No design to corner Maoists

TGQ1: Will the High Level Body which has just taken a formal shape be able to provide a real solution to the current political impasse?  To recall, in the initial stage, the political parties have had opposed the formation of such a high level mechanism? What say you Mr. Rana of all these? Your comments please.

Mr. Rana: Well, the High Level Body is in the news these days. I think this Body could provide some positive trends in order to speed up the process for which it has been formed. The Maoists have allowed running the disrupted parliament and also have taken off their protest programs after the formation of this Body. It is heartening that the Prime Minister has also been included in this Body as an invitee. I presume that the body will be able to move forward because some trends have been observed as positive. This will enhance the peace process, carry forward the militia integration scheme and also provide the needed and the required speed to the timely draft of the new constitution.

 All should now work honestly in order to draft the constitution on the stipulated time frame.

The main purpose of the formation of this High Level Body is to enhance the completion of the peace process and draft the new constitution on time. However, the skirmishes seen among the contending political parties remained concentrated only either to retain power or bounce back to power and hence the emergence of political dispute.

The important agenda at the moment is and should be to revive the derailed peace process into its original position and later to draft the new constitution on time.

I presume that the political dispute as regards the High Level Body may have arose to avoid the making and breaking of governments. This is my thinking.

TGQ2: Will this High level Body seek a suitable alternative to this government?  But as long as the Maoists demand of the prevalence of civilian supremacy remains ignored, how could this High level Body function? Your comments please Mr. Rana.

Mr. Rana: The main objective of this High level Body, as I stated earlier, is to concentrate its efforts in carrying the peace process to its logical end and to draft the constitution. Nothing more than that. If the Body begins political maneuvering and initiates actions aimed at the “change of the government, neither it would be desirable nor be taken as a timely affair. The protest that we witnessed in the past was also to warn the political parties not to engage themselves in the making and breaking of the government.

The nation at the moment needs not a change in the government structure instead what it demands is that the peace process and timely draft of the constitution demands be accorded top priority. The peace process must have a safe and sound landing as it demands.

If the Body ignored the stated prime agenda then the people will not take such acts in a good taste.

Nevertheless, I would not claim that there is no alternative to this government. Everything happens in consensus politics. But let the minds of the political leaders and the parties may not get attracted towards making and breaking of governments.

If it is otherwise then both the peace process and the constitution drafting will remain in a limbo.

Let’s be optimistic. Let’s hope that the Maoists too will become honest and assist the peace process and timely draft of the constitution.

To boot, gates are open for the Maoists to participate in the current government iof they so desire.

TGQ3: So what should be done to draft the constitution on time and to bring the peace process to its logical end? And how the integration process will continue? Your comments please Mr. Rana!

Mr. Rana: Yes! Lot of things need to be done to accomplish the process you mentioned. There should be the integration of the Armies. The captured lands must be returned to its lawful owners. The semi military structure need to be dissolved. If one looks at the Young Communist league then one finds that it no longer remains a semi military structure but has taken the shape of fully fledged military paraphernalia.

Practically at all the levels of the country, armed outfits have been established which appears very close to the chain of command as that of the mainstream army.

Look the tragedy, the militias of the cantonments need to be integrated on the one hand and on the other the other, the YCL is taking the shape of a military structure

We all know that the YCL now comprises of some four to five thousand former Maoist militias and the likelihood remains that the “disqualified ones” will soon join the YCL. This does mean that the Maoists have almost the strength of ten thousand army or say a brigade. They are creating terror and violence. This we all know.

We just want the politics to remain free from criminalization. There should be no criminalization of politics. If we fail to do so then no elections can be held in the country in the future. With a political party having its own sort of army, how the people could contest the  elections?

No political parties should have its armies and that is why first the militia integration should be accomplished. Politics of consensus must prevail in the country.

The integration could be made in various security sectors of the State organs. The Nepal Police and the Armed Police could accommodate some of the militias. Or a separate security agency could be established in the security sector. I think, in this manner we can integrate a sizeable chunk of the militias. Let’s not forget that they too were the sons of the same soil and thus they be asked as to which profession they want to join? Some could be sent to foreign countries.

However, collective or say en masse entry of the militias can’t be done either in the military or in the Police forces for a politically indoctrinated army can’t be assimilated into the mainstream security sector.

We must take into account that the Nepal Army at the moment is the single apolitical institution in the country. Let the Nepal Army run under its own set of systems.

Home ministry report claims that currently the country has the existence of some 109 armed outfits. If something untoward happens in the future we then need the support of the Nepal Army and the Army must remain purely an apolitical institution.

TGQ4: So does this not mean the disregard to the previous agreements made with the Maoists? First, integration with the Army was talked and later there is the dilly-dallying? Why so then Mr. Rana?

Mr. Rana: Well, what I had heard that there had been an agreement in between Girija Prasad Koirala and Prachanda that some four to five thousand militias will be integrated into the mainstream security agencies. The agreement was made at time of the signing of the 12 point agreement itself. The rest of the militias, as agreed upon, would be integrated in various security agencies.

We can’t break the set rules and the regulations or say the system of the Army. The set standards of the recruitment in the Nepal Army must not be ignored. Politically indoctrinated forces could not and should not be integrated into the mainstream army. If done so would mean the politicization of the Army institution.

TGQ5: Is it that the Maoists are being made fool by the entire political parties? What say you Mr. Rana? Your comments please.

Mr. Rana: It is not that what you have mentioned. Political polarization is not there as yet. To remind you, the Maoists have come only after a people’s war but not the rest of the political parties. It could be this factor which may have brought or to come to surface certain differences with the Maoists over some political issues.

The Maoists have not been sidelined in a calculated and structured way nor do we have any such designs to corner them.

The RPP is of the view that the Maoists must not be cornered. (Yo Sata Weekly, January 29, 2010)

Posted on : 2010-02-03 07:57:44

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