CJ-led Government-35

Siddhi B Ranjitkar

The government of Nepal and the 33-party alliance headed by the CPN-Maoist have been in a showdown, the alliance was enforcing shutdown starting on November 11, 2013 for 10 days to foil the elections to be held on November 19, 2013. The government is determined to foil the shutdown, and is to hold the elections at any cost. The alliance is to enforce the shutdown forcibly despite such shutdowns are not only illegal but also the acts of terrorists. Only the politically impotent and incompetent leaders resort to such extreme actions of forcibly shutting down violating the fundamental rights of the common folks and causing immense loss to the country, and sufferings to 30-milion Nepalis.

November 11, 2013 was the first day of the 10-day shutdown called by the 33-party alliance headed by the CPN-Maoist. The cadres of the 33-party alliance adopted the hit-and-run strategy to set fire on the vehicles. They also set real and fake bombs at various areas to terrorize the people. The terrorists had burned down more than 15 vehicles all over Nepal on the first day of the shutdown.

The state-run newspaper ‘gorkhapatra’ reported on November 12, 2013 that the bazaar at the Bhimesvor Municipality in the Dolakha District was opened in the morning for a regular business on November 11, 2013 but later on the storeowners closed the shutters of their stores for fear of the bombs attacks after the Nepal Army disposed some bombs set at various areas of the municipality, and the terrorists set fire on the vehicles parked on the roadside.

The cadres of the 33-party alliance have been terrorizing the candidates setting fire on their vehicles, and setting off bombs at the election rallies held by candidates of different political parties. Some terrorists have set fire on the ancestral home of Chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal, the ‘gorkhapatra’ of November 12, 2013 reports. However, the ‘gorkhapatra’ also reports that the candidates have been smoothly holding their election campaigns elsewhere. Even the shutdown on November 11, 2013 did not practically interrupt the election campaigns.

The impotent and incompetent leaders that had not courage to come out openly to shut down the regular business of the common folks on the streets but they had used most probably some paid terrorists to burn down some vehicles on the streets to create fear on the minds of the commuters. Why the government should not charge the leaders calling the shutdowns with committing crimes of violating other people’s rights to do business following the rule of law.

On November 12, 2013, the home ministry has said that the effect of the shutdown called by the 33-party alliance has been minimal due to the correct approach of the security. The home ministry also has said that it has directed the local administration to immediately pay the compensation for the damages of the vehicles caused by the miscreants, according to the news aired by the Radio Nepal on November 12, 2013.

The state-run newspaper ‘gorkhapatra’ of November 12, 2013 has published the picture of the spontaneous march held by the common folks demanding to end the shutdown forever. It also published the picture of the procession of motorbikes held by the UCPN-Maoist against the shutdown in Bharatpur of the Chitwan District, and also the procession of the motorbikes held by the candidate of the UCPN-Maoist at the constituency number four in Kathmandu. The home ministry said that highways were opened but did not say whether vehicles were running on the highways or not. The ‘gorkhapatra’ has a picture of the stores opened at Thamel, and the tourists strolling on the streets in its publication of November 12, 2013. The ‘gorkhapatra’ also writes that the presence of security is heavy in Kathmandu but callers of shutdowns are nowhere to be seen.

The Kathmandu metropolitan police have held 39 people that had been carrying petrol, kerosene, and the pamphlets that state ‘let us make the shutdown a success’ in Kathmandu on November 11, 2013, the ’gorkhapatra’ of November 12, 2013 writes. Obviously, petrol and kerosene are for setting fire on the vehicles.

If you listened only to the home ministry you would certainly believe that the effect of the shutdown was minimal. However, if you watched the private TVs and listened to the private radios, read the state-run newspaper ‘gorkhapatra’ of November 12, 2013 you would certainly find that the public transport was nowhere to be seen on November 11, 2013. Most of the people stayed off the road for fear of being the targets of the CPN-Maoist.

The private business associations such as Federation of Nepal Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Nepalese Industries, Transport Operators Associations, Tour Operators’ Association, School Operators’ Associations and so on have committed to defy the shutdown called by the 33-paty alliance one day before the shutdown but none of them dared to do so on November 11, 2013. They have a hangover from the past terrorist acts of the Maoists. The private businesspersons did not want to take any chance of being the targets of the Maoists, as the Maoists might keep targeting them in the future and the Maoists might attack them at any time in the future.

So, the 33-party alliance and its commander CPN-Maoist could be proud of terrorizing the people, and keeping them at home for a day on November 11, 2013. However, they should know that it was not the success of their shutdown but it was the result of the fear they had created among the common folks.

The government has announced the five-day public holidays from November 16 through November 20 for the voters to have sufficient time to travel to the areas they have registered their names, and then vote on November 19, and then travel back to the workplace on November 20. November 16, 2013 is Saturday. So, it is a public holiday. Practically, the government has given four-day off to the State employees. On these days, the States offices will be closed. However, the states agencies delivering the essential goods and service remain opened during the official holidays, according to the ministry of home. The government has decided to keep the security on alert for 24 hours a day on the coming days.

Thus, the government has made the shutdown called by the 33-party alliance headed by the CPN-Maoist meaningless. On the Election Day, vehicular traffic will come to standstill until the voting is done. So, the cadres of the 33-party alliance don’t need to do anything to close the traffic. However, it is not in support of the 33-party alliance and the CPN-Maoist but it is a regular practice of shutting down vehicular traffic on the Election Day to keep the terrorists at bay.

On November 2, 2013, UNDP Nepal Representative Jamie McGoldrick has met with Chairman of CPN-Maoist Mohan Vaidhya and his deputy CP Gajurel at the party headquarters in Kathmandu, and urged them to be peaceful in boycotting the elections. Vice-Chairman of CPN-Maoist CP Gajurel said that Mr. McGoldrick inquired the party about the nature of the election boycott and the party assured him of it would be peaceful; the Resident Representative also said that the political parties should follow the election codes of conduct. "We want you poll-opposing parties to make election boycott peaceful," Vice-Chairman Gajurel quoted Mr. McGoldrick as saying, according to the RSS news posted on the ‘gorkhapatraonline.com’.

In a statement issued on behalf of the international community on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal Jamie McGoldrick urged the CPN-Maoist to respect the universal principle of free election and not to engage in any illegal acts such as general strike, the Xinhua news says. UN Resident Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said that everybody should respect the democratic rights of voting. The CPN-Maoist has called the shutdown with a purpose of disrupting the election. "Closure and shutdown executed by violence and intimidation are against people's political rights and also against Nepal's law," said the statement, "Everybody should respect the democratic right to participate in peaceful, open and inclusive polls."

Reacting strongly to the statement of UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal Jamie McGoldrick, in the statement issued by Vice-chairman of CPN-Maoist CP Gajurel, the CPN-Maoist has said that it is a democratic and political right of the people either to boycott or take part in the election. "In the UN statement, boycotting parties have been projected as undemocratic. It is a right of citizens either to boycott or participate in the polls. So the statement itself is undemocratic one," Gajurel said in the statement. In the statement, the party also has said that the UN's statement is a glaring example of increasing foreign interference in Nepal. The CPN-Maoist has announced an 10-day shutdown ahead of Nov. 19 election to disrupt the election, Xinhua news agency writes.

Officials of the National Human Rights Commission went to see the leaders of the CPN-Maoist at the Buddanagar office of the party urging them to withdraw the shutdowns of traffic and the country, as shutdowns done against the will of the common folks are illegal, as they go against the law, and violate the fundamental human rights of the people to work for living. However, spokeswoman for the CPN-Maoist Pampha Bhusal said that her party refused to withdraw any shutdowns, the ‘gorkhapatra’ of November 12, 2013 writes.

Obviously, leaders of the 33-party alliance and the CPN-Maoist have either no knowledge of such basic things or have simply bullied the fundamental human rights the officials of the National Human Rights Commission have drawn the attention of those leaders. These so-called leaders wanted to rule the country through the cadres, sending them with petrol and kerosene to burn the vehicles of anybody that defy their shutdown. They used the inflammable materials as the laws and the tools to rule the country.

In its regular news conference on November 11, 2013, spokesman for the Election Commission Birbahadur Rai has said that damaging vehicles of candidates engaged in the election campaigns, setting fire on their vehicles, and setting off bombs elsewhere have drawn the attention of the Election Commission. He has urged all political parties not to engage in such illegal activities; everybody has the rights to protest peacefully but none has the rights to violate the rights of others; while enjoying the rights everyone should respect the rights of others, too, the ‘gorkhapatra’ of November 12, 2013 writes.

On November 11, 2013, economists and businessmen have said that the bandh (shutdown) will have severe adverse long-term impact on foreign trade, domestic production and employment generation of the country. Expressing great concern over the growing bandh culture in the country, they said that shutting down the country for a single day would incur loss of billions of rupee and ruin the country’s improving image in the international arena, the news on the ‘gorkhapatraonline.com’ says.

Earlier, the private sector organizations such as Federation of Nepal Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), and Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) have said that the 10-day bandh called by the parties is likely to incur a loss of about Rs. 20 billion to the national economy. President of FNCCI Suraj Vaidhya has said that the bandh would hit the poor and the marginalized community hard as they have no alternative means to support themselves. “The poor farmers, daily wage earners and small businessmen would be hit hard by the bandh,” he said, the news on the ‘gorkhapatraonline.com’ says.

The 33-party alliance has decided to change its shutdown event. Initially, it has decided to shut down the entire business of the people for 10 days. After the public outcry over the shutdown and the first-day almost successful shutdown, the alliance says that it will shut down only the vehicular traffic for the rest of the days.

On the second day of the shutdown, common folks have run the business as usual. Most of the public transport is on the roads. However, some terrorists have thrown petrol bombs on the public transport vehicles but significant damages are not reported. The ‘gorkhapatra’ of November 13, 2013 reports that the public transport has been regularly running on the streets of Kathmandu on the second day of the shutdown called by the 33-party alliance but someone has thrown a petrol bomb on a public transport microbus at Kumaripati in Lalitpur injuring a child; the presence of the security is high but the callers of shutdown are not seen on the streets.

On November 12, 2013, the home ministry has said that it has increased the amount to be paid immediately to the vehicle owners as the compensation for the damages done by the terrorists to Rs 50,000 from Rs 25,000. The home ministry promptly paid the amount to the vehicle owners as the compensation for the damage done while running on the roads. Such prompt actions might have been the reasons for the public transport running almost regularly on the second day of the shutdown called by the 33-party alliance.

At the meeting with Minister for Physical Planning and Transport Chhabiraj Panta held at the ministry on November 12, 2013, the public transport operators have agreed on running the public transport on the days of shutdowns called by the 33-party alliance after the minister promised to provide them with security and the compensations for any damages done to their vehicles and their staffs, the ‘gorkhapatra’ of November 13, 2013 writes.

The long-distance transporters have started off selling the tickets to long distance travel on November 13, 2013 after the home ministry has assured them of promptly paying the compensation for the damages done to their vehicles, and of the security on the highways, the news aired by the Radio Nepal on the morning on November 14, 2013 says. The five hundred buses parked at the bus park in Kathmandu are on the move.

On November 13, 2013, the ‘Peace and Dialogue Coordination Committee’ of the Federation of Nepal Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) held a grand peace rally at Tundikhel in Kathmandu with the slogan of ‘let us shut down the Nepal shutdown forever’ in protest against the 10-day shutdown the CPN-Maoist has enforced starting on November 11, 2013. Speaking at the rally, President of FNCCI Suraj Vaidhya said that the FNCCI would protest against any such shutdown called by any political party for any purpose, as such shutdown has not benefited anybody rather caused immense troubled to the common folks the poor in particular.

The peace rally held by the FNCCI has been a great challenge to the Vaidhya- Maoists, and the success of the peace rally would set a precedent for others to come openly against any shutdown called by anybody in the future. This success is clearly the failure of the Vaidhya-Maoists. It has indicated that the CPN-Maoist does not stand on any popular foundation to make a difference in the Nepalese politics.

The Vaidhya-Maoist leadership would have shown the potency and competency if it were to withdraw the call of shutdown immediately after the first day of the successful shutdown, and said that it was withdrawing the shutdown for the welfare of the people, as the shutdown has caused immense sufferings to the common folks, and then appeal to the people for boycotting the elections on November 19, 2013. Not withdrawing the call of the shutdown, the Vaidhya leadership has not only committed the grand political blunder but also demonstrated how incompetent and impotent they had been. Vaidhya and his associates would have earned sympathy of some people if they were to withdraw the call of the shutdown after the successful first-day shutdown.

The Vaidhya leadership of the CPN-Maoist sticking to its decision on continuing the shutdown has been facing the disastrous political failure, as the shutting down the traffic has been total failure. Even saving face has been a difficult task for the Vaidhya-Maoist leadership. The Vaidhya-Maoist cadres have continued to throw petrol bombs, and set fire on vehicles just to indicate that it has continued the shutdown. The leadership needs to realize that the shutdown has been inconsistent with the popular will.

Continuation of sporadic incidents of setting fire on vehicles and throwing petrol bombs on running vehicles has been only the face saving act of the Vaidhya-Maoist leadership that has been desperate to holding its head up after the failure in shutting down the traffic all over Nepal. The CPN-Maoist leadership could not call off the shutdown of the vehicular traffic, as it would be a great insult to the great leaders of the CPN-Maoist. However, not calling off the shutdown, the great leaders have proved them that they are politically immature leaders.

The regular life has returned in Kathmandu and all over the country on November 14, 2013. Common people don’t feel any sense of the shutdown. Common folks have been running their regular business. Motor vehicles are running on the streets of Kathmandu, in other towns and on the highways. Supplies of goods and services have been regular. Probably, common folks have forgiven the Vaidhya-Maoist leadership for the sufferings caused by its call of shutdown on the first two days of the 10-day shutdown.

A statement released by Press Advisor Bimal Gautam of Chairman of Interim Election Council of Ministers Khilraj Regmi on November 14, 2013 has said that Chairman Regmi has called a security meeting in which Home Minister Madhav Prasad Ghimire, Chief Secretary Lilamani Poudel, Chief of Army Staff Gaurav Shumsher Rana, Secretary to Home Ministry Janardan Nepal, Chief of Armed Police Force Kosh Raj Onta, Chief Investigation Director Moti Bahadur Gurung, Acting Chief of Nepal Police Upendrakanta Aryal, and other officers of the security were present, the ‘gorkhapatra’ of today writes.

On November 14, 2013, hearing on the case filed at the Supreme Court of Nepal by Advocate Dhruba Prasad Adhikari on behalf of the Nepal Democratic Layers’ Association against the 10-day shutdown called by the 33-party alliance headed by the CPN-Maoist to interrupt the elections to be held on November 19, 2013, the single bench of senior justice Ramkumar Prasad Shah has issued a stay order to the 33-party alliance not to enforce the shutdown, as nobody has rights to violate the fundamental rights of common folks to vote, the ‘gorkhapatra’ on November 15, 2013 writes.

The meeting has come to the conclusion that all the activities attempting to disrupt the elections to be held on November 19, 2013 are not of the political nature but the criminal activities; so, all the offenders should be brought to justice. The meeting also has assessed that the callers of the shutdown should take responsibility for all activities that have adversely affected the law and order and peace at the public places until the law proves the criminal activities otherwise even though they have disowned for such activities to the local and international communities.

The government headed by Chairman Khilraj Regmi, and his Home Minister Madhav Prasad Ghimire have done a great job in tackling the problems of shutdown called by the CPN-Maoist. The immediate payment of the compensation for the vehicles set fire by the terrorists has worked as a miracle in making the traffic shutdown a failure, as the transport operators have run the vehicles without fear after finding the government has promptly paid the compensation for the damages done to the vehicles during the shutdown period. This will set the precedent for the future governments to foil any shutdown called by any political party or any organization.

The political leaders also have helped the government in making the call of shutdown ineffective keeping their election campaign on. Candidates for the seats in a new CA, and political leaders have continued their election campaign ignoring the call of the 10-day shutdown by the 33-party alliance. The UCPN-Maoist has kept on running the Mechi-Mahakali (east-west) election campaign. All the election campaigns have significantly contributed to making the shutdown a failure.

The international community in Kathmandu also has contributed to foil the 10-day shutdown called by the CPN-Maoist. The international community and the diplomatic missions in Kathmandu have put heavy pressure on the CPN-Maoist not to call the shutdown for interrupting the elections. They also have encouraged the government to enforce the rule of law. They even committed to help the government in enforcing the rule of law.

November 15, 2013