proposed talks of unification in between the UML and the ML. Unification as such is a most welcome move. Such efforts albeit at the political sector are all aimed at bringing in all the individuals and groupings who tentatively possess similar "'attitudes and ideas" on a particular "political" issue. It is this unification process that ultimately not only strengthens the unity in and among the parties converging under one umbrella but also makes the party thus unifies a formidable force to be reckoned with. It is not for nothing been said United We stand, divided we fall.

In effect this is what happened with the present day UML which had to gulp the bitter pill of a split some three and a half years back. It was because of this split that the UML had to remain content with the present day position inside the parliament or else would have easily ruled the nation in the manner the congress is ruling the country.

However, the UML is inviting the ML to merge yet again but does that mean that the "reasons" for the then split as enunciated by the present day ML have been accepted by the UML? To recall, one of the reasons for the split was the sharp differences in the then UML among the leaders regarding the ratification of the Mahakali Treaty with India. The ML leaders split because they had some reservations against the said treaty, which the UML had not. Is it that the ML now apologizes for the previous mistake or is it that the UML subscribes to the splinter group's view?

Or is it that they just wish to send a sort of fear psychosis in the minds of the "democratic" minded people around the world and more so to the ruling congress through this act of unification? If the intention behind the entire process of unification is pious then other forces have nothing to panic. However, if it just the other way round then it becomes alarming. If Bam Dev's statements were any clue regarding his preferences that the Maoists insurgents should also come into the communists mainstream then predictably it becomes pretty clear that soon the communists in Nepal become a formidable force which will lead the nation their way. Nevertheless, the proposed unification of the communists' forces of Nepal might also prompt the rest of the political forces to come under one umbrella in order to match the strength of the communists.

This means that a sea change in Nepali politics is round the corner.

Headline | National | Letter | 2nd Impression | International | Past