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Maoists are Conspiring Democracy in Nepal

Prakash Bom - 12/18/2008

First of all, the international institutions such as UN, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank have to understand whether they are willing to sacrifice democracy with their financial supports for the socio-economic transformation that Maoist led government has prioritized knowing that Maoists have already started blaming multi-party democracy for obstruction.

Major democratic nations – US, India & EU too need to be aware of the Maoist conspiracy to make multi-party democracy a failure. If not why Maoists have to oppose Parliamentary multi-party democracy in the name of status quoism; why Maoists have to demand the formation of national army for their militia integration; and why the Prime Minister and Maoist chairman has to give the ultimatum for armed people-revolt.

These developments indicate that the Maoists are trying to manipulate politics in betraying their commitment to competitive multi-party system of governance; they are unwilling to end their politic-militia tactics; they are adamant to fulfill their dream for communism to establish a centrally controlled proletariat system of governance.

The political scenario under Maoist led government of Nepal indicates that such underground developments are underway because Maoists leaders and cadres both soft and hardliners are not willing to sacrifice their dream for one-party dominated multi-party communist democracy. By hook and crook Maoists are injecting their dream by slow poisoning competitive multi-party Parliamentary democracy.

Unless international communities and the national democratic political forces are aware of Maoist conspiracy the sovereignty of nation as declared in the Interim Constitution might soon be under the barrel of gun of Maoist proletariats. The question of "how?" demands skepticism and observation on the changing Maoist politic-militia tactics of Maoist led government.

Under comprehensive peace accord 2006 Maoists are committed to competitive multi-party system of governance that guarantees civil liberty, fundamental rights, human rights and rule of law. But they have failed complying with all of their commitments in real-time politics by intentionally transforming their militia into YCL.

Maoists have agreed to integrate their militia into Nepal Army to disarm their Maoist party in order to be part of the mainstream competitive multi-party politics. But they have demanded formation of a national army with the integration of their militia to carry on their party affiliation with the national army. Basically, Maoist leaderships wish to govern Nepal under the control of their national army that is dedicated to Maoist party for always winning the election of the communist multi-party democracy.

The challenge to the major democratic political parties such as Nepali Congress and UML is to make people aware of the gimmicks of Maoist politic-militia tactics. One of the most dangerous gimmicks of all seems to be Maoists´ recent call for republicanism and nationalism campaign.

How the competitive multi-party system of governance can be protected will depend on how democratic leaderships lead the public awareness. It has become apparent that Maoists are playing multi-facet gimmicks to make multi-party Parliamentary system of governance a failure for Nepal as one of the poorest nations of the world.

It is important for democratic forces to support Maoist led government for competitive multi-party democracy and peace to reach logical conclusion as per the commitments but defend it from Maoist politic-militia tactics:

All political parties - democrat or socialist or communist or nationalist must defend the Nepal Army being disintegrated with the Maoist call for "national army" for Maoist militia integration.

As per the peace-accord Maoist party must be dislodged from its militia politics and its qualified individual combatant must be integrated into Nepal Army or Armed Police Force or Police Force or rehabilitation for terminating their affiliation with Maoist party.

If the democratic leaderships failed to protect the nation from politic-militia tactics of Maoists leaderships in the name of proletariats, socio-economic transformation, and communist democracy there will be decades Maoist oligarchy rule by the top Maoists leaderships as it persists in Maoist led government.

It will be lose-lose situation for democracy and people of Nepal if democratic parties tried to confront Maoist politic-militia tactics. The best strategy for democratic parties is to support Maoist-led government for economic transformation – particularly investment in the hydro-electricity, infrastructures and technology.

But it must defend Maoist commitments for competitive multi-party Parliamentary or Presidential democracy, restructuring of state for the federal system of government from slipping away from people into Maoist militia-polity.

This is a real-time tug of political war and if democratic parties and leaderships fail to defend the competitive multi-party democracy as per Maoists commitments and peace accord then people´s constitutional rights and nation´s sovereignty will be in the hands of a few Maoist leaderships and their oligarchic rule.

Maoists have made commitments to competitive multi-party system of governance, to peace and its militia integration into Nepal Army and rehabilitation before the International Communities and have accepted the declaration of federal democratic republic and state restructuring for federal system as per the people´s aspiration. We all have to stick to it and defend our civil liberty and fundamental rights.