There's no looking back in Nepal- Nepali Times

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There's no looking back in Nepal

FROM ISSUE #537 (21 JAN 2011 - 27 JAN 2011) | TABLE OF CONTENTS

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BIKRAM RAI

COLOURFULLY NEPAL: Tarai women after their dance performance at the launch of Nepal Tourism Year at Dasrath Stadium on 14 January.

President Ram Baran Yadav gave them a week to form a consensus government, but the three main parties are as far apart as ever ahead of Friday's deadline. The Maoists, NC and UML are working instead to change the rules to benefit themselves.

The Maoists are formally handing over their fighters to the Special Committee on Saturday. Given their history of backtracking, they could still renege. But it is a first step that has not been matched by the NC and UML.
The NC says it is open to a Maoist-led government provided it honours past commitments and disarms. The NC and UML are wracked by internal squabbles between rival camps: even if either party leads the next government, it won't make Nepal's politics any more stable. The Maoists have enough numbers in the CA-parliament to bring government to a standstill.

By continuing to prevent a Maoist party-led government even after getting it do what they want, the other parties risk losing the moral high ground and public support. The best way out is for the NC and the UML to get the Maoists to name its candidate, take Madhesi parties on board a unity government, and make the best use of the next four months.

Damakant Jayshi

1. Arthur
This article is quite a big improvement!

But the "moral high ground" was lost more than a year ago. There is no way the old gang can win it back, even if they behave 100% responsibly and reasonably from now on.

What they can achieve by accepting the reality that Nepal cannot be governed without the leadership of its largest party is avoiding unecessary bloodshed and preserving a place for themselves in the future new Nepal. (A much smaller place than they would have had if they had not spent more than year on a position that was always untenable and could only result in them discrediting themselves further).

Posted on: 21 JAN 2011 | 2:07 PM NST

2. Bhakhtapur Boy
The Maoists only have a relative, not absolute, CA majority. Arthur imagines the Maoists are as popular as ever - which is unlikely, as seen in the fiasco of their Mayday protests which could not topple the govt, as repeatedly promised by Prachanda & co.
As always, the recent change in direction is down to India's backstage 'persuasions' - the Maoists being ultimately (despite the nationalist rhetoric) every bit as much their pawns as other parties. The Maoist acceptance (if it happens) of relinquishing control of what is already a very shrunken military capability of the remaining PLA is only admittance that civil war is now impractical & futile - the only realisable goals are the personal political ambitions of the Maoist political elite to continue to feather their nests and egos alongside the other politicans. So that's what the PLA rank'n'file suffered and died for while the Party leadership hid comfortably in India for several years.

Posted on: 22 JAN 2011 | 5:46 AM NST

3. Arthur
Bhakhtapur Boy #2, I am not sure whether the Maoist party is as popular as ever. Some may be disappointed. But I am sure the other parties are more unpopular than ever. Anybody disappointed in the Maoists has nowhere else to turn.

Maoists have said there should be no return to civil war for many years now. Opposition to accepting the PLA as part of the state armed forces has been from anti-Maoists.

Posted on: 22 JAN 2011 | 4:06 PM NST

4. kamal
None of these leaders have so called "laaj saram". Democracy is just a tool to advance their individual greed, not even party goal. No wonder we have so much partition with the party. People and the nation, please give me a BIG BREAK. As long as old guard remains at the helm, we will not see any significant changes....sorry to say that, but that's the reality.

End of the day, everyone collaborate and lead the nation. Mao have seen their climax. There is no other way except down from here. Kangress and UML are same old story. so it is better for everyone to for coalition govt and give continuity to PEACE & SECURITY.

Posted on: 22 JAN 2011 | 5:29 PM NST

5. Hamro Nepal
Greed, greed, greed. Nothing else - uneducated Nepali masses hoping for the best from the educated. What they don't realise is that politics is always driven by greed - power comes second in the pecking order. Check the properties and bank accounts of all government officials, including the Maoist leaders - BEFORE and AFTER. Can any newspaper in Nepal DARE to publish it?

Posted on: 23 JAN 2011 | 12:38 AM NST