Moriarty’s final verbal assault on Maoists

TGW Analyst

Kathmandu: The outgoing US Ambassador James F. Moriarty who is almost packing for his home country has made scathing remarks aimed against the Maoists.

To be specific, he is leaving this Friday.

It appears that Moriarty will chase the Maoists even while being in Washington and will in all likelihood influence the US administration as regards his conclusions over the Maoists that he has collected in his three year term in Kathmandu as American representative.

If so, analysts presume that the Ambassador designate, Nancy J. Powell, who has replaced Moriarty would have little option other than to be influenced by her own administrations’ dictates over the would be stance of the US on Maoists. Moriarty would surely brief his administration upon return to Washington.

Look how Ambassador Moriarty wraps the Maoists in what could be taken as his “departure” statement on Nepal and the Maoists. “Nepal’s Maoists are still bent on seizing "absolute power" over the country even though they have signed up for peace with mainstream parties”.

US ambassador made these remarks to some reporters Monday in Kathmandu.

This explains how much he is annoyed with the Maoists behavior even after being inducted into the power structure of the country.

However, what is revealing in his remarks printed above is that the US envoy still concludes that the Maoists were still bent on what he calls “seizing absolute power”.

But how he could know that the Maoists have this hidden agenda? Are they so much powerful?

Analysts presume that Ambassador Moriarty must not have said such an earth-shaking comments against the Maoists without getting the adequate indications to that effect.

 Ambassador Moriarty further declares emphatically that the former “rebels will remain featured on the United States' list of foreign "terrorist" organizations unless they change their ways”.

Yet another point for Nancy Powell to grill the Maoists upon her arrival in Kathmandu some where by the end of this month.

"They continue to use violence and continue to threaten the (peace) process itself if they don't get everything they want," Moriarty told reporters.

"Everything that they want is power, absolute power, not part of a multi-party democracy," said the diplomat, a long-term critic of the Maoists.

The fresh attack on the Maoists have come from the US side at a time when the YCL-an affiliate of the Maoists- only the other day took to task to some innocent souls who dared to enter the Palace to greet the King. This is not all, the YCL is creating terror and violence in the remote areas giving an impression to all and sundry that the State is absent from the districts and villages.

The fact is that the ex-rebels continue to face allegations of using mafia-like tactics, including beatings, kidnappings and extortion in the countryside.

Nevertheless, Moriarty assured the reporters that the US could think of lifting the terrorist tag if they begin the implementation of the peace arrangements made in the past with the State.

In yet another revelation, the US envoy says that the “Maoists were grappling with an internal dispute” over how to proceed politically.

“Maoist leader Prachanda and his second in command Baburam Bhattarai advocate staying within the political mainstream to "force the government into a rolling series of concessions that ultimately result in them grabbing full power," Moriarty summed up the some what a hypothetical conclusion. However, Moriarty must not have said so again without getting deep into the matter through his own all pervasive information channels in Kathmandu.

This is not all. He further adds by saying that “The other faction within the group, led by Maoist military commanders, believes that "there has got to be confrontation and its got to happen now when the Maoists are relatively strong." A dangerous declaration indeed.

Should this mean that there is the prevalence of two groups very much inside the Maoist camp: the first wants to go along with the mainstream politics, the other camp conclude that the “unfinished” revolution must continue?

In an interesting development, pretty annoyed by what Moriarty said Monday of the Maoists, the Prime Minister invited chief of the army staff, Rukmangad Katuwal Tuesday morning. However, this sudden meet has come close on the heels of Moriarty’s blunt remarks hair-raising remarks against the Maoists only on Monday. Hmmm….Looks things are not going straight….

Some thing is being cooked some where, it appears.

Be that as it may, with all these taken into account, on an entirely different development what remains yet to be seen as to how the US would now treat the UML which has only on Monday decided to take the Maoists as “democrats”. A clear departure from how the US thinks of the Maoists even as of today.

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