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Precarious Politics and Impunity Impeding Nepal's Peace Process

Amit Pyakurel - 6/21/2007

The fervor and hope of people that peaked during the April uprising now slowly seems to be dwindling, given the political instability in the country. Nineteen days of struggle ended with a big public respite, after tyrannical rule of the King ended. Though the end of the movement was termed a "success," the real success still seems to be a far cry. The real hope of the uprising yet seems to be at stake, given the conflicting attitudes of the eight reigning political factions, chaos raised by the newly emerged armed (or "political") groups in nooks and corners of the country, apprehension over the conduction of free and fair Constituent Assembly election on time, and probable conspiracies carried out by the now-defunct (seemingly though) regressive forces to derail the course of fruitful amendment of the Nepali politics.
People's strong desire and courage that shaped the April movement acted as a backbone for the parties to re-establish their rule. Moreover, the movement eased the way for the former rebels to come to the mainstream politics.

However, it seems the eight-party government's credibility is eroding in the perception of the families and close ones of the martyrs and injured ones of the movement, who indeed suffered the most in the hope to bring goodness in the country. The pain of a number of families of the disappeared is still not heard. It's unfortunate that the culprits of the Janaandolan II are still free of any lawsuit, with the Rayamajhi Commission's report still intentionally concealed from the public, thus illustrating a mockery of the people's expectation and their trust toward the current government. Other than staging recurrent drama of interrogations, the government has been glaringly indifferent to such aspects, despite the high demand from the people, civil society and several national and international humanitarian groups.

"Impunity" has become the talk of the day. Impunity has been not only towards the social or political crimes, be it abduction, intimidation, extortion, torture, or murder, but also towards the vivid cases of corruption and persistent violation of traffic rules by the roadside vendors, drivers, and even pedestrians. Traffic police may seem doing their jobs unreservedly. But it's equally evident that the footpaths are covered with selling stuffs making the pedestrians to walk from the road, traffic lights represent more like the showpieces as a very few care to follow them (especially the pedestrians), and the drivers relentlessly pull the break several times in a busy road between the stations, to collect the walking passengers, increasing the probability of accident and annoying the passengers by delaying their travel.

Corruption is deeply rooted as a chronic disease in our country. The majority of the government offices are characterized as an open theater for bribery, where it wouldn't even need any sting operation, but a genuine check, to spot the culprits. But, as the chain of corruption links from the bottom to the high level official or politician, maybe even up to the prosecutor, punishing the culprits yet seems regrettably impossible. Are we waiting for all such impunities to go away only after the success of Constituent Assembly (CA) polls?

Peace process and the road towards CA polls are getting disturbed by the bedlam created by various factions ostensibly displaying political nature.

Recently, there's the behavior of the YCL (the sister organization of the Maoists named as Young Communist League), that's been concerned as the hindrance to the peace process. They are blamed for infringing and taking law into their hands. YCL cadres do at times illustrate unscrupulous behaviors that are deemed as morally wrong and uncivilized. YCL's actions may not deserve full admiration if they merely intend to achieve the Party's political end in the name of lending their hands to social ordering or doing away criminal activities. And sometimes the group's highhandedness leading to untoward behaviors isn't acceptable either. It is critical for the group, and for the mother party CPN (Maoist), to correct such misdeeds so as to preserve and uplift the group's reputation in a long run.

However, besides such blames against the YCL, which is rightly so, other blames that they "take law into their hands," and are "only the major source" of social disturbance, however needs wider perspective. Though they themselves are blamed to enjoy impunity for their misconducts time and again, it's still worth to perceive that the group is at least helping to do away some social wrongs and in alleviating impunity.

We need to realize that seeking a break from the growing impunity, by hook or by crook, is definitely not an unethical craving of ordinary people. The transitional phase has been too long for the government to justify the frequent and increasing cases of strife and impunity. If the so-called law of the country has not been able to meet the expectation of the people, then seeking an alternative, like the YCL's activities that would make this aspiration feasible to some extent, seems to be natural for the general mindset.

Let's heed on the simple craving of the ordinary people who are not associated with any political faction or to a tunnel vision of any political doctrine. However, these ordinary lots with their independent view would unsurprisingly appraise the YCL's "unlawful" activities, which is better than lacking a credible law and order situation. It's better if the YCL cadres punish the culprits who largely enjoy impunity even after exposed to the public limelight or handed down to the police. It's better if the YCL cadres lend their hands to fight back social misdemeanors if the public feel that the security administrations aren't being able to live up with their hope for security. It is better that the group "take the law into their hands," if the law itself seems lackadaisical to safeguard the people from distressing social muddles and crimes.

However, it's definitely important that the security institutions of the country uplift their reputation and conduct efficiently and fairly, so as to alleviate the hurdles en route to the CA polls. It wouldn't be practical and ethical in the long run for any political entity directly muscling to uphold law and order condition of the country. For this, people should be assured enough that the country's law works as per their expectation for them to live in a peaceful, secure, and comfortable environment. If this happens, any groups like YCL wouldn't need to emerge and assure for the "law and security" to the people. Even if they do so, despite the presence of a reliable law ensuring body, they couldn't uphold their credibility, and blaming them as the "law violators" would then be more authentic.