Round The World
New Delhi, 25 November 2008
Trying
Time for Nepal
INDIA FOR MULTI-PARTY
DEMOCRACY
By
Monish Tourangbam,
School of International Studies (JNU)
The new and “confident” Nepal that Premier
Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda tried to showcase during his visit to India
seems to be struggling to keep its house in order. The evolving nature of Nepal’s polity and the roadblocks ahead forms an
important part of New Delhi’s
assessment of its policy toward the nascent Republic. The just commenced visit
of India’s
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee assumes importance in this context.
New power equations developed in Kathmandu
as a result of the Constituent Assembly elections earlier this year and the
Maoists entered the Government corridors after leading a violent and prolonged
armed insurrection for nearly 12 years.
When the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) won the
elections with an unprecedented mandate, much of the international community,
including India
was caught unawares. But, steadily New
Delhi woke up to and made diplomatic overtures to put
together a coherent response to the winds of change in the neighboring country
that has strategic importance for our regional and larger foreign policy calculations.
The Maoists’ manifesto promised to overhaul the entire power-structure.
In fact, the erstwhile ‘Himalayan
Kingdom’ is now the
‘Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal’. But, the road of transition is far from
over and the journey ahead will definitely not be a bed of roses.
The stability and the security of Nepal
will always form an inevitable part of New
Delhi’s foreign policy calculations. India’s primary concern will still be on issues
regarding bilateral relations but at a time when Kathmandu is trying hard to
put the peace process on track, India
should seriously consider playing a more active role of mediation.
Complacency should be the last thing in the minds of Indian
policy-makers looking at the power struggle and other issues of transition in Nepal,
especially when growing inter-party and intra-party differences is seriously
threatening to derail the peace process.
No doubt, the elections have brought a sea change in the
political landscape of Nepal.
The monarchy has been shown the door and is redundant to the point of becoming
a relic. An elected Government is functioning and trying to define a new
direction for the new Republic. A two-year time frame has been set to draft a
new Constitution for the country and according to reports; the Constitution of
the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal could be unveiled on 28 May 2010. The
unprecedented mandate given by the Nepali populace to the new Government seems
to have brought in a new lease of legitimacy and stability absent before.
But, the peace seems elusive in the face of bitter
in-fighting and the issue of accommodating numerous aspirations of various
groups. And a ‘Himalayan task’ lies ahead of various parties and individuals involved
who have to negotiate and bargain hard to bring about a compromise.
The Nepali Congress (NC) President Girija Prasad Koirala has
said his Party would not accept the Constitution, if it is written without
consensus with the NC. Moreover, there remains the uphill task of accommodating
various armed groups operating in south Nepal’s Terai region.
It is unfortunate that a trust deficit between the NC and
the Maoists is seriously undermining the prospects of the peace process. If the
NC accuses the Maoists of being intoxicated with power and flexing its muscle
during negotiations, the Maoists accuse the former of being unsporting in
defeat and driven by Koirala’s ambitions. A consensual alliance between the two
brought about the monumental elections, but the unprecedented triumph of the
Maoists and the subsequent power-sharing negotiations have soured the
relations.
The embittering relations between the two major Parties have
negatively impacted upon the important issue of army integration and
management. Two years have elapsed since a peace agreement was signed but Nepal
still has two armies --- the Nepal Army and the Maoist Peoples Liberation Army
(PLA). The ambiguous nature of the peace accord has only added to the
complexity of the problem.
The accord talks about integration without going into the
details leaving lots of space for differing interpretations. While the Maoists opine that integration is
the way to democratize the erstwhile royal army, the NC argues against it on
the grounds that it would unnecessarily politicize the army.
The more fundamental sections of the parties have radical
opinions, which might only prove more divisive. While the dogmatists Maoists
demand full-scale integration, the NC right-wing leaders are totally against
the integration process.
In an interview to the Nepali Times, the Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Janardan
Sharma commenting on the importance of the PLA’s integration
to the peace process said, “It is the backbone of the peace
process. It is as important as the writing of the Constitution and both are
directly linked with the peace process. There are some vested interests that
don't want integration and want to derail the process. It is this that is
hindering integration. This is a difficult issue, but not one that is
intractable. One just needs to follow the clauses in the comprehensive peace
accord.”
“Integration is not just about merging the two armies; we
have to see it as a part of wider security sector reforms. We have to redefine
our security strategy and terms of reference of the security agencies and their
chain of command. The PLA is a guerrilla army, and the National Army needs
guerrilla capability. The Nepal Army has a long history of professionalism, but
was also feudal. So we are talking about an integrated army that has the best
of both,” he further added.
Moreover, reports of a possible rift in the Maoists
leadership are not helping matters. Serious differences have been developing
between Nepalese Premier Prachanda and Maoist hardliners, including Mohan
Vaidya on whether to consolidate the democratic Republic or pursue a Communist-
style dispensation, with the former guerrilla Chief finding it difficult to get
his views on the multi-Party system endorsed.
Prachanda has presented three options in his document: the 'Federal
Democratic Republic' to be pursued immediately, 'transitional Republic' for the
transitional period and the ‘people’s Republic’ as the ultimate goal of the Party.
But Party’s hardliners, currently in majority, are not satisfied with his
ideological document.
Although, Party leaders may deny the seriousness of the row,
the division within the Party is open and in public. At the least, it is likely
to impede Prachanda’s area of maneuverability and thus have a bearing on the
future course of direction.
The debate and the negotiations raging in Nepal are a
natural but crucial part in the evolution of the new Republic that can make or
mar the achievements so far. At this juncture, it is imperative for India to
keep its eyes and ears open.
Clearly, India should play a more active role of mediation
in trying to bring the NC and the Maoists to deliberate practically on the
contending issues and arrive at a pragmatic compromise. While speaking to the
Nepali media in Kathmandu Foreign Minister Mukherjee expressed India’s support
to the people of Nepal and reiterated its commitment to multi-Party democracy
in Nepal. --- INFA
(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)
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