Baburam Bhattarai's letter to the government dated 23 July did not bring very positive tidings. This is a disappointment to the Nepali people who have so much pinned on the peace talks. Bhattarai seems more intent on accusing the political parties instead of finding a solution to the crisis. The Maoists have disrupted the environment for negotiations by breaking the code of conduct. Even after the ceasefire, they did not stop extortions, beatings, killing party workers and terrorising ordinary people. They reduced the code to a mere scrap of paper, thereby opening the door for violations by the government and its agencies. The Maoists also ignored requests from the UML and the Nepali Congress to stop harassing their workers. Their true intentions are now suspect.
It's unfortunate Baburam did not express a commitment to peace in his letter. But then neither side has shown sincerity towards ending the conflict. Instead, they have used the ceasefire period to strengthen their armies. The public's main concern now is the looming threat of war. The Maoists say the third round of talks is inappropriate because the government did not fulfill agreements reached during the first and second rounds. They reason the government failed to honour its part of the deal.
Both the Chand and Thapa governments are unconstitutional bodies. They don't have the approval, support and trust of the people. The Maoists should realise that ongoing negotiations with an undemocratic government will not be fruitful. The Chand administration's negotiating team had incapable and incompetent people with no background in politics. The present government does not have the status to make decisions. Even so, the Maoists can't plan now to return to the jungle.
It is meaningless for the Maoists to liken themselves to Vietnam's freedom fighters. No more killing fields, we need peace and security. The great war fought by the Vietnamese for independence from imperialism cannot be compared to the campaign that the Maoists are waging in their 'people's war'. We can no longer bear the deaths of more Nepalis. The victims are children of the poor, not the exploitative rich and the aristocrats. If the Maoists truly want to respect the wishes of the people, they would not speak of war but advocate peace.
The Maoists should have the courage to ask themselves whether the people's war has empowered the public or weakened them. The only ones who benefited are the king and the monarchists. Their war has stripped us of our sovereign rights and has led to increased militarisation. This is a difficult time even for the king. If the Maoists go underground, he will be held responsible. This is only natural considering he installed the last two governments-he is ultimately accountable for both their mistakes.
We must now form an all-party government and reinstate parliament. By doing so the king can distance himself from political disputes, and political conflicts will be resolved by elected representatives. How can there be a middle ground between a monarch who hungers for absolute power and Maoists who demand a republican state? The lack of any concrete progress in peace talks stems from this irreconcilable difference. Only the democratic parties can restore political balance. The sooner the king and the Maoists comprehend this reality, the better for the nation.
