Nepal Update, Maoists throwing up roadblocks

The US has recognized and encouraged the new democratic government of Nepal, but the Maoists are unhappy with the process, and are throwing up roadblocks. The Government of Nepal has issued formal protest regarding Maoists demanding changes to the peace process. Here’s an article on the government statement from eKantipur:

CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal Saturday blamed the Maoists of trying to disrupt the peace process. “The Maoists have started putting forward new demands in order to deter the peace process,” Nepal said at a programme in the capital today. Nepal’s remarks come after the Maoists repeatedly called for dissolution of the House of Representatives

The US has endorsed the new government since the May 18th act stripped the Monarch of power as below from Wikipedia:

The May 18th act 

The most dramatic move of the post Loktantra Andolan government came on 18 May when the Parliament unanimously voted to strip the King of many of his powers. The bill included:

  • Putting 90,000 troops in the hands of the parliament
  • Placing a tax on the royal family and its assets
  • Ending the Raj Parishad, a royal advisory council
  • Eliminating royal references from army and government titles
  • Declaring Nepal a secular country, not a Hindu Kingdom

The act overrides the 1990 Constitution, written up following the 1990 People’s Movement (Jana Andolan) yet has been described as a Nepalese Magna Carta. According to Prime Minister Koirala, “This proclamation represents the feelings of all the people.”

However, although they will immediately come into force, the plans are seen as provisional until a new constitution can be drawn up.

There are two things that make the communists still a threat: they hold sway over 70 percent of the country, and there is still a lot of class strife in Nepal. (Nepal is 80% Hindu, and Hindu religion creates a classed society) This is the standard formula for dangerous ideologies, they require large populations of uneducated or poorly educated people to obtain power, along with distinct underclasses.

Similar societal striations exist in most Islamic countries, with Monarchies and class-based societies in place. As long as that remains the case, there will be strife and danger in the region, monarchs and underclasses are the manure required by communists and islamic imperialists, which is why the formation of the government in Iraq is such great news. The lack of freedom brings the educated intellectuals to the movements, and members of the underclass become the army and implement of destruction. I say destruction with intent, for communism and islamic extremism always lead to mass destruction and murder by the government, with Sadaam Hussein only the most recent example of tyranny, with Shia, Kurd, and Turkmen as the doomed underclasses.

A good example of the classes found in Afghanistan, and what happens when one class becomes the underclass is detailed in the fictional book “The Kite Runner“. It’s an excellent read that takes you through the life of an Afghani who grew up as the country changed through the rise and fall of the Taliban. It’s also a great story of love and devotion which I highly recommend.

The question remaining is whether Prachandra, head of the Maoists will let the government become truly free and democratic. In the face of democracy and capitalism, communism will always fade and fall away, for capitalism is a primal force of human nature, and in the end people want their children to be better off and facing a bright future. Over time freedom and capitalism always win simply because they work where the dangerous ideologies fail.