(Courtesy: Dr. Hari Bansha Dulal)
Finally, by nominating Ram Raja Prasad Singh for the post of president, the Maoists have officially ended an era of consensus politics. An eternal journey with the Maoists, which the Nepali Congress (NC) and the United Marxist Leninist (UML) told us was necessary to build a "New Nepal," is in lurch, after the Maoists have shut the door on the NC and the UML and have decided to build a "New Nepal" on their own.
Things are shaping up to be pretty odd. With the Maoists' latest act of betrayal, Nepali politics is, slowly but surely, getting confrontational. With the Maoists resorting to, my-way-or-the highway attitude, the settling of political vendetta will take the center-stage. Constitution making is the last thing in the minds of politicians. For the Maoists, it is all about how to consolidate the power, and for others, how to contain the Maoists and maximize political bargains.
The mainstream political parties of yesteryears are back to the square one. In 2005, an autocratic monarch had shut the door on them, and now, after three years, it is the very party that they helped spread base in the urban center repeating the act. Is it fate's cruel prank or inability on the part of UML and NC politicians to understand and tackle authoritarian tendencies?
Was it expected? Oh, yes, except a few greedy power-mongers within the NC and the UML, who thought that protracted ideological decay was worth it, everyone else were well aware of the Maoists' intent, and saw betrayal coming. Short term power mongering over long term political survival was almost certain to yield the consolidation of state power, but with the Maoists at the helm.
The NC and UML were bound to get betrayed. It was just a matter of time. It is not only because the Maoists' modus operandi is based on betrayal and lies, but also because the Maoists' strategic end goal: the establishment of a one-party communist republic directly conflicts with the end goal of the NC and UML. Anyone following the Maoist insurgency can easily tell that, at no point throughout the entire period of insurgency or the peace process has its leadership or the surrogates expressed anything but a full-fledged commitment to the establishment of a dictatorship of the proletariats. Any misrepresentation of the Maoists' strategic intent has come from outside the party -- mainly from the power-mongers within the NC, UML or the left-leaning civil society.
Had Girija Prasad Koirala not allowed the peace process to be reduced to an "appease process" by fulfilling each and every demand raised by the Maoists, the situation would have been quite different now. Had he taken time to dispassionately evaluate the Maoist machine, he would have understood long ago that the Maoists are in this to win -- not to compromise, or become mainstreamed or to play by anyone else's rules but their own.
The Maoists were successful in clouding his judgments by dangling "Presidential Lollypop" in front of him. Once the Maoists started doing that, their anti-social and undemocratic means were simply shrugged off as negativities associated with the transitional phase.
The NC and UML should learn a lesson from how the Maoists have done "business" to date. Their failure to put oneself inside the Maoist mind and see things as they see them, to understand their beliefs, strategy, and supporting tactics have put ordinary cadres in far flung villages in a very difficult position.
In the last two years, the fat cats within the NC and UML might have profited financially, but when it comes to grassroots cadres, they are worse off than they were three years ago.
In the tarai, they have to face the wrath of the secessionists like Nagendra Paswan and Jay Krishna Goit, and in the hills, newly mushroomed ethnic militant groups have made their life miserable. It is not only the NC and UML cadres that are having a hard time in the changed political context, but there is another group called Internally Displaced People (IDPs) that did not benefit a bit from the grand coalition of the last three years.
They are the forgotten heroes, whose woes both the NC and the UML chose to ignore.
What next? The Maoists will use different combinations of muscle power and ballots to eliminate all marginal threats to their expanding power base. Whether this process of elimination occurs figuratively or literally, whether through perversions of democratic process or through decrees will get clearer in the days ahead.
There is, however, a very little evidence to support that the Maoists will play by the democratic rule book. They, however, will pretend to act democratic as long as it benefits them to do so, but that does not mean that the Maoists have embraced multi-party democracy. They have already started to interpret their victory in the CA election as unconditional support for the full execution of the 'Prachanda path." The chances for a radical party to continue carrying out radical policies in the changed political context should not be negated. It would be a mistake of Himalayan proportion to rely on liberal interpretations of what the Maoist leaders say.
Puspa Kamal Dahal is not that foolish to adopt North Korean-styled one party rule in the current geopolitical situation, but he will do everything to ensure that there is no threat to the Maoist regime from the political opponents that believe in Western-styled multi-party parliamentary democracy. With the brigade of brigands (YCL) at his disposal and the state's security forces under his control, it will not be very difficult for him to find other ways to subvert political competition and administer social control.
The future of the mainstream political parties of yesteryears such as the NC and the UML and the new entrants like MJF and TMLP will largely depend upon how quickly they can reinvent themselves and provide credible alternatives to the Maoist writ. They have a very difficult role to play: checkmate the Maoists and appear constructive to the general populace at the same time. Or else, they will be painted as obstructionists. With security apparatus under the Maoists' control and YCL in villages, the Maoists have more than they need to win elections. The last thing you want to do is give them a chance to vilify your personality.
Related Posts:
The Great President Hunt
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/06/great-president-hunt.html
Girija as Nepal's First President? Just say NO!
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/06/girija-as-nepals-first-president-just.html
The Nepali Congress should Focus on the Party's Reinvention, not on Koirala's Legacy
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2008/05/nepali-congress-should-focus-on-partys.html
11 comments:
Girija, Madhav and Prachanda played a puppet role of Inida to abolish 240 years history of monarchy. But due to their feudal politics, they are being kicked out now with the monarchy too...
I see the connection between what has happened now to Makune, Girija bahun and Pushpa Dhal. But it could not have been possible without the eradication of Gyane. So I think kicking out Gyane was good because that led to the kicking out of the rest of the clowns as well.
After a long time, I am feeling good about Nepal.
Very astute piece by Dr. Dulal, as usual. However, one point he makes is not really true. May seem like a minor point, but it's not. It is not correct that the "autocratic" king "shut out" the parties 3 years ago. Yes, Gyane held the parties in scorn and didn't make much effort to disguise it. But it's still not right to say he "shut (them) out".
The door was open for them to re-concile or align themselves with the monarchy. The parties chose not to do so. So, essentially, the parties "shut out" the king much more than the king shut them out. Gyane was committed to holding parliamentary elections. This is far from "shutting out" the parties. In fact, it was opening a door for them to get back to politics through legitimate means! Yes, the parties were out of direct power for a while. But, one, this was their own doing. And two, it was their choice to go to the streets and beat their chests about being "shut out". To be honest and fair, Gyane's approach would have brought back the parties to power in, by far, the more dignified and legitimate fashion than the one that did eventually land them in power.
The greatest subterfuge in Nepali politics is the painting of those parliamentary elections as a dictator's "autocratic" manouever. And yes, our Nepalese media and civil society were the enthusiastic (but idiotic) accomplices who helped to spread and mislead the Nepalese public with this devious stratagem.
It's a pity that an intelligent observer as Dr. Dulal too has bought into this specious theory peddled by self-serving and short-sighted power-mongers. Or at least is helping to perpetuate it.
Wake up, Dr. Dulal! Or, if you already are, be honest. Let's see, in your writings, not only your brains, but your balls too!
One day Nepali people themselves will be kicked out from the politics entirely and will be made ready work as the guard and servant of biharis....then only those who are supporting the present whim of change will realise past....many Nepali are being made minor in terai by humilation and threatened now by new imported citizens tagged by Girija government...once those imported citizen started to rule the country then there will be no choice except to clean their clothes and others and stay as guard to their houses and offices...the current trend showing that is what Nepali people are expecting in the name of changes...
Be aware...
La Verdad, you make an excellent point. I too agree with your assessment that Gyane's solution was not as crazy as people made it out to be.
He did however make crucial mistakes. His government failed to more publicly and aggressively reach out to the political parties. They failed to put the corrupt party leaders on the defensive by forcing them to form a common front and negotiate with the Maoists. Hence, the Maoists entry into the mainstream on their own terms and never ending instablity for Nepal.
Hari Dulal is one of many writers who prefer political correctness over moral rectitude. I sometimes feel he and others HAVE to insert a few derogatory statements about the monarchy just to pre-empt the Maoist orchestrated myth of being pro-king.
Ironically, given where our politis is today, it is the Maoists who look increasingly pro-king, not the other way around.
The ultimate betryal is being played out right now- vice president takes oath in Hindi(intentionally) and Girja the ever slime consults Indian Ambassador before anyone else in regards to forming a government.
I vividly remember King making call for all political parties to come together with set of agenda to run the country but making deal with the devil was more in their self serving interest than on Nepal's best interest and they let the Indians in unfettered to decide, massage and coerce all apparatus of government, media and civil society (traitors) to dictate and work out their grand design. To make Nepal a proxy state which they achieved.
Talk about common people- just look out the window for the lines of essentials. God help those scums of the earth.
Just see what Nepal is turning into- militia state with YCl, Youth force etc., the prognosis is for worse.
Hawa ko chapplas will make Hawa of this country.
Interesting to read
http://www.ndtvkhabar.com/2008/07/25114707/vice-president.html
Where are Dixit, Pahadi, and Devendra Raj Pandey etc.??? Who were barking with foreign dollars and Indian rupees ?? Aren't they getting now ???
In this dire situation, where people are suffering from basic needs like petrol for 3 years, security and vaccum created situation for almost 4 months after CA election, they are not showing their faces and unable to cry against their masters. Why they are hiding like a mouse when country is suffering from direct interferences of India and country is heading toward communual war ? It clearly shows that they are being paid to use like puppet by some foreign elements and worried about their regular pay.
Just face it Nepalis love every moment of that wonderful feeling of being in New Nepal. Let them eat cake along with those commendable civic society leaders.
Nepal is of now is worse of then a nation in Africa. Its independence compromised, sovereignty on sale and low grade actors playing out the last tragic scene with food & fuel scarcity with tinge of separatism, communal strife and impending savagery of food fight- a naked illustration of nation losing itself in drowning pool created by itself.
The next target of India and its agents will be;
a.Security forces
b.language (equal rights to hindi)
c.pahadia leaders
d.media
e.beuraucrats
f.capital (shifting)
Only after that those paid crooks will realise their mistakes...
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