A Lasting Peace In Nepal

A Lasting Peace In Nepal

Three things are the most important for a lasting peace in Nepal. First, we need to integrate the combatants into the Nepal Army. As long as the combatants keep their separate identify, Nepalis would not have a lasting peace. So, the integration of the combatants is the key element in setting up a lasting peace. Second is the writing of a new constitution. The third is to hold elections for a new legislature and form a new government following a new constitution. Then only, Nepalis can live in a lasting peace. United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UM) need to work together on all these three nationally important issues setting aside all their political differences for some time.

All peace-minded Nepalis have been very happy that the government has recommended the name of Girija Prasad Koirala for the Nobel Peace Prize of 2010. The government has also set up a committee on lobbying the international community for the Peace Prize. Probably, the government headed by Madhav Nepal defeated in two constituencies and the backdoor Prime Minister must have recommended the name of Mr. Koirala for signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) with the Maoist leader Prachanda in 2006. If it is so both Koirala and Prachanda are responsible for the CPA and for the peace Nepalis need to enjoy thereafter. A lasting peace will be sustainable only when both the parties involved in the conflict, follow the CPA and come to a peaceful political solution rather than going head-on confrontation. However, both the parties have been responsible for breaking the peace agreement and for not completing the peace process.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement Mr. Koirala and Prachanda have signed on November 21, 2006 has the provision for integrating the Maoist combatants into the Nepal Army within six months. Both the Maoists and the then-government headed by Mr. Koirala have rightly thought out that a lasting peace would not be possible without the integration of the combatants.

After signing the CPA, Mr. Koirala has continued to run the administration for more than one and a half years before resigning from the position of Prime minister. Following the CPA, Mr. Koirala and Prachanda need to integrate the combatants within six months but nothing has had happened to this end. Mr. Koirala has used the then Chief of Army Staff Rukmangud Katuwal to speak out his position on not integrating the combatants into the Nepal Army. Mr. Katuwal has started off saying he would never let the combatants in to his army.

After the elections for the Constituent Assembly (CA) held on April 10, 2008, Girija Prasad Koirala needs to resign from the position of Prime Minister following the ethics of the defeated party in the elections but he has held on to the Prime Ministerial position for four months before he left it. For four months, Mr. Koirala has tried several tricks not to let the Maoists run the government. Ultimately, he has succeeded to force the Maoists to agree on the majority rule as a bargain for declaring Nepal a republic.

Mr. Girija Prasad Koirala has never been serious about completing the peace process. Following the CPA, a claimant for the Nobel Peace Prize Mr. Koirala needs to complete the peace process within his tenure of Prime Minister but he has never shown interest in completing the peace process. He has constantly voiced against the integration of the combatants through his party leaders and Chief of Army Staff. Recently, he has made even clear through Acting President of NC Sushil Koirala that the integration of the combatants would invite a civil war. So, Girija Prasad Koirala has developed the mindset of even taking the country to a civil war.

Another main component of a lasting peace in Nepal is to write a new constitution and hold elections for a new legislature and form a government. Girija Prasad Koirala has no interest in writing a new constitution at all. In the past, he has even said that Nepal has a Constitution of 1990 to follow it disregarding the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007 and the CPA. Certainly, it has provoked the fiery reactions of the warriors of the People’s Movement of 2006.

As a towering political figure of Nepal, Girija Prasad Koirala needs to put all his efforts on writing a new constitution. However, he has never taken an interest even in taking information on the status of constitution writing. He has never talked to any leaders of other political parties concerning the writing of a new constitution. However, leaders of his party have been relaying conflicting messages concerning the writing of a new constitution, some leaders say the writing of a new constitution would not be possible others say it would be possible.

A lasting peace would not be possible without giving due rights to the ethnic people to have a say in the state affairs. They want their concerns addressed in a new constitution. They have burned down a draft copy of a new constitution saying it has not addressed their concerns. They have also shut down Nepal on the first day of the New Year 2010 demanding to address their concerns in a new constitution.

The main concerns of the ethnic people are federalism and inclusiveness in the state administration, police and military. Girija Prasad Koirala has never been positive to the federalism. He has been expressing his apathy to the federalism through his daughter and other leaders of his party. His daughter and current Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala has recently said that federalism declared by a few political leaders would not be acceptable, so this issue needs to be taken to the people calling for an referendum on it. Her statement does not respect the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007. As a Deputy Prime Minister and a daughter of Girija Prasad Koirala, her opinions surely reflect the opinions of the father mainly because father Girija Prasad Koirala has been transferring all his power to her, and has used all his power to make her the Deputy Prime Minister.

Ethnic people have been saying publicly that the federalism is the basic principles of keeping all the ethnic people together. They believe that the ethnic people can enjoy their rights properly only when they have the autonomous state governments accountable to them. Their rights to participate in the state affairs have been denied for 240 years during the despotic Shah dynastic rule. So, they don’t want to see the repetition of the history, and will fight for federalism. If Girija Prasad Koirala is not for federalism he is certainly not for a lasting peace.

The most unfortunate thing has happened is that Girija Prasad Koirala has abandoned the peace process after the UCPN-Maoist has emerged victorious in the elections for a CA held in April 2008. First, disregarding the political ethics, he has refused to leave his administration and stuck to the position of Prime Minister for four months after the elections for the CA provoking the Maoists to engage in a cold war with him. Then, he has intensified the cold war with the Maoists not letting his party join the government led by Maoist Chairman Prachanda.

Instead of supporting Prime Minister Prachanda for firing the undisciplined Chief of Army Staff Rukmangud Katuwal accused of suppressing the People’s Movement of 2006, Girija Prasad Koirala has rallied the leaders of eighteen political parties for urging the President to abuse the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007, and has never agreed to the call of the Maoists for debating the President’s unconstitutional move on directly writing a letter to Mr. Katuwal at the legislature, and has been against the basic principles and values of democracy and the rule of law.

Girija Prasad Koirala has made senior leader of the CPN-UML Madhav Nepal defeated in two constituencies in the elections for the CA, a Prime Minister keeping together unethical leaders of the eighteen political parties after the resignation of Prime Minister Prachanda in May 2009. Thus, he has made the mockery of democracy letting the man rejected by the people, a Prime Minister. He also has made his daughter Sujata Koirala Foreign Minister trampling the opposition of some leaders for not making her a minister. Then, he has put pressure on Prime Minister Madhav Nepal for making his daughter Sujata Koirala, a Deputy Prime Minister.

He has been supporting through his daughter Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala the promotion of Toran Jung Bahadur Singh to the Lieutenant General and Second-in-Command of the Nepal Army. National and international human rights organizations and the UN OHCHR-Nepal have opposed the promotion of Toran Jung Bahadur Singh indicted for enforced disappearance of 49 people when he was the commander of the Bhairavnath Battalion. So, Girija Prasad Koirala has not only been for punishing General Sing for enforced disappearance of 49 people but also for promoting him and letting Sing serve in the Nepal Army with impunity.

If we take a look at the history of Girija Prasad Koirala’s performances as Prime Minister he has never followed the rule of law. His administration has been the most corrupt. He has associated with the infamous corruption scandal called by the name of Dhamija concerned with the current Nepal Airlines Corporation involving in the business of billions of rupees. He has sacked thousands of most experienced civil staff during his first term of Prime Minister in 1990s. He has been presiding over the party that has the members accused of corruption sitting on its central committee. Impunity has flourished during his nine terms of Prime Minister. During the last term of two years of his Prime Minister, he has kept the short supply of petroleum products selling the low priced petroleum products in the Indian market.

Currently, Girija Prasad Koirala has been the mute spectator of leaders of different political parties trading charges each other of not willing to complete the peace process integrating the Maoist combatants, and not willing to writing a new constitution in time. In fact, with the blessings of Girija Prasad Koirala, current Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has frozen the peace process since he became the Prime Minister. Girija Prasad Koirala must have been enjoying the current political scramble rather than sorting out the problem and leading the country to a lasting peace.

Currently, trade unions, students’ and youth’s organizations shut down their own and others’ businesses demanding one thing or another. Political anarchism, business anarchism and poor government-service delivery have been the order of day in Nepal. Nepalis have to stay home whenever anybody calls for a shutdown. So far, Nepalis have not been able to live in peace thanks to Girija Prasad Koirala’s political maneuvers that have intensified the political crisis.

Girija Prasad Koirala would have surely eligible for a Nobel Peace Prize if his party has joined the government led by the Maoists and integrate the combatants to the Nepal Army and write a constitution and hold elections for a new legislature following the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007. However, Nepalis have not been sure of completing the peace process in view of the current wrangle of leaders with each other over the integration of the combatants with the Nepal Army, and the President’s undemocratic actions. Leaders of political parties have been expressing the conflicting opinions about the completion of writing a new constitution. Thanks to Girija Prasad Koirala, the main hurdles to the peace process have been the President’s unconstitutional action and then the current Prime Minster. In his speech delivered at the University in Beijing during his visit to China from December 24 to 30, 2009, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has said that the CA has been engaged in preparing a draft of a new constitution by May 28, 2010 against the people’s aspirations for promulgating a new constitution latest on May 28, 2010. Madhav Nepal must have said so with the blessing of Girija Prasad Koirala possibly for prolonging his stay in the government.

Completion of a new constitution depends on how the three major political parties such as UCPN-Maoist, NC and CPN-UML work. The CA can promulgate a new constitution by a consensus or a two-third majority. These three political parties need to work amicably together for having a two-third majority. However, Girija Prasad Koirala has done nothing to this end. Nepalis will not have a lasting peace without completing the writing of a new constitution and then holding elections for a new legislature and forming a new government following the new constitution.

January 5, 2010

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