Party-Maoist Alliance : An Alarming Political Cocktail
The press release issued by the United States Embassy in Kathmandu on November 4 expressing the alarm over the possible
alliance between Maoist and political parties has put agitating seven parties on a back foot. Different people depending
on their political affiliation have different take on this issue of press release. If nothing, this recent press release
has definitely served a purpose of reminder to some politicians of agitating seven political parties that are in a mad
rush to grab power. There desperateness shows that they miss their heyday more than the need for well functioning
democracy and freedom in Nepal. How can be someone so naïve to believe that alliance with Maoists will help us establish
modern democratic society? For maoist, power comes from barrel of gun. Unlike people with faith on multi-party
democracy, for maoist guerrillas, terror, is the key to power. They have an attachment to antique dogma which is much of
an embarrassment even to present day Chinese government. Thus, any kind of alliance with Maoist insurgents is not only
anti-democratic, but also morally repugnant.
Current remarks by responsible cadres of mainstream political parties on alliance with moist insurgents exhibits there
desperateness for power rather than establishment of meaningful and stable democracy and democratic institutions in
Nepal. They seem to have lost track of what they stand for. The latest press release may be a boomerang for those that
are in desperate haste to power, but for the rest of the population that believe in multi-party democracy, it is the
best possible intervention.
Let's assume a hypothetical scenario whereby alliance between Maoists and agitating political parties achieves its goal
of republican set up in Nepal. What after the victory? Will Maoist lay down their arms and embrace multi-party
democracy? Will they allow political parties that believe in multi-party democracy resort to peaceful means to power?
There is no basis to trust these insurgents. They have time and again with drawn from there commitment and have
committed crime against humanity. Madi scar is still a fresh and soil soaked with innocent blood has not dried yet. If
this proposed alliance is allowed to take off, it will put entire Nepalese population in grave danger.
We shall be worse than what we are today. It could open a door for Maoist rule that can turn the nation into the world's
next killing fields. A Nepal under control of Maoist rebels will be worse than what Nepalese people are confronting
today. Let us not forget what is happening in other parts of the country that already is in insurgents' grasp. Abduction
and recruitment of child soldier, establishment of labor camps, and ideological indoctrination of children in schools,
assassination of journalists, teachers, and administration of justice through an unqualified tribunal have forced people
to flee for their lives. Maoist insurgents' brutal ways of functioning has created a huge mass of internally displaced
people. These displaced people are forced to live substandard life which they don't deserve at all. So, a million dollar
worth question that we are confronting now with is, do we want to spend rest of our lives in constant fear and
uncertainty? Do we want to raise our children under the shadow of a regime for whom forceful abduction and recruitment
of child soldier is the best possible way to fight for a political change? Folks, we deserve better life for ourselves
and generations to come.
As Maoists are against monarchy, some of our politicians might have thought that enemy's enemy is a friend. Political
parties should not forget that maoists are supporting political parties not because they believe in multi-party
democracy or they are genuinely interested in peaceful coexistence. They are supporting political parties because they
can have an easy victory over political parties than king and his army in the later stage of there so called revolution.
For now, with romantic cozy affair with political parties, they want to propagate the advocacy of democracy versus
monarchy because it is really important for them to win big cities where agitating political parties have strong hold.
They want to defeat stronger enemy which is king and his army with the help of weaker enemy first and then have decisive
attack on the weaker enemy. There main aim is to settle for nothing less than a radical socialist republic. Thus, if
political parties really want to establish a meaningful democracy in Nepal, they should reach out to their constituents
and reinvigorate their bases rather than joining hands with rebels. Hands of these insurgents still bear strong smell of
blood of Dikendra Thapa and innocent victims of madi massacre. Instead of joining hands with these Maoists insurgents,
political parties should reform and apologize to Nepalese people for their past misdeeds and convince them to join the
movement for democracy. This will slowly but surely win the hearts and minds of Nepalese people and energize them to
participate in movement for democracy in Nepal. It may take few yeas to achieve this, but couple of years is not a long
period in a history of a nation. Road to meaningful and stable democracy is not an easy one and everyone should work
relentlessly rather than opting for a short cut. Democracy established through peoples' movement will be far more stable
and meaningful than established through the help of radical Maoists' support.
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Doctoral candidate, Environmental Science and Public Policy George Mason University, Virginia, USA.
ENDS