Three successive meetings of the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee (JMCC) (which comprises Maoists, Nepal Army, Government and UNMIN personnel) failed to move ahead with the second round of arms verification. The point of disagreement was on the timing of the disbursement of funds to 32,000+ Maoist combatants (at the rate of Rs. 3,000 per month and it is unclear if this is in addition to the Rs. 180 per day that the government agreed to provide, earlier: http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/feb/feb25/news05.php).
With combatants abandoning cantonment sites, the Maoist "army" leadership found itself begging the government (of which they are now a part), to release the promised funding.
Reinforcing the Maoist plea (with the urgency of their own jobs at stake), Jan Erik Wilhamson (Security Lead for UNMIN and Chairman of the JMCC), also asked for the disbursement of funds. Jan's point was that his team was ready to conduct second phase verifications as soon as the Maoists' permitted them to proceed. The Maoists' permission of course, was premised on the distribution of funds.
There is no clause in either the "Comprehensive Peace Agreement" or the "Agreement on the Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies 8 December 2006” that identifies the need to disburse funds to the Maoists, prior to the completion of the arms management process - in its entirety.
Further, an objective view compels one to consider why 32,000+ Maoist combatants are being paid Rs. 3,000 for a month, when UNMIN hasn't been able to verify that all 32,000+, are bona-fide Maoist combatants. The certification of combatants is to be based on UNMIN observers identifying underage Maoists (child combatants), identifying combatants who joined after May 25, 2006, and relieving all such personnel from the ranks of Maoist combatants.
If the estimated number of child combatants (and combatants who joined Maoist ranks after the armed insurgency was declared over), was negligible, the funds wouldn't be as big an issue. However, with estimates as high as a third of the total Maoist combatants being under the age of 18 and half having joined the Maoist ranks after the 25th of May, funds are definitely something to be concerned about.
The explicit assumption is that the second round of arms verification will be concluded within a month (the Rs. 92.5 million accounts for roughly a month's salary for the Maoist combatants). The implicit assumption is that when UNMIN observers disqualify (say for example) 1,000 combatants, the Maoist leadership will return Rs. 3 million (1,000*Rs. 3,000) to the State's coffers.
Both assumptions are incorrect. The first being false leaves the Nepali Government in a position where it is forced to write another few (Rs. 92.5 million) checks to sustain the Maoist combatants till UNMIN can do a thorough job. If this doesn't happen, UNMIN will have an excuse for why the completeness and accuracy of the second phase verification cannot be ascertained - "we were rushed!!"
The consequences of falsifying the second assumption needs no explanation. The only thing the Nepali government will get back from the Maoists at the end of the second round of verification is a blank receipt and a blank stare - "What money are you talking about? We incurred costs on the way to and from the salary distribution sites."
The point being made is that this whole haphazard process is ludicrous. Granted, the government had agreed to disburse funds in order to keep the Maoists in their cantonments. But this agreement was based on the idea that the Maoists' would also honour the CPA and the "Agreement on the Monitoring of the Management of Arms and Armies 8 December 2006.”
In reality, all we read about in the media is examples of how the Maoists are dishonouring the commitments they had agreed to. All we hear about is example after example of Maoists working around their obligations (e.g. the creation of the YCL, kidnapping, extortion, denial of access, failure to return private property, etc.), and the government, bending over backwards to accommodate the Maoists.
Something is very wrong. Nepali tax payers shouldn't have to pay taxes twice - once to the state and a second time to the Maoists (via extortion and now, salaries). The state shouldn't be paying anyone but its own security forces to keep the peace. The state should most certainly not have to pay the Maoists to keep them from committing acts of violence!!
There's a term for payments of this nature. They're called EXTORTION fees. And there's a term for the mindset we find our government in. It's called DELUSIONAL.
The Maoists are where they are today, because of their radical leaders and their nonsensical ideology. The Maoist leadership is increasingly isolated by its own cadre-base and by the international community because both realize what this whole 12 year war was about: Baburam Bhattarai, Pushpa Dahal, Chandra Prakash Gajurel (and other Brahmin leaders') inability to come to power democratically.
This insurgency wasn't about equality or inclusion and it certainly wasn't about democracy. If it was, every Maoist cadre would be at par with every other Maoist but we find no evidence of such equality; every Nepali, Janajati, Madhesi, Muslim, Hindu, Chhetri, Bahun, Christian would be on equal standing, but we know they're not; every political entity would be chanting tolerance, democracy and competitive politics, and yet, the Maoists are the first to admit their goal is still a communist republic.
So where does all this sympathy for the Maoist leadership come from? Why does Nepal's Civil Society stage 12 hour sit-ins to satiate the Maoists' will? Why do we continue to pretend that everyone is a guarantor of the peace process except the Maoists (who raised arms in the first place)?
Ultimately, the Nepali Government's disbursement of funds amounts to this: A "reward" of Rs. 92.5 million for 14,000 dead and 12 years of terror. Or, here's a slightly different perspective: An additional month of peace, "bought" at the expense of law-abiding, tax paying Nepalis that another segment of Maoists (the YCL), continues to extort on the side.
Related Postings:
What Next?
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-next.html
Nepal's Challenging Road to Peace: Divergent Perceptions (1/6)
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/08/nepals-challenging-road-to_115518368869932816.html
Nepal's Challenging Road to Peace: Cautiously Optimistic but Seriously Concerned (2/6)
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/08/nepals-challenging-road-to_115518358698784571.html
Nepal's Challenging Road to Peace: Inflection Points (3/6)
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/08/nepals-challenging-road-to_115518349599856869.html
Nepal's Challenging Road to Peace: Possible Maoist Interpretations (4/6)
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/08/nepals-challenging-road-to_115518331283543027.html
Nepal's Challenging Road to Peace: Possible Maoist Interpretations (5/6)
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/08/nepals-challenging-road-to-peace_10.html
Nepal's Challenging Road to Peace: Navigating Choppy Waters (6/6)
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/08/nepals-challenging-road-to-peace.html
10 comments:
"There's a term for payments of this nature. They're called EXTORTION fees. And there's a term for the mindset we find our government in. It's called DELUSIONAL."
-- though I agree with the expressed sentiments, I'd have to say the writer is stretching a bit for the terms.
"A "reward" of Rs. 92.5 million for 14,000 dead and 12 years of terror."
-- it certainly seems so. On the contrary, if I have to choose between "buying" peace for a year to sort things out and letting the so called "people's war" continue for one more year, I will have to go with the former. If the writer can offer us his/her view on an alternate solution to this crisis, I would be much obliged.
Abhi I agree, things are not as simple as the writer would suggest.
However, I do not agree that peace is something that should have to be bought. I agree with the writer strongly in his/her statement that the Maoists have to want peace as much as everyone else. Otherwsie, this whole deal is a sham.
You and I may go with the suggestion of purchasing time to let the process work. But look around you, all the time that has been purchased has been used by the Maoists for one end - to entrench themselves while the rest of the parties get weaker by the day.
Perhaps one middle way would have been to go cantonment by cantonment, do the second round of verfications and then give funds to those who are verified by the UN. This would have been the correct approach instead of just giving out money.
For those of us who already pay taxes and are law abiding citizens, it is difficult to pay the state, pay the Maoists (donations), and now, also to pay to keep the Maiost armed fighters in cantonment.
These are just my personal thoughts.
Take Chamberlain for example- the appeasement did not halt the Nazi nor " free lunch" will halt the maoist. But the question is this- the payment without checks and balances at the insistence of Maoist boils down to extortion- plain and simple.
Sustainable peace can be achieved only when all the stake holders are in the same level playing field. The idea of buying temporary respite by paying off is ludicrous at best and trying to avoid the inevitable as we Nepali are famous for.
The ways and means to secure peace by disjointed SPAM is like pouring water on a sand at the expense of us- not that we are rich to pay taxes twice as well as strong enough to withstand the threat and mayhem. But one thing is clear- the concept of buying peace is one for the people like Sundermani Dixit and devendra Pandey- not for us, a man and woman of common sense. The righteous civil society, NGOs, foreign diplomats or member of SPAMs may disagree for they take us for Bheda.
DOA
DOA I completely agree with you.
Everything is so focused on the center, yet again.
I spoke to friends from the so-called Maoist hearland - Rukkum, Rolpa, Pyuthan, Sallyan and Jajarkot.
They all say the same thing - Without arms, there is no chance in hell the Maoists will win any elections in those areas.
So why this enormous appeasement to the Maoists at a time when they don't even keep past commitments?
While the focus is diverted, real criminals who have sucked on the blood of the nepali people are getting away without any punishment.
Look at the case of Jaya Prakash Gupta - just because he is involved with the Madhesi (MJF) and has defected to weaken the movement, he is now free of corruption?
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/jun/jun11/news10.php
Where is the YCL now?
Abhi,
Do you agree with this sentence -
"The Maoists are where they are today, because of their radical leaders and their nonsensical ideology. The Maoist leadership is increasingly isolated by its own cadre-base and by the international community because both realize what this whole 12 year war was about: Baburam Bhattarai, Pushpa Dahal, Chandra Prakash Gajurel (and other Brahmin leaders') inability to come to power democratically."?
If you do not, can you give some examples of why you disagree?
If you agree then you may already know the alternate solution you are seeking - keep paying the Maoist leaders, make them rich and corrupt liek the other Bahuns in government and let life carry on for the elite while the marginalized carry on their protests.
Personally, I don't like this alternative either.
Himmat,
Your solution sounds reasonable but it would be difficult to implement, logistically. Maybe it will just create more dissent in the Maoist ranks and lead to more bloodshed later.
Thank you.
"A "reward" of Rs. 92.5 million for 14,000 dead and 12 years of terror."
and goof fame and power to Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Babu Ram Bhattarai
and
Reward for free shopping of expensive materials in Europe to Sujata, a daugther of Girija Koirala.
and
Free abroad education, in the name of martyrs, to the sons and daughters of so-call democratic leaders Madhav Nepal, Bamdev Gautam, Bharat Mohan Adhikari etc. etc.
and
huge international fund to crook intellectuals like Pandey, Dixit, Pyakhurel in the name of civil society and human right.
where neither the voice of the people are recognised nor the rights of the people are accepted.
All goons are getting good rewards in the name of peace and democracy.
Anonymous (1:39 pm), right on! You are on target!
And where is this so-called impartial media today? They say NOTHING. Why? Because their masters are in power.
This is the sham democracy in nepal. All these intelelctual and smart ass bahuns, fighting to continue their sashan. taht's all this circus is about.
This a classic case of government actually propogating insurgency,accepting the fact that any group of people with arms without any political agenda should be "paid off" to gain peace, and government fuelling the trend to earn without work.
Man, How I hate SPAM. This angst even prevents me from writing well.
You mean this is a classic case of Bahunists making peace on behalf of those they sent to die for their Bahunist quarrels.
Every Bahunist in Nepal should be paraded in tudikhel, flogged and then made to beg the country on tv for forgiveness.
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