Nepal: Likely to become a location of Regional Power Diplomacy

Rabindra Bhattarai

Advocate, Nepal

Sujit Mainali for The Telegraph Weekly and its online edition telegraphnepal.com approached, once again, and interviewed this young scholar on several issues related to the national security, politics and human rights.

Below the excerpts of this exclusive interview: Chief Editor. 

TGQ1. The Chairman of Unified Maoist Party, Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is being accused as inept and an anti-national person from different quarters. His long time associates are also now accusing him for being a subservient person. How do you see such charges being labeled against the towering political figure of Nepal?

Bhattarai: As I understand, democratic rule is a public matter; the political forces which have potentiality of ruling should be transparent in managing their own institutions. There is very limited scope of secrecy in managing relations with others. However, in Nepali politics, politicians take trick and conspiracy as an effective tool for they lack affirmative strategic planning with a clear vision and statesmanship. I think the charges to Mr. Dahal remain around this periphery.  

In positive thoughts, there is no space for sheer allegations; any allegation should be supported by plausible evidence. No doubt the visionary status of Mr. Dahal has been found unstable in the last four years of his politics in surface, however, that he plays for personal benefit should not be viewed as an anti-national act, and allegation of the sort of an attempt of being anti-national and subservience have got to be verified by sufficient reliable and authentic evidence. I think the allegations are frustrations within the institution itself.

TGQ2: The issue of bulk integration of the Madhesi youths has become a topic of hot debate in the academic and political circles of Kathmandu.  If the bulk integration of Madheshi youths materializes as desired and preferred by some Madhesh based parties, what impact it may have upon the political and security system of the country? Your precious comment please.

Bhattarai: For me, integration and inclusiveness of varieties of previously discriminated or subjugated to segregation or marginalization process is essential to ensure more consolidated democratic nationalism. However, in the current debates of federalization and inclusion, I find that weight is being given altering the previous relation of powers in the name of ethnicity, caste and geo-regions.

Inclusion should not been seen as a short-term measure that elites of marginalized community, ethnicity or caste, should not be over benefited by the environment. I see all the demands in the names of poor, deprived and marginalized ones are to benefit the elites of the same who have presently emerged as new syndicate incarnation. You can find this phenomenon in most of the sectors in Nepal and this is due to lack of intra-democracy in the political parties and interest organizations.

Justice of inclusion must ensure that deprived people of the mainstream population should not feel that they are discriminated. However, present modalities are forcing them to think this way. Inclusion should be managed in a planned manner in order to ensure that all population components are represented, none of the citizens feel being discriminated, and a sense of consolidation of integrated nationalities promoted. This feeling must be imparted.

TGQ3: Mr. Bhattarai, we have come to learn that you are closely monitoring the events related with Nepal's International Relations. It is widely believed that foreign maneuvering has dramatically increased in Nepal after the Monarchy’s ouster. Do you think so?  Could you please further recommend as to how we can avert the unwarranted involvement of alien forces in our internal affairs?

Bhattarai: There are interests of groups of international community in the internal affairs of Nepal. Some want to make Nepal a station for managing regional power diplomacy or international politics, yet some prefer to benefit from its natural resources, and some have legitimate interests to see Nepal as a prosperous human rights friendly  and self-governed democratic nation which could contribute to international community eventually.

Definitely, interests of neighbors and friends increase when there are shifting of the management domestically. In such a situation enemies may enter in the name of friend(s) and cooperation. Politicians should be clear on the point that what may benefit and what may collapse the nation due to alien forces poking their nose in Nepal’s internal affairs. To this, rightful manner of internal governance with democratic values and beliefs must be put into practice by the competing national players and also to be brought in place mainly by the major political forces. I see problems within the internal political forces which are based on arrogance, greed for power, selfishness and personal lust. We are in need of long vision, patience and endeavor.  We have to take lessons from others that most of the countries which have been collapsed; primary causes of which were their internal ones which were fueled by alien forces.

TGQ4: Some political scientists of Nepal opine that the sudden cancellation of the state visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to Nepal is the manifestation of excessive leaning of the incumbent Nepali government towards our Southern neighbor, India. Mr. Bhattarai, what say you on this line of thinking?

Bhattarai: I do agree with this opinion to some extent, however, I do also not conclude that, that is the only reason. As the visit was not scheduled to Nepal as the first and last destination, the cancellation of the visit was affected by the situation arising in its relation with America, Myanmar and China.

Another additional cause might have been a reading of China about the Nepalese situation on security and the likelihood of demonstration against the Chinese delegates in the name of free Tibet movement. Another cause which is not discussed in the media might be the differences of the understanding on the Nepal-China relation agenda. Therefore, not only due to India this has happened.

TGQ5: Now let us change the topic of our discussion. Several media reports have stated that Unified Maoist and Madesh based parties are providing political protection to different persons involved in criminal activities. What challenges this situation has posed to the ongoing campaign initiated by the Human Rights Defenders and members of Civil Society to ensure transitional justice and to end impunity in the post-conflict Nepal?

Bhattarai: If you want my answer in one sentence, I say the challenge is the lack of differentiation between crime and politics by political forces. Robbery of commercial banks in the name of certain flags were considered political victory, murdering civilians were considered as a grand success in liberating the country and displacing the locals from their own lands and communities too, in addition, were considered the best strategies to herald political changes. Smashing or setting vehicles ablaze in the name of Banda have been legitimized by the political parties and protected by them. These all are adding more anomalies.  

There are two types of anomalies right now, firstly we are shifting from our value system of feudal characters to the early phase of modern capitalism, secondly politics is mostly criminalized and immunity is granted in the name of politics. Human rights defenders and civil society members should campaign for making people clear what is crime and what is politics, political party should put a condition on their cadre membership that if any criminal charge is lodged at the court against the member, the member should be suspended from the responsibility of party or public positions awarded by the party until the accused member receives clean cheat from the judicial process. Civil society should be able to put pressure on the political parties to come to this point. Further, human rights defenders should be free from their partisan alliance.

Telegraphnepal.com exclusive ( Five questions published in the telegraph Weekly dated January 4, 2012).

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