Kamala Sarup: Nepali People Can Live Peacefully

Nepalese people know that any delay in the peace process will lead to the rising of a suspicion among the public whether violence will resume, so nobody should disturb the peace process to be held in the country. An atmosphere should be created whereby the Nepali people can live peacefully.

Nepalese people know, peace could bring peaceful villages where mothers and children walk without the fear of bombs, a generation of young men engaged in farming instead of fighting, markets full of food grown in the rich earth of Nepal rather than collected off relief planes, so everyone should give up their individual interests and cultivate mutual trust and goodwill. The country will forge ahead only if there is political stability along with peace.

The Nepalese people know dialogue is a first step through which the process of Nepalese citizens empowerment and responsibility develops tolerance and understanding. Mistrust and misapprehension of each other's motives arise from both recent experiences with each other and from historical legacies of trauma and misery. So, the government and the Maoists should sit down to an honest and result-oriented peace talks for maintaining peace and security in the country and give momentum to the development and construction works.

The Maoists and civilians must also be freely permitted to express their views. We may not like Maoist ideology and we may be an adherent of open market system, but if we allow no free flow of ideas, we cannot be called a democrat. In a democratic set up, and mostly a pluralistic society like Nepal, which professes to have adopted multiparty democracy as its core philosophical concept, Maoists too should be allowed to voice their ideas.

An atmosphere of peace, security and understanding must be created through sincere dialogue. Negotiations may be protracted and long-drawn, but it is only through exchange of views that issues can be amicably settled. Everybody has to survive and survive in an amicable environment. Discussions, talks and compromises are the qualities of civilized human beings. Bullets belong to brutes, negotiations, free exchange of ideas and agreements belong to educated and cultured people.

Finally, the Nepalese people should be left free to make their own choice. Let all shades of views come out openly in front of the final judges-the Nepalese voters but in any case, corruption set in motion by the leaders must go, nepotism started by the democratic leaders should be rooted out and incompetence, immorality and embezzlement of public funds perpetrated by the current administrators should immediately be put a stop to.

In politics there is no permanent enemy and friend. It is consistent with the changing patterns in political behaviour. In my view, sincere observation of the code of conduct will help strengthen mutual understanding between the government and the Maoists.

We want our country to progress in many areas. The image of once a Sangrila country is being tarnished for nothing, only for vested interest. Nepalese should not cheat Nepalese for ulterior motives. Human efforts have their own limitations. The last occasion was utilized by the Maoists to consolidate their position. Still, there are those who think that "offer to talks" is a step in the context of long term strategic battle.

Given these uncertainties and highly doubtful public opinion, we cannot say in definite terms that every move will be followed with honesty and sincerity and we Nepalese people do not believe that armed struggle has any future in Nepal except that of putting country into trouble. So we Nepalese know timely amendments are always necessary to make our constitution lively and operable. Nepal has suffered a lot because of the insurgency. Every political party should have a transparent political agenda.

The role of political parties should not be disregarded in any government-Maoist peace talks but it was unfortunate that the major parties are unable to show unity at a time when the country is plunged in a crisis because how the major political parties of the country had boycotted a previous all-party meeting called by Privious prime ministers. If the political parties are responsible towards the nation and the people, they can never elude the peace process as peace and security are the primary needs for the nation.

Nepalese people know how the displaced group of political workers, social activists, teachers and other local leaders have not returned homes. Maoists should also join the mainstream of democracy, the political parties should rise above the party politics to ensure durable peace in the country.

Nepalese people can not forget how socio-economic condition in the country and political crisis, good governance, and corruption control that remained untouched in the last twelve years, rather than who should lead the interim government, are the main agenda to manage the conflict.

To manage the existing political conflict, the root causes should be addressed in order to take the problem to a logical end and to establish a lasting peace. Political parties, civil society and Human rights organizations should work together to reach the existing conflict.

Nepal cannot afford any more violence. Constitutional Monarchy, Multi Party democracy, human rights, sovereignty and national interest must be made the meeting point and basis for the peace talks. In a democracy, every individual as well as group is free to express opinion and carry out political activities peacefully. if there is a roundtable meeting, all parties must have equal and active participation. Maoists should not forget how the theories propounded by Karl Marx and Mao-Tsetung in the 19th and 20th century cannot be exactly put into practice in today's era of globalisation and liberalisation.

(Kamala Sarup is editor of http://peacejournalism.com/ )

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