The government decision to not renew the tenure of the local government representatives has rendered 3,913 village development committees, 58 municipalities and 57 district development committees non-functioning. This mindless decision, motivated by the Deuba government's political selfishness, has helped the Maoists come closer to their long-cherished goal of eliminating local governance. The people, for their part, have been deprived of their representatives.

"Deuba's undemocratic decision is politically motivated and driven by self-interest. The prime minister had assured that the local governments many times that their tenure would be renewed," CPN-UML secretary general Madhav Kumar Nepal said.

In the absence of representatives, the people will be deprived of fundamental facilities such as birth registration, and recommendation for citizenship certificates and passports. Data from the Ministry of Local Development shows that 1,200 VDCs do not even have the secretaries who carry out simple, day-to-day procedures at the local level.

"The Maoists used barrels to make the people's representative leave their offices; some have already been manhandled, others have been killed. A single unwise decision by Deuba has made the Maoist dream a reality. The achievements of the 1990 movement have been erased in a moment," says UML central committee member Rajendra Prasad Pandey.

Difficulties in the villages will compel people to move to the district headquarters, where they will crowd around the Chief District Officers, which would certainly make their job more difficult. "When the people overcrowd the headquarters, with them we will start a campaign," Pandey said.

The government decision to discontinue the tenure of the local representatives is an attempt to fill the gap within its own political cadres. This will cost the government the little sympathy the people had for the prime minister and his functionaries. The prime minister's recent move has also made his connection with the Maoists clear to the public. More, the people will become victims of bureaucratic red tape, inefficiency and unproductivity.