5 Questions

This week we preferred to invite a few noted media men and some students plus one NC activist for this column. The questions posed to them were all related to the present hitch seen in the Maoists-Government talks. Undoubtedly, the personalities wished the ongoing talks a total success. Below the results: Chief editor.

There is no option to Government-Maoists talks

Mr. Suresh Acharya, President Federation of Nepalese Journalists

TGQ1: Mr. Acharya! How you take the recent events in the government and the Maoists camps? Is there any option to talks? Your comments please.

Suresh Acharya: Both the government and the Maoists do not have options other than negotiations. Failure of the talks would mean an unfortunate event to the nation and it would then be very difficult to predict where it would take the nation and the Nepalese nationals. Abstaining negotiation only means to reactivate Maoists violently; and if so happened the government will have to take support of the army as the last resort. And the Maoists should also remember that the government's last resort would be unimaginably dangerous.

In the process of negotiation, however flexibility we find in both, considerable flaws outside the negotiating room could be seen from both the side. In the process of establishing themselves as a force through duress, they should not forget that in recognition of their force the government invited them to the negotiating table. At the time of finding a peaceful solutions through talks, the government should demonstrate utmost restraint in its utterances and the ministers should abandon making unwarranted speeches, merely to get public attention, which implies that the government in essence not sincere to the talks. Therefore both the sides must exhibit their total commitment towards the talks and the people at large.

Maoists must abandon airing impractical demands

Mr. Vijaya Kumar Das, Senior Journalist, Kathmandu

TGQ2: As a senior media men what you would suggest both the Maoists and the government given the exchange of strong words going in between the two?

Mr. Vijaya Das: If both the parties possess love for their nation, they must come to terms at any cost. Violence could not be a solution to this issue. We have seen in the past that resorting to arms has failed to bring about a solution to the problems of the sort of Maoists. The government and the Maoists must stop making fiery speeches in order not to disturb the already initiated peace process.

My advice to the Maoists at this stage would be to tell them to stop airing demands that seem impractical given the volatile situation of the country. There should be no effort from the quarters of the insurgents aimed at creating division among the Nepalese on communal lines. This will weaken the nation-state ultimately. They should also not hit the existing religion and the culture, which in effect has remained a unifying factor in and among the Nepalese population.

Let us all vow that Nepal doesn’t turn into the present day Afghanistan. The government must not acquire an extreme hard-line stance towards the Maoists. Dialogues must prevail. Arms could not be the solution.

Mahara's fiery statement to accelerate atmosphere of uncertainty

Mr. Sujeet Aryal, Student, Political Science

TGQ3: How you take Maoist negotiator K.B. Mahara's threat loaded statements being made during these days?

Mr. Sujeet Aryal: His recent threat to destine the fate of Royal Palace and Singh-Durbar- which has such a glorious past, identical to that of Pentagon, has invited general public obloquy. Such a statement would only accelerate an atmosphere of uncertainty among the already perturbed Nepalese population. However staunch he may be with his foreign ideology, he and his party men should realize that both are valuable national properties and none should even imagine to such an extent. Being a Nepali citizen, with such a scholarly acquisition, he should understand the feelings of the majority of the nonpartisan population, who expect Maoists to come to the Parliament by democratic means with popular support; and then try to win the support from the body politic for his doctrine, again democratically. Common people may extend their support to the Maoists under duress, but for how long?

Home Minister Khadka's statements inappropriate at this juncture

Mr. Surendra Aryal, Vice Chairman, Biratnagar Press Club

TGQ4: Home Minister Khadka too is issuing strong worded expressions against the Maoists.
Should he continue on those lines or keep restraint?

Mr. Surendra Aryal: It is absolutely inappropriate for such a responsible Minister like Khadka making such an expression at this precarious situation. The continuation of making mutually hostile statements by both sides would only help to maintain the dangerous status quo. By and large such tight wordings from the government side would inevitably worsen the Maoists-Government relations, which is what the people at large wish not to recur. Minister Khadka must understand that he is not a private individual but a public servant whose each and every actions or utterances for that matter are being watched by the general population. Is it not possible that the Maoists leaders could have made fiery speeches just to please their cadres?

Deuba as Prime Minister must tame ministers like Khadka at least for the timebeing.

More commitment, solemn efforts and strong decisions from comrade Prachanda are imperative.

-Mr. Hari Gautam, NC Activist

TGQ5: What you will suggest comrade Prachanda so that the atmosphere of peace that prevails at the moment does not get abruptly disturbed?

Mr. Hari Gautam: Many of the issues advocated by the Maoists are certainly of national interests, but their process of implementation through the use of pressure tactics and violent means all go against the national interests. Many national and international forces as well don’t wish to see the Maoists crisis solved, because if the same is solved through peaceful negotiations and if they enter national mainstream politics, some of the hostile forces will loose their evil influence over national politics; and on the other hand, there is presumably the active presence of some unseen force(s) taking undue advantage of the present political uncertainty. As a matter of fact, therefore, its direct influence could be seen in the utterances made by both the government and the Maoists in the recent days Solution to the Maoists crisis through peaceful means needs above all more commitment, efforts and strong decisions from comrade Prachanda.

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