(Courtesy: Nacho Libre)
It was decided by the SPA and Maoists, (affectionately referred to as the coalition of 8 parties and also by the metaphorical acronym “SPAM”), that Subash Nembang and Chitralekha Yadav will continue to be the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, of the new interim legislature. The next Deputy Prime Minister is expected to be a Maoist candidate. Given the ill health of the incumbent (Girija baboon), it is only a matter of time before the Deputy PM (whoever this turns out to be), will be the post-Girija Prime Minister of Nepal.
With Girija’s death, one extended era of political malfeasance (under the pretense of democracy) will end and another of anarchy (under the disguise of freedom) will begin. The war that Girija and his clansmen ignited in the early nineties has culminated after a decade and a half with Girija and his same clansmen now playing the role of the “peace loving,” democratic party that is prepared to go to any length to bring peace to Nepal.
There was no talk of peace when Girija first acknowledged the emergence of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal. At that time, there was only talk of a terrorist group that needed to be eliminated. Today, we find a situation where there is no talk of the systematic terror that the Maoists consistently used to rise to their power. Instead, there is only talk of the years of tranquility, stability and economic growth ahead (now that the Maoists have finally made peace their own primary agenda - peace of the Maoists' terms).
Given this trend of forgetfulness, half a decade down the road, it is likely that Nepalese will find themselves speaking less about the peace that the Maoists made and more about how things could have gotten so out of hand, so quick? For the Nepalese population suffers from endemic short-term memory (short-sightedness), the corollary of which is a complete lack of appreciation for strategy, in general.
Nepalese find themselves so immersed in the present, so bitter about the recent past and so marred by multiple layers of feudal, ethnic, class-based agony, they have completely lost appreciation for the manipulative intent of their current “masters” or the lackluster performance of the same political elite who are being “rewarded” by renewed tenures in office.
Why else would Nepalese welcome mass murderers like Baburam and Pushpa into their government with open arms? What other rationale is there to account for the sycophants that follow Girija around like leaches sucking on the “power-teet,” (while fully aware of the ultra-feudal and nepotistic characteristics that Girija as an individual, epitomizes).
Thank goodness some Nepalese had the sense and courage to quash the idea of nominating Girija for a Nobel Peace Prize – that would have been a collective insult to every living, breathing and thinking Nepali. Even an ounce more of debate on the issue would have been sacrilege to the souls of thousands of Nepalis who either died or were maimed during the course of the insurgency. Continued debate would have simply added insult to injury: The dead are gone and life for the maimed will never be the same while those guilty of engineering mass murder, get to participate in Nepal’s interim legislature.
Even the price for peace can be valued and when the price approximates forgetfulness over of forgiveness, it becomes too high to incur. All in the name of peace is what the disillusioned class would have us believe. Nothing could be more inaccurate.
Insurgent/military combat may have ceased. But the fight goes on. Those who had the luxury of three degrees of separation from the decade-long conflict are free to speak their minds in way of academic discourse. Those who did not enjoy such luxuries are not as likely to forget either the Maoist terror or the state’s brutal response.
It is quite easy for consultants on "peace dividend salaries" to preach conflict resolution, reconciliation and truth. It is not as easy for those who have suffered, to comply. Even the king as a symbol of everything that is wrong in Nepal, is an insufficient distraction when the “killer of my brother is a sitting member of parliament."
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