Prelude To An Unprecedented Devastation

Nepal - Is it a mere irony that, Nuon Chea, the top surviving leader of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, has been arrested and charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity whereas the symbolic vestiges of Nuon and the ilk in Nepal have triumphantly begun to raise their hideous heads. One of the prominent members of the notorious Pol Pot regime, Nuon, was equally responsible for the ultra leftist pogrom that culminated in the ghastly killing of 1.7 million Cambodians from 1975 to 1979. Nepalese Maoists whose modus operandi is indisputably analogous to that of Cambodian tyrant, are squarely responsible for the death of almost 15 thousand Nepalese. But the tolerance of the Nepalese society towards these desperadoes is really inscrutable.

The terrorists have once again revealed their true color by brazenly flouting the peace agreement they had signed in the past alongside the seven-party democratic alliance. It was agreed by all parties concerned that the fate of the institution of monarchy would be decided by the first meeting of the proposed Constituent Assembly. Having sensed that the Constituent Assembly election is not likely to go in their favor, Maoists presented 22-point demand before the government. They have demanded, among others, that Nepal be declared a Republic before going to the polls due to be held on 22 November and that the elections be held on the basis of proportional representation. They decided to quit the government in the wake of premier Koirala’s outright rejection of these two demands. Further, they have threatened to disrupt the Constituent Assembly elections by all means.

The latest move of the Maoists has not only put the incumbent coalition government in a quandary but also sent ample signals that the entire political equation based on the stigmatized exclusion of the monarchical institution might start crumbling. It will set off a chain effect thereby dismantling the much-vaunted peace process that seems to have defined the Nepalese politics particularly after the popular uprising of April 2006. It is believed that Nepal might again slide into dreadful chaos and confusion. The international community including the United States, UN and the European Union has been exhorting the political forces to come to an amicable solution through peaceful negotiations. Neighboring countries are also equally worried about Nepal’s predicament.

The entry of Maoist terrorists into the political mainstream without having reconciled themselves to the basic norms and practices of representative democracy was in itself an ominous harbinger of callous devastations in Nepalese politics. But having his judgment clouded by grotesque lust for power and sinister sense of vengeance, Koirala consciously served as a bridgehead in catapulting the leftist ultras from far-off Nepalese jungles to the centre of power at Singhadurbar. But it never occurred to the senile octogenarian that the terrorists whom he so meticulously buttressed might one day demand his own head. And this is exactly what is happening now.

As if to pressurize the government to cave in to their litany of demands Maoists seem to have again embarked on odious policies of arson, loot, murder and abduction. A few days ago, Mohit Khan, leader of anti-Maoist resistance group was assassinated at Kapilvastu by unidentified persons. Thirty one people have already been killed and hundreds are said to have been missing in the communal riots that erupted in the wake of Khan’s assassination. The violence and tension associated with religious sentiments is seen to have been steadily spreading to other adjoining districts thereby triggering the possibility of hitherto unexperienced communal conflagration. In an effort to create complete destabilization with the objective of thwarting Constituent Assembly polls, Maoist terrorists are believed to have incited violence in those districts by provoking religious and communal sentiments. According to a report presented by the Nepal Army, Maoists were responsible for the series of bomb explosions in the Nepalese capital couple of weeks ago.

Recent untoward incidents in different districts resulting in the gruesome killings of scores of people represent the mental bankruptcy of so-called democratic forces who declared Nepal a secular state only to please the Maoist terrorist outfit. Their genuflection, as was nothing more than a myopic faux pas, is almost certain to create enormous devastation in future. The day will come when they will realize that by declaring Nepal a secular state they have opened a Pandora’s box. Maoists are hell bent on turning Nepal into a communist totalitarian state. To achieve their macabre objective they need to destroy the existing socio-cultural fabric first. And the democratic forces did it for them.

The decision to opt for secularism has already turned Nepal into powder keg – an abominable attempt at appeasing the Maoist nihilists and their mercenaries in some ethnic groups that had long been harboring hostility against the majority Hindus, apparently without any reason. This kind of capitulation on the part of democratic forces represents a vicious conspiracy against the country, and therefore, can never be condoned. Hinduism is something with which is associated the existence of that country. That Nepal’s multifaceted identity has been profoundly underscored by the fundamental ethos of Hinduism is absolutely indisputable. Any attempt at sequestering Hinduism from the exquisite texture of that country is tantamount to depriving a sizable section of world population of their dignified identity. For the Nepalese, Hinduism is not cosmetics; rather it represents the philosophical nub defining their glorious existence.

Actually, secularism was not an ingredient of the April 2006 uprising. The movement was solely focused on the restoration of democracy. But later on, the more the agitation was influenced by the Maoists, the more it was seen to have veered off the track. Finally, the success of the movement not only catapulted the terrorists to a position of preponderance but also distorted the agitational trajectory of popular aspirations. Nepal’s penchant for parliamentary multiparty democracy was overpowered by terrorists’ eccentricity that has long been revolving around nihilistic tantrums thereby subjecting the otherwise peaceful kingdom to unprecedented terror and gruesome bloodbaths. Having totally failed to influence the course of events, the so-called alliance of seven political parties not only played a mute spectator but also became complicit in weaning the country away from the fundamentals of democracy and rule of law. (21 September, 07)

(Mr. Lama can be reached at johnlama29@hotmail.com)

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