Party-Maoist Alliance: 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.

Doctoral candidate, Environmental Science and Public Policy George Mason University, Virginia, USA.

ENDS

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