Politics Talks

It’s 5 PM now, and the voting for the CA election in Nepal begins exactly after 14 hours. Ten hours after that – it closes, if without major incident, then in next 24 hours, Nepalis will be celebrating one of the most important success of their lives.

Isn’t that great? Certainly, it is.

But there could be hiccups. Until now, apart from inter-party fights and two sad killings of candidates, nothing looks like threatening to the polls.

Or is that that the silence before the storm?

One of the most suspiciously taken issues is the silence of King Gyanendra. Well, he is silent (for many of us, he has no options) and for few of those little ‘conspiracy theorists’, he is PLANNING!

Planning what? Not necessarily to disrupt the polls, but possibly to get CA members to vote for keeping the institution as a powerless yet respected body.

The Telegraph Weekly had main news today titled ‘His Silence’ and it goes on to say that the King is equipped with the agreement signed with parties with India and US as a witness in April 2005 that promises to save the monarchy.

We knew that, didn’t we? Since the King stepped down in April 2005 after visit of an Indian envoy, the talk of the agreement is everywhere. And, we more or less believe in that point.

If that is that, and if the monarchy remains, it will be a grievance for all of us.

But, that will come later. The poll is the first priority. I pray that it would end with acceptable results and that the country would at least know the path to go on!

Sadly for all of us, the violent abruption in the polls still looms as a concern – the fear is still on!

The Election for the Members of Constituent Assembly of Nepal is almost here. April 10 is going to be a historic day for the country, and its our opportunity to feel like we contributed to the historic milestone (of course most of us were on the streets during the April Uprising that is foundation to what is going to happen) so

LETS VOTE!

I can not wait to vote. I refused to go on a trip to eastern Nepal (that could have been financially beneficial) because I would have skipped voting. Here I feel sad for those Nepalis leaving outside the country who will all be unable to vote. And, also for my journalist colleagues, who are performing their duties outside their place, because they all will be unable to vote. The government turned deaf ears to the demands of the journalist organizations, most notably Federation of Nepalese Journalists, to provide the journalists right to vote in the proportional system from where they are.

When the Election Act was passed, the rights were given to army, police, Maoists army in cantonment and other government officials on duty but not the journalists! It’s sad but most of these journalists will be watchdog of the election and their presence will certainly help for free and fair election and that’s nothing less than the VOTING!

* * *

Today is the last day of the election campaign! And, while I am writing this in my room, I can hear UML campaign outside my house. Nepali Congress and Maoists have long ago completed this area.

Notable in this election was the use of media by the political parties to campaign – the ‘affiliated weeklies’ and Maoists’ own daily was doing it all the time through news but for the mainstream dailies – for they were trying hard for balanced coverage – blatant support wasn’t the case. So, the parties gave advertisements to them – all of them including RPP Nepal which vocal for ‘democracy with King’. I also saw UML ad on television.

Well, then newspapers are going to be filled up with ads from the parties in next elections (which should happen within two and half years – six months of it being possible extension).

* * *

The news of electoral violence hasn’t decreased. Once again, Maoists and their Young Communist League leading the wrong way. They are beating the candidates, blocking other parties’ campaigns and even blocking journalists from going to other parties’ campaigns. That’s sad, very sad.

And, Prachanda asked them all to be ‘Gandhi for a week’. I am afraid, are they supposed to do anything after the election?

* * *

With the satisfaction of election being held, there are also fears of what next? What mandate the people will give? And, what if Maoists lose heavily?

The questions can not be answered now, let’s see what’s in stake, but I am sure that April 10 and weeks after it are going to be very, very interesting and I hope that they will bring good results to the country.

[Once again, I am going to write about Prachanda, the Maoist supremo, and I am afraid this is not something his admirers will like to read. Actually, this is my feelings about him after listening to him for 15 minutes in a press conference organized at the Annapurna Hotel today.]

Prachanda’s press conference at Hotel Annapurna. I was curious to see the ‘first future president’ of Nepal (I had seen him in the past but never from very close), so I made my way to the five-star hotel, where I had to go through at least a dozen youngsters wearing Maoists election promotion t-shirts and standing on the way leading to the hall.

I was not stopped, or security-checked anywhere and within a few minutes I was a few steps away from him.

The first thing that amazed me was his smiles – sense of humor. But as the question-answer session went on, the sense of humor starting feeling like senseless humor. How can one of the top leaders of the country, who is hoping good to lead the nation, be so humorous (that too for nothing, and all the time)? Continue reading…

April 10 is the day! Nepal will see the historic election – for the Constituent Assembly. This will also, probably, end the long-running monarchy and formally end the Maoists’ people’s war.

Election fever is already gripping the nation. Door-to-door programs, mass meetings and election region visits by the candidates are keeping most of the leaders busy. And, there are of course speculations among the people of results. The most frequently asked question being how many seats Maoists will win.

And, the most interesting part of the election seems to be outcries of the leaders for this and that. The front-runner is of course Maoist supremo Prachanda – the ‘first future president of the new Nepal’ (according to Maoist graffiti/banners around the city).

Prachanda is candidate from Kathmandu Constituency No 10 and Rolpa No 2. There was an interesting article on The Kathmandu Post on why he chose the No 10 Contituenty of Kathmandu. It’s a well known that if the big parties do not work out on a plan to elect all big leaders, it would be very difficult for Prachanda to get elected from Kathmandu.

And when the alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) failed, the Maoists fear that difficulty has increased and Prachanda does not want the lose. For a man who has never faced election, even Rolpa – the Maoists’ biggest success during People’s War looks shaky (for what if fear). The fear has been reflected time and again in the speeches by Prachanda. Every time he speaks, he has venoms for UML.

Here are a few of things Prachanda has said in recent past about UML:

‘UML shield away from leftist alliance under US behest’
‘I’m president in people’s heart’ (in reply of UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal’s ‘he is the wall president‘)
‘What do these parties think of the people? Nepali people are not fools. They know who are traitors‘

And, what if Prachanda loses in both constituencies? (well Prachanda himself fear he could also fall flat in Rolpa saying that there are conspiracies afoot to defeat him).

The answer is: ‘Peaceful War’ (that I am using out of context, as he said it if there is no Maoist majority). Well, I am still trying to figure out which among the two words in the phrase remains silent!

Let’s first have a look at the atmosphere on April 24 for last two years and see how people’s power changed that:

Chaitra 11, 2062 (or April 24, 2005): King Gyanendra was in Asian African Summit in Indonesia; his speech hinting that Nepal will soon be free from the state of emergency, whence civil liberties and press freedom will be restored. Girija Prasad Koirala out of house arrest had asked, in weak voice, for reconciliation for multiparty democracy and constitutional monarchy. The bottomline of The Kathmandu Post editorial on the day read: …when the King himself has been spreading the message of democracy and peace, the onus is on all Nepali citizens to help the King fulfill his dream.

Chaitra 11, 2063 (or April 24, 2006): King Gyanendra gave up after 15 months reading out the statement drafted by political parties. The Maoists attacked Chautara killing six. After 19-day protest by millions of people, unprecedented, the parliament restored suggesting not only the restoration of democracy but also the end of Maoists violence, though the Maosits attacked Chautara and killed a few same day. The Kathmandu Post editorial urging Maoists to annouce ceasefire wrote: Though the revolution is yet to be completed, it can be said that upon its completion, it is going to be the most glorious instance of a peaceful movement in the world history.

Chaitra 11, 2064 (or April 24, 2007): A year after the end of 11-year long Maoists violence, monarchy hiding in the dark, political parties showing unprecedented unity for going republic, people are yet to be satisfied. It’s not that nothing has happened, the Maoists are in the government – the biggest achievement for the people who hated reading everyday about attacks and deaths. The Kathmandu Post editorial today noticing that there are still a lot of area where where improvements are required urges: We urge the government to put in more effort so that the complaints of the people ill be less by the time of the next Loktantra Day.

Today, Nepal is celebrating the Loktantra Day (or Democracy Day) as it’s the anniversary of the day when King Gyanendra was brought to his knees by the will of people. After ruling 15 months, millions of people taking streets nationwide forced the King to step back. This day, we celebrate the power of the people – the power that uprooted the regimes trying to stand on the foundation of weapons.

I wonder why not call it the People’s Day.

Sadly enough, the people who braved the curfews, latthis and guns, are not satisfied at what had happened in the gone year. One rightly said, the people brought down the King, disciplined the Maoists but failed to do so with the political parties and leaders. The political arena is back to the old, dirty game – leaders accusing each others and trying to work for the sake to their parties not to the people’s.

While writing this, I am listening to Raamesh’s Raktakranti Ko Jwalamukhi ma (on the volcano of bloody revolution) and remembering how did people participated in the rallies around the country, how did the security forces were forced to step back and how enthusiatic people were for the revolution.

Despite the dissatisfaction around, the celebration of this day is very important – neither to celebrate the restoration of democracy nor to laugh at the ashen-faced King speaking to the nation. But to remember our deeds – what we as a people can do, to regain the faith that people are the ultimate power, to remember the love and labor we had a year ago for the betterment of our country.

On 24 April, 2004, there were no talks about republican, they were for reconcilation because the political parties knew that people had lost faith in them. The leaders were jokers of the circus where a few of their own followed around but the mass mostly laughed at their performance.

A year after, they regained the faith not because they led the protest rather because they went with the wish of the people that were already in the streets. They learnt that going with people’s wish is their only way.

But have they forgotten the lesson?

As people, let’s celebrate the day! As the civil society had in their slogan for the day – Civil Movement Continues! Remember. Review. Warn. Let’s remember our power, the daring courage we showed for the country. Let’s review what had happened in the year since after and let’s warn our leaders that we are not done yet! If you are incapable, we are ready to take over!

Maoists left jungle ending their decade long war and entered the capital. The leaders will be in the government soon, but the foundation for their biggest failure is on the making. The people, who had hoped something from them, have slowly losing the faith. And, they should blame themselves for it.

The major reasons why the normal people are unhappy with them include their politics of terror. Somehow most of the leaders and cadres, who enjoyed the domination based on guns they had in their hands, are not ready to stand in line with the normal people.

They believe they are special (which they are not) and they should be treated in that way. Be it the beating of a driver because he asked for the fare or threatening of people here and there is not going to make them good despite their efforts to gain the public support through various interesting programs (like helping the traffic, and cleaning an area).

For sure, the asking for donation hasn’t stopped. The cadre who will come to ask for donation would leave no words to make sure that the owner (of house or hotel or school or business) understands they can suffer if they deny.

The brutal beating of an hotelier is causing much uproar in the capital. It was brutal and condemnable activity. If the Maoists want to join the mainstream politics then they should make everyone understand that there is law in the country that everyone should follow. No political party can make their own law to impose the people.

The Maoists are still relying on the power of the bullets which can help them to beat up people, get donations, and terrorize people but for sure that’s not going to give them the people’s faith which they will direly miss once they are in the mainstream politics.

And, secondly, people had started believing that Maoists are not as serious about the social changes or the revolution that they had promised as they are for the positions. After all, it looked like the Maoists want to fight for ‘chairs’ not for the people.

The Politics of Protest

Who cares the citizens?

When there were closures and bandas, it was the industrialists that spoke most against it. They didn’t even hesitate to give our figures of what the country would lose due to a day closure. They were most vocal critics of the bandas requesting others to find the alternative ways of protest.

And when their turn comes for protest, the first thing they announced for their protest program was the indefinite closure. Easy to preach but hard to follow!

That’s probably because no body cares about the citizens. Take for example the decision by Internet Service Providers to close down internet for two hours, an hour in the morning and another in the evening. What they gained by that? And aren’t they violating the consumers’ rights by that? They need to provide 24-hour internet if they sell the scheme saying that unless there is circumstances beyond their control.

Let’s condemn the Maoists’ brutality!
Let’s condemn the closures!
Let’s condemn the closing down of internet!