CJ-led Government-15

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

Chairman of CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya Mohan Vaidhya has said that his party has not decided to boycott the elections; his party is not against the elections; however, his party cannot participate in the current state of affairs. Most of the 33 political parties led by his party, have been for participating in the elections. Madheshi People’s Rights Forum-Nepal headed by Upendra Yadav, and the Federal Social Party headed by Ashok Rai also have agreed to participate in the elections if the number of slots to be filled by the proportional votes is increased. The four-party political mechanism has hinted at increasing the number of such slots if the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya also were to participate in the elections. However, the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya has not stepped back from the demands for tearing down all the political structures so far built following the four-party agreement, and annulling the 25-point Removal of Constitutional Hurdles Ordinance, and setting up an all-party government to hold elections to a new Constituent assembly (CA).

Speaking at the event of releasing a book titled “Smiritika Kuineta” written by Hiramani Dukhi in Kathmandu on June 24, 2013, Chairman of CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya Mohan Vaidhya has said that the central committee of his party has not decided to boycott the elections to a new CA, yet. It is a positive sign and a hint of the possibility of his party taking part in the elections. However, he has added that his party will not participate in the elections in the current state of affairs. He has said that his party is ready for talks if all the processes for holding elections including the announcement of the election date and elections timetable are suspended. Then, his part is willing to talk on other subject matters. He also said that elections should be held with the agreement of all political parties.

Chairman Vaidhya also said that nobody could craft a new constitution sidelining the party that had the glorious history of the people’s war. The CPN-Maoist had fought a ten-year people’s war causing tremendous loss of human lives. More than 20,000 Nepalis lost lives. Most of them were the Maoists and innocent people sandwiched between the Nepal Army and the Maoists militia. Thousands of people became the victims of enforced disappearance made by the Nepal Army and the Maoists, too. If someone were suspected to be the sympathizer of the Maoists, then s/he would be the victim of the enforced disappearance made by the Nepal Army. Thus, thousands of innocent people became the victims of the Nepal Army. The Maoist militia also made enforced disappearance of anybody suspected of spying on the Maoists. Thousands of family members of the victims of the enforced disappearances have been waiting for the government to make known the whereabouts of those enforced disappearances. Neither the Maoists nor the government have been interested in finding out the whereabouts of the enforced disappearances. Is it the glorious history of the CPN-Maoist without which Nepalis could not craft a new constitution?

Chairman Vaidhya said that holding elections in the current circumstance was not possible on November 19, 2013; even if the elections were held, a people’s constitution would not be crafted. Why the elections would not be possible Chairman Vaidhya did not bother to explain. Why the constitution crafted by a newly elected CA would not be a people’s constitution? Mr. Vaidhya did not explain, too. If the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya were to declare a war and the Maoists were to launch a guerrilla war then certainly, the elections would not be held.  However, most of the Maoist leaders have been no more for going back to a war. The current political situation is not that of the 1996. Nepalis have removed the tyrannical monarchy. The corrupt parliamentary parties have to face the people. Similarly, the Maoists smeared their hands with the bloods of thousands of innocent Nepalis have to face the Nepalis. So, everybody has to go to the people for the power not with the guns. Chairman Vaidhya might not be able to stop Election Commission (EC) from holding the elections. Then, an elected CA would certainly be able to craft a new CA whether you call it a people’s constitution or otherwise.

The EC has been in full swing to prepare for the elections. Most of the groundwork has been done for holding elections. The EC has hinted at registering the remaining political parties including the CPN-Maoist to register at any time for the purpose of the elections if they were to come for the registration. The EC has not much time to wait for the political parties. The EC soon needed to allocate the election symbols to the political parties registered at the EC for the election purpose. Thereafter, the EC needed to print ballot papers. The EC has arranged the printing of ballot papers at the state-run educational material-printing press at Sanothimi in Bhaktapur. The press has already made ready for printing ballot papers. So, if Chairman Vaidhya is serious about resolving political problems in Nepal, he needs to register his party at the EC for the elections or stop making any threatening speech against the elections.

Chairman of UCPN-Maoist Prachanda has met with chairman of CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya at the residence of the spokesman for UCPN-Maoist Krishna Bahadur Mahara on June 25, 2013. However, the guru and the disciple could not reach at any agreement. Vaidhya was the political guru of Prachanda. The guru wanted to stick to the old philosophy of Maoism whereas disciple Prachanda wanted to keep up with the changing political scenario. Even the home country has forgotten the political philosophy of Mao, and has adopted the market economy for the economic development. Thus, China has managed to lift the country from the status of the poor country to the second largest economy in the world. Chairman Vaidhya should understand the political events that have been developing in the world.

Chairman Prachanda has proposed Chairman Vaidhya for going together to the polls in the coming elections. Going together with Prachanda to the polls means for Vaidhya to follow the trail left by Prachanda. He would not have broken away from the UCPN-Maoist if he were to continue following the path Prachanda has led. Chairman Vaidhya broke away from the mother party UCPN-Maoist, and then set up a new CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya in the name of following the path once Chairman Mao had made. However, Chairman Vaidhya did not want to understand that the Mao’s path has been swept away by the capitalistic path adopted by Deng Xiao Peng, and other successive rulers in China. How could Chairman Vaidhya keep such a path in Nepal? Chairman Vaidhya would gain more following the path of Prachanda than continuing the broken path of Mao.

Chairman Vaidhya has made public that his party and he is willing to reintegrate with the UCPN-Maoist on two conditions: sovereignty and nationalism. If we were to understand the past definitions of these two words made by Vaidhya, sovereignty means non-interferences in the Nepalese politics by the foreign power; nationalism means anti-Indian sentiments. UCPN-Maoist is most unlikely to accept both the conditions. Like it or not, not only Nepal but also any country in the world has directly or indirectly foreign interferences in the internal politics. None of the political parties would be able to avoid when it gets in power. The rhetoric of neutralizing the foreign interference is only when any party is out of power. Again adopting the policy on nationalism, any party could not stay long in power being anti-Indian, as India is a next-door country. Nepal has open border with India. Citizens of both the countries have freedom to work and live in either country. Nationalism of Chairman Vaidhya would work only when he was not in power.

Chairman Vaidhya also accused the NC and CPN-UML along with the UCPN-Maoist of destroying the democracy and the rule of law. The accusation has certain truth. The three political parties and the UDMF in conjunction with the president have amended the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007 to pave the way for the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal to take the office of the Chairman of the Interim Election Council of Ministers. The four-party political mechanism along with the president became the absolute rulers. In absence of the parliament, the president became the lawmaker. He also became the rubber stamp of the four-party mechanism. Concerning the rule of law, Nepalese rulers have never honored it. They considered the common folks as their subjects. Mr. Vaidhya would do the same thing if he were to be the next prime minister. He would distribute the taxpayers’ money to his cadres and sycophants. The law enforcement people have been the abusers of the law. This is the hangover of the 240-year Rana-shah rule in Nepal.

Probably, Chairman Vaidhya has been still dreaming the capturing of the State power by force. Putting forward the impossible-to-meet demands such as tearing down the IECM, suspending all processes for holding elections, scraping the 11-point agreement the four parties had reached, and annulling the 25-point Removal of Constitutional Hurdles, Chairman Vaidhya has been really for disrupting the elections. However, he has not dared to do so, yet. He has been making speeches against the elections but he has limited everything to the speeches except for shutting down the country at his whim. Shutting down the country is the easiest thing to do in the current political situation in Nepal. Capturing State power is not the easiest thing to do. If the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya is to launch a war, the State has the armed police and in the worst case, the State would use the army to fight against the war launched by the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya. The easiest thing for Mr. Vaidhya to do might be to participate in the elections and see how the people would react to his party. Mr. Vaidhya alone would not able to capture the State power. His dream might never be realized. He needed to come down to the real life, and keep up with the right direction of the current political flow.

Warmongers of his party have been shutting up their mouths in public. Nobody of the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya has been talking about going to a war now. Mr. Vaidhya has softened his stand considerably. He said that his party has not decided to boycott elections means his party has kept open to participate in the elections. He also has said that he has kept the door open to dialogue.

Chairman Vaidhya had held talks with the senor leader of NC Sher Bahadur Deuba. After the return from the India visit, senior leader of NC Deuba rushed to the residence of Chairman Vaidhya. However, Deuba could not move chairman Vaidhya from his stand on all sorts of impossible-to-meet demands. Poor Deuba could offer Chairman Vaidhya only to increase the number of slots for the proportional representation in a new CA. Chairman Vaidhya did not care about this number. He needed something big from Deuba but Deuba could not offer.

President of NC Sushil Koirala also visited Chairman Vaidhya to lure him to the elections. However, Vaidhya was not a leader that would so easily fall into the trap set by such an unscrupulous politician. Koirala returned home empty handed. Koirala and his party would be in a better position to win more seats in a new CA if the UCPN-Maoist and CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya were to compete with each other for votes in the elections.

Leaders of CPN-UML did not worry about the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya not taking part in the elections. They have been saying that their contest will be with the NC for votes. How did they come to such a conclusion? They did not explain. Apparently, they have written off the presence of UCPN-Maoist and UDMF. Once, leaders of CPN-UML were eager to form an election coalition with the NC to fight against the coalition of the UCPN-Maoist and UDMF. However, NC leaders did not welcome such an idea. So, why the CPN-UML leaders needed to consider the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya when they don’t even see the presence of UCPN-Maoist and UDMF. Some of the CPN-UML leaders have openly said that non-participation of the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya in the elections does not make any difference. They even gave the examples of some political parties not participating in the elections in the past.

Leaders of CPN-UML, CPN-ML, and Janamorcha Nepal (another name of one of so many communist parties) agreed to go together to the polls during the elections to a new CA. Leader of CPN-ML CP Mainali, and leader of Janamorcha Nepal Chitra Bahadur KC said that they have not thought about merging their parties with the CPN-UML but they have agreed to form a coalition with the CPN-UML for the purpose of the elections. Chitra Bahadur KC has been deadly against federalism. His party and he even had protested a number of times against federalism. Having a coalition with Chitra Bahadur KC: the man with such a background of anti-federalism, CPN-UML has exposed its picture of being against federalism. CPN-ML and Janamorcha Nepal are two small parties that have been fighting for its survival. They are sure to lose their survival in the coming elections. So, they choose to go with the CPN-UML to the polls to keep their identity even after the elections to a new CA.

Current coordinator of the four-party political mechanism Bijaya Gacchedar said that he agreed to hold a round-table meeting to meet the demand of the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya but he categorically rejected the demand of the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya for tearing down the current government, and forming an all-party government, and annulling the 25-point Removal of Constitutional Hurdles Ordinance. The CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya has not responded to the offer made by Gacchedar. Any round-table meeting that would not meet the demands of Vaidhya would not be sensible. Currently, Gacchedar is the chairman of the four-party political mechanism. Leaders of the four-party political mechanism chair the mechanism in turn.

Chairman of Madheshi People’s Rights Forum-Nepal Upendra Yadav said that his party would participate in the elections but he repeated his demand for annulling the 11-point agreement the four-party political agreement had reached, and dissolving the four-party mechanism. The repeated demand of Mr. Yadav would not be met. However, he has been repeating his demand to keep his head above the water in the political sea. Senior leader of CPN-UML Madhav Nepal said that the four-party political mechanism could be dissolved if the dissident political parties were to participate in the elections. Mr. Nepal did not say whether it was his personal opinion or of the four-party political mechanism.

Only a small fraction of the political setup in Nepal would be out of the elections if the CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya were not to participate in the elections. CPN-Maoist-Vaidhya would not be able to raise the question of legitimacy of the elections, as the overwhelming majority of the political parties would be taking part in the elections. Thus, Chairman Vaidhya has the option of remaining out of the elections or participating in the elections or launching a guerrilla war or calling shutting down of the entire country or sending some of his cadres to set off pressure-cooker bombs elsewhere to stop the processes for holding the elections. Certainly, the choice is of Mr. Vaidhya’s but he has to face the consequences of the good or bad choice he would make.

June 27, 2013