Monday, February 28, 2005

Democrats, Imagine The Worst From Monarchists/Maoists


I have tried to reach out to the Monarchists (The King's Best Option: Go Back On TV One More Time) and the Maoists (Sought eDialogue with Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Ideological Overture To The Nepali Maoists), but I think it a safe bet for the democrats to assume neither will "get" it, neither will come around to it. To both of them people who believe in non-violent political action are weak, so to speak.

So the democrats have to chalk out a strategy that has the ultimate goal of taking back the country from these two extremists through non-violent means. I suggest a three-pronged strategy.
  1. Massive open, internal debate which involves the largest possible number of Nepalis and friends of Nepalis the world over, but also inside of Nepal. My bias is for the medium of the web. The goal is to build a national/global coalition and enlarge that coalition as much as we can. 10,000 is better than 1,000. 10 million is better than 10,000. 100 million is better than 10 million. The two guns will have to be shouted down. The "emergency" does not exist outside Nepal's borders, it does not exist online. We could have a "ring" of towns along the India-Nepal border on the India side, and co-ordinate from there our action in the country, to support co-ordinated acts of massive, peaceful defiance within the country. All Indian political parties have already pledged any and all support. That could greatly help with logistics.
  2. A simple, clear platform. I propose an uncompromising one of two words: Democratic Republic. We might go to a compromise position of a Constituent Assembly, but no more talk of Constitutional Monarchy and Multi-Party Democracy.
  3. There has to be a very clear plan to take over power. A new constitution from scratch that is subject to a referendum. We should work to create a Nepal that (1) abolishes the army, hopefully after the Maoists disband their own armed units, (2) dramatically increases state expenditures on education upto the secondary level, and primary health care, making both free of cost and universal, and letting the poor have universal access to micro-credit to start small businesses, and (3) bans fund-raising by political parties, and instead the parties get funds for party building and election campaigns from the state that is directly proportional to the number of votes they might have earned in the last held national elections. Even if we are to do only 2, 3 and 4 if the Maoists refuse to lay down their guns, we will have stolen their political/social thunder, subsequent to which they are but a law and order problem, and that law enforcement will have to be quick and aggresive, with a major focus on going after the leadership, like in Peru.

In The News

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Non-Violent Militancy, Concerted Global Action


Wow _____. Nice to hear you are well. I was wondering.

It would have been foolish to get arrested. I am glad you are in Delhi.

I have read of the army coming to look for the "_____ _____" in some news articles. So I am glad you are not in the country.

As for your US visit. Great idea. Looks like the logistics would be very easy to arrange. I can see most/all of your activities in the DC to Boston corridor. The Chinatown bus takes you anywhere for $10. Places to stay, we have people everywhere who can come pick you up and feed you and make you cook and things like that. And I persoally would be more than happy to contribute. The kind of help you seek, even if everyone on this list pitched in $50 each, that would be smooth sailing for a starter. I am in.

I think it is time to have a two-word political program: Democratic Republic. That makes room for Maoists also if they change their ways and long term goals. And most of the organizing could happen outside of Nepal to start with.

At this point, I would really like to emphasize blogging as a tool. There is nothing like it.
http://www.blogger.com

(1) People could use assumed names if they do not want to use their real names, and also from inside Nepal.

(2) The individual voice has unlimted space. So the discussions remain super-democratic. You could get outvoted, but your ideas remain in the public domain.

(3) No need to move stuff like with print pamphlets. There is immediate global access. And internet access is pretty out there within Nepal also. My brother in Janakpur has it, for one, not that he is much of a political person. So I know, the regime has not thought to see websites as threats. They are light years behind.

Check out http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com

It has really helped me gather my thoughts, keep up with the news (http://news.google.com/), and reach out to large numbers of people without having to repeat myself, or show up in many places in person.

By the way, do you think you could help me get in eTouch with Rajendra Mahato and Hridayesh Tripathy? I know they are in Delhi. Have them write to me at paramendra@yahoo.com, or if they have phone numbers, if I could have them, that would help. Thanks.

Come on over. Keep us posted. That solidarity site is just great. And the Democracy Desk(s) early bulletins really helped. Great work.


Amnesty International
  • Nepal: on the brink of disaster .... A human rights catastrophe is looming in Nepal following the declaration of the state of emergency by King Gyanendra on 1 February. ..... "Wherever we went, we encountered a deep sense of fear, uncertainty and insecurity among the people" ..... Human rights in the countryside have been virtually destroyed by the conflict. Now, under the state of emergency, human rights in urban areas are under attack. The human rights crisis could soon be a human rights disaster...... appoint a Special Rapporteur to scrutinize Nepal’s human rights record
  • Nepal: A long ignored human rights crisis now on the brink of catastrophe (report, 18/02/05) ...... a human rights catastrophe is looming amidst heightened militarization and an attack on democracy ..... all internal and external communications were cut for seven days. ..... The new ministers .. are mostly hard-line politicians from the panchayat ..... a return to Nepal’s oppressive past ..... the bandh and observed the severe restrictions it was imposing on local communities ..... as it progressed, the bandh was becoming increasingly strong outside Kathmandu valley...... the main political parties are considering establishing a coalition to campaign for the restoration of democracy, which most likely will result in larger and more coordinated demonstrations. In the current repressive climate any mass demonstrations are likely to prompt a harsh reaction from security forces, with serious consequences for human rights ..... Since its deployment to fight the CPN (Maoist) in 2001 the RNA has grown rapidly to become the strongest element of the state. The state of emergency has further increased the military’s power .....daily violence and terror inflicted on ordinary communities across the country ..... grave human rights abuses continue to be carried out by both security forces and the CPN (Maoist) ..... threats to human rights defenders in Nepal ..... grave human rights violations by security forces, which had gone unpunished. The delegation found a growing pattern of extrajudicial killings, as well as large numbers of illegal detentions and "disappearances". The delegation met detainees who had been illegally detained and tortured in RNA barracks, including two 15 year old boys who had been severely beaten in RNA custody, before being sent to Kathmandu jail where they have been held for seven months in arbitrary detention, unaware of any charges against them and with no prospect of release. There were also reports of sexual violence by security forces against local women, including women living in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs). In Nepalgunj, one woman told the delegation how she had been gang raped by security forces personnel during a search operation in her village in 2004...... children who had been forcibly recruited, beaten and compelled to participate in Maoist military activities. There appear to be no facilities for the rehabilitation of children who have been involved in military activities ..... The state of emergency has aggravated the existing culture of non-accountability and lack of transparency. It has increased the pattern of militarization and restricted the space for political dialogue, thereby reducing the chances of peace. .....Those who were exposing and condemning the human rights abuses .. are being muzzled...... restrictions that are already in place under anti-terrorist legislation, which allow preventive detention for up to one year ..... although some rights provided in international human rights treaties to which Nepal is a party - such as freedom from torture and freedom from discrimination – are not suspended, in practice the Nepali people have no means for legally asserting these rights. ...... the effect of the censorship is profound ..... the lack of free information has greatly increased the sense of insecurity and fear among ordinary Nepali people ...... a lawyer in Surkhet district had recently been arrested for filing a torture case. ..... bus drivers being told by the CPN (Maoist) that they would cut the drivers’ hands off if they drive during the bandh, and then being told by local security forces that they would cut the drivers’ hands off if they do not drive .....a more coordinated approach by the international community is needed .....Under the state of emergency all legal remedies, apart from habeas corpus, have been suspended. However, although habeas corpus remains available, lawyers and human rights defenders told Amnesty International that in practice it is often ineffectual as the security forces mislead the courts and ignore court orders. ..... Security forces have demonstrated a widespread disregard for the courts for some time ..... why the security forces personnel involved had not been held in contempt of court...... on 10 February the Supreme Court - ruling in the habeas corpus case regarding former Chairman of the Nepal Bar Association, Sindunath Pokharel, who had been arrested in the crackdown following the state of emergency - for the first time requested that the defendant be physically produced before the court. Rather than complying with the court’s orders and allowing a precedent to be set, the authorities released Sindunath Pokharel on 14 February 2005. ..... The NHRC ... has been consistently denied full access to detainees, despite its mandate to visits all places of detention...... Both the government and military and the CPN (Maoist) leadership have failed to investigate human rights abuses or punish those responsible. The state of emergency will only reinforce the existing culture of impunity....... the RNA and police human rights cells - are largely cosmetic...... the security forces continue to remain outside the law for grave human rights violations, including possible crimes against humanity.....information provided by the RNA revealed a disturbing pattern of extremely light punishment imposed by courts martial on members of the RNA accused of serious crimes, including murder and rape..... in order to address impunity, all allegations of human rights abuses by security forces should be investigated by an independent authority and prosecutions should take place in the civil courts. ..... cases of rape or murder by security forces should by law be transferred to the civilian authorities...... Government representatives appeared to be genuinely concerned about Nepal’s image abroad ..... However, there appeared to be discrepancies between the information provided to the delegation by the government and that which the delegation was able to corroborate from other sources. ..... During the royal audience the King assured Amnesty International that the government remains entirely committed to its 26 March Commitment. ..... One sad casualty of the state of emergency is the proposed Human Rights Accord, which would commit both the government and CPN (Maoist) to abide by clear human rights standards and accept human rights monitoring....The Accord would be a valuable confidence building measure towards future peace negotiations. ...... ordinary Nepalis who are suffering most, as they are caught between the armed forces and the CPN (Maoist), both of whom adopt a ‘with us or against us’ approach ...... the human rights crisis in Nepal - which has for so long gone almost unnoticed by the international community ..... Given the importance that Nepal places on its international image and its dependence on international assistance, the position that the international community adopts will be of critical importance in shaping the policy of the Nepal government in coming months. It is therefore important that the international community, when sending a strong message about the importance of restoring democracy, stresses that this must be a democracy with human rights and protection for a pluralist civil society at its core.......

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Major Indian Support For Democracy In Nepal


Nepal Democracy Solidarity Convention
Organized by the political parties and groups of India
24 February 2005
Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi

Chandra Shekhar, Former Prime Minister: Any human who pretends to be a god, who wants to be a god will be destroyed completely. This king does not seem keen to learn and think. He wants to subdue the wishes of the tens of million of people for his personal ambition ..... If the king does not change immediately, more actions from India are necessary ..... I wish the king of Nepal had some brain.

Harkishan Singh Surjeet, General Secretary, CPI (M): The king has murdered people’s democracy in Nepal ...... We will not give any chance to this autocrat. Our government is solidly behind you.

Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist): .....the absolute king is back. This time, this monarchy needs to be abolished completely ..... If our government supports this regime in Nepal we will wage a struggle against our government from here ..... Nepal will certainly be a people democratic republic soon.

Romesh Bhandari - Central Working Committee Member, Indian National Congress: The king needs to learn that suppressing people is going to be dangerous for monarchy. I had told Birendra once, “look at what happened in Iran, how the king had to flee, learn from that" ..... People are like steam. If you suppress them they will burst. The more the king suppresses the people, the more dangerous it will be for him ..... The king should take back his step immediately. We warn him.

Dev Brat Bishwas, General Secretary, Forward Block: .....all of India is with Nepal, the people of Nepal, and for the movement for democracy. We give you complete support for your democracy movement ..... This king - how did he dare take this step? ..... We are the largest democracy in the world. We have to support democracy movements, especially in our neighboring country Nepal, with which we have special ties. We believe you will start a joint movement soon.

Prof. Bimal Prasad , Former Indian Ambassador to Nepal: We should not forget the Nepal issue after a few months ..... The Indian government had issued strong statement immediately after the king’s move. But statement by themselves mean little if not followed by concrete action ..... we don’t know how long the fight will go on for ..... I never trusted this king’s motives. This is a very cunning man (ye bahut dhurt aadmi hai). I know him since long. Maybe he’s compulsive.

Surendra Mohan, Senior Socialist Leader: The kings of Nepal have always been against democracy. After the coup of 1960, it took 30 years for democracy to be restored. But this time it won’t take that long. .... The political parties in Nepal, you need to go against monarchy now

Anand Sharma - Spokesperson and Member of Central Working Committee, Indian National Congress: You need to amend this constitution so that such type of incidents can never repeat in the future.

Vijay Pratap, Coordinator, Socialist Front: Now you have a clear choice to make - monarchy or democracy. The dark Feb 1 was a blessing in disguise..... I appeal to each political party in India to form a special Nepal cell..... The BJP needs to apologize to the nation, if you can’t get the Vishhow Hindu Parishad to retract its statement supporting the king’s coup...... What the king of Nepal did has nothing to do with Hinduism. ..... Differences will remain in terms of ideology. Such differences should indeed remain. But, you can still have a working unity. The Maoists should also realize this. ..... The Maoists support multi-party democracy only as a strategy, not as an objective. They need to compromise with the democratic political parties

A. B. Bardhan, General Secretary, Communist Party of India: The king has asked for three years. He wants three years to consolidate his autocracy. I tell you, this time, he will not have three years. See what happens within three months ..... The prime minister invited us in the evening of 1 February to discuss the situation in Nepal. I told him that evening that India should immediately stop military aid to this autocrat..... This king will not survive for long. .... The Nepali Maoists are Nepalis and the Indian Maoists are Indians. They are separate. India should not be paranoid about the Nepali Maoists...... We need to be conscious that this agenda should not die down after a few months.

Dilip Singh Bhuriya, President, Jan Bikash Congress: We are the largest democracy in the world. But in our neighbor democracy has been strangulated. Nepal is burning now.

Brija Bhusan Tiwari, Senior Leader, Samajwadi Party: My electoral constituency is near to the Nepal border. I have been meeting many Nepali friends. I was suspecting for long that this king would take such a step. He has always been against the people. He has been against the Nepali people of Indian origin ..... We need to put so much pressure on him that he is forced to retract his step.

Surendra Shastri, President, Jay Jawan Jay Kishan Party: He has always been against democracy.

Ramesh Dixit, Professor, Luckhnow University: This is rare occasion and issue in India in which, for the first time, political forces ranging from CPI(ML) to the Congress are together at the same stage. Interestingly, one former prime minister of India inaugurated this event, and another former prime minister is going to close it.

VP Singh, Former Prime Minister of India: For India, the important issue is not the king, but the nation..... we do away with autocracy and reinstate democracy without any mess, very cleanly. As they say, lets skim off the fat, without disturbing the milk.
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