Nepal is Still Teetering on the Brink

It is not easy to draft even an interim constitution, as the experience that Iraq just went through to get to a real government shows, however in Nepal the committees are taking much too long. Every delay creates time and over time the Maoist thugs will win. Remember the promise that Prachandra made of an “October Revolution”. The communists/ Maoists of Prachandra are killing still, and anyone who steps forward to lead is being murdered.

Protests against the killing an unarmed civilian in Bardia by the Maoists continued Saturday as well with Basgadhi bazaar remaining shut since early morning. Demanding that the culprits be brought to justice, locals have halted the traffic in the East-West Mahendra highway.

A group of three-four Maoist cadres had struck Sushil Gyawali of Motipur-5, Bardia, at his home with Khukuris and also stabbed his wife Mitthu who was critically wounded in the incident on Thursday.  Maoists, who had been involved in illegal timber smuggling in the area, had confessed to the crime. But locals were further riled when Maoists took one of the culprits Dhan Bahadur Tharu, under their protection before handing him over to the police.  In addition, the angry locals had taken a CPN (M) leader, Surya Parajuli into custody on Friday. Human Rights activists who had arrived to mediate too bore the brunt of the locals’ anger after they broke the window of the activists’ vehicle

Soon there will be none who step forward. Nepal must create the interim government, the Maoists must disarm, and the king must go away if the Nepalese are to have a future of freedom and individual rights. If some want a ceremonial place for the King, that’s fine, if he gets out of line and tries to re-assert power, Kings are easy to kill once the army’s authority comes from an elected government.

Select an army leader who is not loyal to the king, but rather loyal to freedom to lead the armies, put that leader under a  civilian, elected, body. Disarm the Maoists, if you take their guns they might eventually learn how to smile. As with all communist insurgencies, some of them are purely bandits and thugs, it’s how communists work through terror and fear. Capture those, bring them to trial and put them away.

The experience the Lebanese just had should clearly show you the dangers of having parties with armed wings in the government. The economy of Lebanon has been set back for a generation, and it will be years and years beyond the end of Hezbollah before the tourism industry blooms again.

Please do not put too much faith in the UN, everyone who comes from the UN, regardless of country, has their own agenda and ideology, in the end they will fail you. You must depend on yourselves if you would be free in Nepal.

In the end I recommend this: Get rid of the King, Get rid of the Maoist arms and organization. Both will lead to unending grief in Nepal. To be free, you all must lead, you must ensure that all individuals are protected from all forms of state and criminal coercion.

For those readers new to the situation in Nepal, here’s a good summary from VOA:

The Maoists and the government called a truce in April, after cooperating in a campaign that forced King Gyanendra to give up absolute power, and return to parliamentary rule. The two sides later signed a landmark power-sharing deal that envisions new elections and a new constitution.

But implementing that deal is proving to be trickier that inking it. Distrust has widened between mainstream politicians and the rebels on two core issues: the contentious issue of rebel disarmament, and the future of the monarchy.

The rebels are refusing to surrender their arms, although they say they are prepared to place their weapons under United Nations supervision, if there are similar controls on the army.

The head of Kathmandu’s Center for Contemporary Studies, Lok Raj Baral, says the rebels’ insistence on retaining weapons, while vowing to enter mainstream politics, has raised worries that they may try to intimidate voters when elections are held.

“If the party is prepared to come to competitive politics, why should they come with gun? That is the kind of thinking here,” Baral said. “Political parties are also very much scared of the Maoists, that if they come with the gun, they will naturally try to dominate the whole politics of the country. That is the kind of psyche.”

Rebel leader Bhattarai has also accused the government of trying to protect the monarchy. His comment came a day after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said the king should be given a space in a democracy.

The king has already been stripped of most of his powers, and reduced to a symbolic role. The rebels fought for the complete abolition of the monarchy, but have agreed for its future to be decided by the elections. They say Mr. Koirala’s statement is a violation of that agreement.

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Previous Noblesse Oblige articles on Nepal.