Although never having attained legitimacy though an electoral process himself, Pushpa Dahal seems to be the only politician in Nepal who appreciates that the country is actually heading for constituent assembly elections.
According to Pushpa Dahal’s calculations, the Nepali Maoists face two strategic threats. The first is the state’s military and the second, is the risk of not obtaining “adequate” legitimacy through the constituent assembly polls. The term “adequate,” meaning sufficient electoral votes necessary to permanently obscure the fact that the Maoists murdered their way into power (with 13,000+ deaths and over 200,000 displaced).
In politics, an individual’s intelligence is gauged not by what he speaks but by how well he is able to divert attention away from his own weaknesses by placing the onus of decision making on his opponents. By this measure, Pushpa Dahal is easily the most masterful manipulator to have been born in Nepal.
Mr. Dahal knows perfectly well that the idea of using Nepali citizens (in any official capacity) during what MUST BE a completely IMPARTIAL peace process, is simply not feasible. Yet, partially with the significant vote bank in mind and partially with a view to putting his opponents on the defensive, Pushpa Dahal has successfully identified himself as the individual who introduced the possibility of employing former British and Indian Gurkhas, a peace monitors.
In essence, Mr. Dahal is extending the Maoist power-base they way his group has always done it. During the 11 year war, Pushpa Dahal and his cohorts mobilized Nepal’s rural populous by manipulating every point of social and ethnic tension that characterizes Nepalese polity. The Maoists did this even as successive attempts by the state to prevent its citizens becoming Maoist cannon fodder was foiled on the basis of alleged “conflict escalation” and human rights.
The recent Maoist suggestion of using ex-Gurkha servicemen is nothing but an extension of the Maoists’ 11-year strategy. They are mobilizing yet another segment of Nepal’s population to their electoral benefit by placing the onus of decision-making on the SPA (Girija in particular since the Maoists have found him to be rather lethargic in his old age), the UN and all other interest groups that are party to Nepal’s peace process.
Whatever the ultimate outcome of this preposterous suggestion may be, Pushpa Dahal and the Maoists have already maneuvered into the winning space.
No comments:
Post a Comment