Contemporary wisdom from Nepal's intellectual elite suggests that constituent assembly elections are a foregone conclusion. Anyone who questions whether the elections can be held on April 10, 2008 is either a radical Madhesi, a sympathizer of the institution of Monarchy, or both. Such thinking is typical of the skewed intellectual fallacies that cloud international media reports on Nepal's anarchy; it is also the type of patronizing propaganda that is certain to cause additional chaos.
For the sake of this argument, let us assume that constituent assembly elections will be held on the 10th of April. Let us assume that the precarious state of lawlessness and insecurity are overly exaggerated and that the issues raised by the Madhesi people are all part of an elaborate Royalist scheme to retain the Monarchy.
Let us forget that most of the Madhesi groups demanding equality and autonomy, and burning Nepali flags were at one point, part of the Maoist organization - the same organization that has gone to great lengths to rationalize its gratuitous violence in the name of eradicating the Nepalese Monarchy.
For the sake of this discussion, let us play along with the ongoing propaganda that all of the Madhesis' demands have been met by this interim government - that Krishna Sitoula was actually held accountable for the deaths of dozens of Madhesis, relieved of his post as Home Minister, prosecuted for his incompetence, and sentenced to the extent of the law for 40+ counts of second degree murder.
Further, let us continue dreaming that no jerry-mandering has occurred in the delineation of Nepal's constituency structure, that the six political parties in power (plus one) and the Maoists have not already settled on the distribution of power in the constituent assembly. Let's assume that the one million Rupees distributed by the government to each interim member of parliament will in no way impact voting patterns during the elections and that it is only a small, radical faction of the Madhesi population that is opposed to polls under the prevailing circumstances.
Now let's return to reality. As the cliché goes, "assumptions are the mother of all major mistakes (actually a much more politically incorrect profanity that is not fit for public consumption)." It is not just the Madhesis and the Royalists who have cause for concern over the unnecessarily aggressive election timetable. Under prevailing conditions, the mere suggestion of overly simplified logic in favor of elections is an insult; it is a back handed slap in the face of every rational Nepali.
Given the precedent that the Maoists set (with silent endorsement from the current seven parties), every individual running for elections could potentially be risking their lives. The assassination of several people who ran for office during the last attempt at municipal polls should be revisited as a serious security concern. None of the criminals then or the dozens of Maoist culprits who perpetrated crimes after signing the peace agreement have been brought to justice. Nepalis have none other than their "dear" Maoists to thank for writing the book on how to undermine elections; and Nepalis owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to their civil society, political class and intellectual elite for silently endorsing the Maoists' method.
The lens under which the intellectual elite has portrayed the Madhesi uprising is hypocrisy at its height. Clearly, the Madhesi people have legitimate demands that should be met before elections are held? For the most part, the Madhesis have pursued their agendas through political means and have refrained from taking up arms against the state (with the exceptions of the JTMM splinters). How does Nepal's intellectual minority justify supporting the Maoists' violent rise to power and at the same time, deny the Madhesis political equivalence? Is this the rewarding of violence arriving at its logical full circle?
It doesn't take an intellect of any capacity to assert that it is in every Nepali's interest to see that constituent assembly elections are held. After all, Nepal hasn't seen elections in over a decade. This isn't where the naiveté comes into play. Rather, it's the "armchair predictions" made by self-professed intellectuals in lieu of the reality around them, that speaks volumes of idiocy.
The priority for these armchair intellectuals is to be proven correct - unfortunately, as outlined above, the gaping chasm between the make-believe (ideal) environment that Nepal's intellectual class projects and the reality of Nepal are two very different worlds. Just put yourself in the shoes of an average Madhesis fighting for his/her rights and the picture becomes crystal clear.
Further, the words and actions of Nepal's political leadership and its intellectual elite dangerously border on inciting full fledged civil war. It is inconceivable as to why people like Sushil Koirala, Ram Chandra Poudel and Baburam Bhattarai suggest the mobilization of the Nepali Army in the Madhes. Such irresponsible comments only add fuel to an already raging fire.
Plus, is the Nepali Army an instrument of the State or was part of the Jana Andolan-II mandate to make the Army a seven party (plus Maoist) tool? Does anyone care to revisit history and ponder the circumstances under Girija Koirala's resignation in 2002? Doesn't the mere suggestion of mobilizing Nepal's Army (in whatever capacity) play right into the hands of every radical Madhesi groups? At a high level, is the situation in the Madhes today any different from what the situation was in Rukkum and Rolpa in 1995/1996?
Then why on earth are ideas being floated to further aggravate the situation? Where Nepal as a nation is concerned, Sushil Koirala as an individual (irrespective of his party affiliation) is insignificant. The fact that bombs were triggered in the vicinity of Sushil's political campaign while unfortunate, pales in comparison to Koirala's politically insensitive suggestion that the Army be mobilized to hold elections. Exactly how should a Madhesi person interpret such a callous remark? Should he/she be delighted at the thought of an (allegedly) unrepresentative Army being deployed to hold elections that the Madhesis claim will not address their core demands?
Should such a mobilization actually happen and cause more violence, it is Sushil Koirala and the political leadership who should be put on trial at the Hauge - not the solider or the policeman deployed to "keep the peace." For anyone who has stared physical harm in the line of duty, the idea of "excessive force" is as ostentatious as the notion of "adequate force." Is this not a concern for the human rights community and the international moralists? No one said institutionalizing democracy would be as easy as removing the King. But what on earth could explain the distinct lack of hue and cry amongst Nepalis abroad or the international media? Is it remotely possible that Nepal's intellectual minority is as skewed in ethnic representation as the rest of Nepal?
At this point, let us return to the elementary Nepal that the so-called intellectual elite continue to pontificate on. Let us continue treating all practical hurdles to constituent assembly elections as Royalist designs. Let us further extend this logic and agree that the King is a spent force and the Madhesi uprising is nothing more than a few trigger-happy radicals. Then by deduction, sheer incompetence is the only explanation if constituent assembly elections - for whatever reason - are not held on the designated date. Without inflating the possibility of this "unlikely" outcome, let's take a moment to consider who to hold accountable at that time and how exactly to expose the propaganda artists who are working overtime to disappoint the Nepali public today.
Related Posts:
Nepal's Constituent Assembly Elections - It's not Just a Matter of Security
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/08/nepals-constituent-assembly-elections.html
No Impunity for Civil Society Leaders: Nepalis are watching....
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/09/no-impunity-for-civil-society-leaders.html
The greatest threat to peace in Nepal is misinformed, misguided, agenda-divine journalists like "The Guardian's" Isabel Hilton
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/07/courtesy-el-punto-isabel-hiltons.html
Revisiting Recent Nepali History - A brief Collection of "Inconvenient Truths"
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/07/revisiting-recent-nepali-history-brief.html
Lack of Law & Order in Nepal, Primarily a Maoist-Originated Problem
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/07/lack-of-law-order-in-nepal-primarily.html
Nepali Maoists Should bear Moral Responsibility for the Terror Attacks in Kathmandu
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/09/nepali-maoists-should-bear-moral.html
18 comments:
Very good thinking...absolutely right
Assuming nothing is good way to move ahead but when nation that was built in sweats,tears and blood of valiant ancestors should not be let go in vain just for the folly of monkeys who have learnt to speak the west, copy the south and act the nowhereman.
If few can establish a tranny that borders on destruction of a nation then to fight by any means possible or avaliable is okay, at least from my perspective.
Madesh issue are genuinne and till date they are calling themselvs Nepali but these SPA are hell bent on creating a situation, are actually blind as a bat in propogating confrontation that will definately invite UN peace keeping intervention with India as a lead force. As is UN presence is more than necessary as of now with every fourth car plying the road in Kathmandu is UN plated. So the intent is flawed so blame the SPA if nation disintegrates rather than Goit or whatever outfits turning violent. Much more is on the way, anyways
To me the equation has always been simple.... the reason the 7 parties are not giving in to madhesi demands is because it means giving up the lions share of the 7 parties constituencies.
It is this simple.
The clear messages of Indian Ambassador in interview are;
- the constitutional monarchy is not convincing for this Indian govt. at the moment
- the CA will be held in April 10 by fulfilling the demand of madhesi
- the legality of this government will be questioned if the election will not be held even third time.
Forget the Indian Ambassador. Is he the Indian Viceroy in Nepal or what?
As for this website, I thank the writers every single day that at least somewhere in the world wide web, there is still a voice of reason.
The armchair dreamers in Nepal need a sound thumping on their heads. Seriously. This naatak has gone on for long enough.
Definately Jivan, Indian embassy is the political planner of Nepal. They know by what means to use the political and elite crooks of Nepal.
As far as assuming nothing- gall of YCL and Maoist, the one and the same is quiet astounding. They paid 13 crorer for the hotel in Naya Bazar, this is where they have their conference. They have captured land and massive building in Koteswhor in cahots with developer swindler- this just a tip of the iceberg, there must untold capture, extortions, and intimidation in the "name of people" but Shit-owla is busy confirming seats for the leaders even without an election held. Last I heard was- Shit-Owla and Pran-chande are Arabpati- is the day of reckoning near?? And what about Mahara palatial house.
Sad to say but only option left is Afghan style mess to visit us very soon.
This what so-called elite and educated people of Nepal are waiting for.
The red in YCL offices is nothing but just the drama to save face by Shit-Owla infront of people and congress. The cost of YCL is Rs.1 billion. Do the government ever asked from where they are managing. Only the businessmen and general people have to pay the taxes and questioned are being asked the earnings. But they don't...isn't it the New and good Nepal for these filthy politicians ?
The raid on the YCL office was a joke.
Come to think of it, this isn't the first time the NC has used the police force to carry out its dirty work. Dilendra Badu got a good thrashing from the Maoists. Big deal. There are many other parties who have been at the bearing end of even more violence from the Maoists. Was the police mobilized then?
The YCL is just giving the NC a taste of its own medicine.
The high drama of raid on YCL- a simple game conducted by Shit-owla in cahoots with Maoist to save himself from the debacle called Constitution Assembly- on this or that pretext, he will resign and NC will get hit to the body and Maoist will churn the wheel of state capture as being in the name of "people", like they always do citing reasons that suits them not anyone else. Shit-owla will continue to play gate keeper for Maoist by burning his own house (NC) but the blind senile, knee deep in gutter Civil society, and spoon feeding INGOs will continue with the virtue of Loktrantra in the ruin of a soveriegn nation- the one that was never colonized in South Asia- a proud nation killed off by few zealouts who wanted a shove beetle car through eye on a needle
Once Nicoles Ceausescu made abortion illegal to increase the population in 1966 to create a nation worthy of the New Socialist Man. He built palaces for himself while alternately brutalizing and neglecting citizens. The chain effect had been seen in 1989. The chilren born by illegal abortion being successful to eliminate the Ceausescu rule and him as well.
The case is almost related to spam and terai andolan. The maoist taught and divided their members according to ethnicity and their geography to go against the monarchy's unification. Now, after 14 years, they realised that they are really being deprived even in the new scenario of maoist and left the party to demand the demcration according to ethnicity as prepared by maoist. Similarly, seven parties were first being successful to gather big mass in Janakpur. They requested the terai people to raise the voices for their rights and against the suppression after the unification. But after successful of Janaandolan-2, they found they are being cheated by the spam by not giving enough place in their rule and found nothing change. Now they are against the spam to eliminate from terai.
The maois telling that without their enough presence, the CA will not be accepted. Looking at the present scenario, the chance of winning not only of maoist but also of spa is very thin. Altogether, they hardly get 30%.
Anon 7:24 PM,
I agree with what you are saying here. It is completely a double standard that the hilly region politicians are exercising in the Terai / Madhes.
I am hopeful that one day soon, these fools will be brought down to their knees by the madhesis.
Another double standard about spam, they used student forces when price hike was there in royal regime. But they made the student keep silent (only foul cry)although they had increased by more than 25% in their rule. Who are the sufferer, definately unemployed students and poor people. Now looking at the long and difficult que for gasoline since more than one year, one day people will come to the street to block all tax paid vehicles of the government, the result might be unimaginable to spam. All their dramas will be seen in the street in ture sense during that time.
Anonymous 1:38,
Politicians will use whatever or whoever is at their disposal to get their job done.
How stupid do you think these 40, 50 year old so-called "student leaders" are to time and again follow the lead of the same old crooks?
Gyanendra was in power for too short a time to have any true economic impact. SPAM has done what is necessary where prices are concerned. The Nepali government is in no poisition to subsidize the the consumption patters of its ctitizens.
So the use of students for political agendas is wrong, but the overall policy is correct.
Now time has come to judge who are bad, worse, worst and beyond ?
Now time has come to judge who are bad, worse, worst and beyond ?
The worst, an unimaginably dangerous fellow in Nepal is Girija. The people still don't know that the man, Girija, is sitting in the PM quarter is actively working to destroy the existing machineries of Nepal government by surrendering everything to the maoist and India. He and his goons' ethnic politics has played a crucial role to destroy the monarchy but it is diverting the nation into bad shape. His only political ideology is to stick in power at whatever cost to the people and the nation. The country is economically worst at this moment but he is more interested in spending on undesired and useless things which neither benefit the general people nor to our nation and its development. The media, civil society, human rights and spam might be the gainer in this game but the general people got nothing in their hand instead of shortage and price hike of daily needs.
A rule of law that actually and effectively serves the people seems as an intolerable thing to Girija and his goons, because that is the single best barrier against his desire to reach the ultimate point. Nepali citizens are imprisoned and denied rights to raise the voices against this misrule due to the threats of syndicate machineries for almost two years. He and his goons applied the way to destroy the functionality of the system by destroying the rule of law itself. Mr. Girija is always using the weapons of democracy and peace to avoid the hue and cry of the peoples’ expectations of right to live and survive in addition to their security. His mentality might be once the rule of law is gone, there is nothing left to defend Nepali rights and freedoms, nothing left to bring justice to the unjust, nothing left to stop his democratic dictatorship and anarchism as advised by his co-partner maoist. But the sad thing none of this information has ever been reported by the elite circle and media people either due to fear or with returns. It is cleary potraying that civil society, human right groups and many media people are not being paid to think or be smart to write the dirty politics of today. Or they might be getting remuneration to shot their mouth and deliberately miss the point of every pressing issue they address and in the speech. This is how even accidentally not providing real and valuable information to the general people during any news broadcasts and publications, and that is what mostly keeps many Nepali dumbly frightened and easily managed with dire situation and facts.
This is why the final product of this process is today's Nepali body politic, almost completely unaware of the gun at their head, a body politic without the protection of law or basic rights and does not know it, a body politic that is altogether lost and wandering and afraid, for reasons they don't begin to understand. That is an unbelievably dangerous state of affairs, a real threat to the very survival of the Nepal.
This barely scratches the surface of the situation as a whole, and that fact alone is pretty much Beyond even Beyond all by itself which Prachand might bring.
Assume nothing is right!
Who would have ever assumed that the Indians would fly into Kathmandu, and force the SPA to negotiate with the Madhesis.
We are truly a pathetic bunch - we can't even take care of our own problems without kneeling down to the Indians for help. Where this is concerned, the Maoists are at the top of the list of Indian sympathizers followed closely by the Royalists and everyone else.
So sad to see Nepal lose its independence in the 21st century.
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