Nepal escapes civil war
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Md. Masum Billah
The leader of Nepal's main political parties were locked in debates on May 28 as they were trying to avert a political crisis with the current parliament ending at midnight leaving the country without a functioning legislature. Leaders of the Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal and the Maoists were in deep discussions on how to take the agreement forward. The Maoists fought a decade-long civil war against the state before agreeing to lay down their arms under a 2006 peace agreement. However, after four years, many of the terms of that deal remain unfulfilled. These include the integration of thousands of former Maoist fighters into the regular national army and the disbanding of the party's armed youth wing, the Young Communist League, which rival parties consider an obstacle to lasting peace in Nepal.
Nepal experienced a decade-long Maoist insurgency, which came to an end in November 2006 under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement leading to general elections in April 2008. A constituent assembly of 601 members was formed. In the election, the extreme-left, the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), secured 229 seats. The center-right Nepali Congress got 115, while the centre-left Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist -Leninist) won 108 seats. Maoist leader Pushpa Kumar Dahal, popularly known as 'Prachanda', became the prime minister with the support of CPN, but he was in power only for nine months. He dismissed Army Chief General Rookmangud Katwal who refused to integrate 20000 'indoctrinated' Maoist fighters into the regular army. President Yadev overturned Prachanda's decision, which led to a constitutional crisis. Prachanda felt disgusted and resigned in May 2009. Madav Kumar Nepal of CPN then became PM with the support of Nepali Congress. The present crisis is actually a continuation of that political conflict.
The constituent assembly was mandated to draft a new constitution within two years of its first session. The tenure of the assembly expired on May 28, 2010, but Nepal is yet to get the new constitution. Thus the extension of the CA's tenure became crucial, without which the country would have slipped into the abyss of a constitutional vacuum. Subhas Nembang, speaker of the CA, said that 80 per cent of the new constitution was ready. And the drafting of the constitution could be completed if the CA got an extension and major disputes among the political parties were resolved quickly.
Thousands of people gathered outside the parliament building in Nepalese capital Kathmandu on May 28 and chanted slogans demanding the resignation of the prime minister and the extension of parliament. Madav Kumar Nepal said he would secure support of Maoist lawmakers for a bill to extend parliament's term.
Maoist leader Pushpa Kumar Dahal pushed the leaders of the ruling Community Party of Nepal and Nepali Congress to accept his demands for a new power-sharing government. But the other parties refused to accept his proposal. This created a deadlock prompting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call upon the Nepalese leaders to bury their differences.
Finally, on May 28 all the parties of Nepal agreed amid unprecedented pressure to pass the 8th Amendment to the Interim Constitution (580 votes to 5 votes) extending the tenure of the CA by one year. The Maoist agreed to the deal because they realised that if the CA was dissolved without producing a constitution, their clout in Nepali constitutional politics would end. They also realised that they cannot afford to go back to armed struggle after winning 40% seats in the CA through ballot. Integration of Maoist fighters into the regular army and returning of the land seized during the insurgency to genuine farmers remain greater challenges for the Maoists. However, the Nepalese have heaved a sigh of relief as the eighth amendment has saved them from being embroiled in civil war.
(The writer is a Senior Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE. He can be reached at e-mail: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com)
The leader of Nepal's main political parties were locked in debates on May 28 as they were trying to avert a political crisis with the current parliament ending at midnight leaving the country without a functioning legislature. Leaders of the Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal and the Maoists were in deep discussions on how to take the agreement forward. The Maoists fought a decade-long civil war against the state before agreeing to lay down their arms under a 2006 peace agreement. However, after four years, many of the terms of that deal remain unfulfilled. These include the integration of thousands of former Maoist fighters into the regular national army and the disbanding of the party's armed youth wing, the Young Communist League, which rival parties consider an obstacle to lasting peace in Nepal.
Nepal experienced a decade-long Maoist insurgency, which came to an end in November 2006 under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement leading to general elections in April 2008. A constituent assembly of 601 members was formed. In the election, the extreme-left, the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), secured 229 seats. The center-right Nepali Congress got 115, while the centre-left Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist -Leninist) won 108 seats. Maoist leader Pushpa Kumar Dahal, popularly known as 'Prachanda', became the prime minister with the support of CPN, but he was in power only for nine months. He dismissed Army Chief General Rookmangud Katwal who refused to integrate 20000 'indoctrinated' Maoist fighters into the regular army. President Yadev overturned Prachanda's decision, which led to a constitutional crisis. Prachanda felt disgusted and resigned in May 2009. Madav Kumar Nepal of CPN then became PM with the support of Nepali Congress. The present crisis is actually a continuation of that political conflict.
The constituent assembly was mandated to draft a new constitution within two years of its first session. The tenure of the assembly expired on May 28, 2010, but Nepal is yet to get the new constitution. Thus the extension of the CA's tenure became crucial, without which the country would have slipped into the abyss of a constitutional vacuum. Subhas Nembang, speaker of the CA, said that 80 per cent of the new constitution was ready. And the drafting of the constitution could be completed if the CA got an extension and major disputes among the political parties were resolved quickly.
Thousands of people gathered outside the parliament building in Nepalese capital Kathmandu on May 28 and chanted slogans demanding the resignation of the prime minister and the extension of parliament. Madav Kumar Nepal said he would secure support of Maoist lawmakers for a bill to extend parliament's term.
Maoist leader Pushpa Kumar Dahal pushed the leaders of the ruling Community Party of Nepal and Nepali Congress to accept his demands for a new power-sharing government. But the other parties refused to accept his proposal. This created a deadlock prompting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call upon the Nepalese leaders to bury their differences.
Finally, on May 28 all the parties of Nepal agreed amid unprecedented pressure to pass the 8th Amendment to the Interim Constitution (580 votes to 5 votes) extending the tenure of the CA by one year. The Maoist agreed to the deal because they realised that if the CA was dissolved without producing a constitution, their clout in Nepali constitutional politics would end. They also realised that they cannot afford to go back to armed struggle after winning 40% seats in the CA through ballot. Integration of Maoist fighters into the regular army and returning of the land seized during the insurgency to genuine farmers remain greater challenges for the Maoists. However, the Nepalese have heaved a sigh of relief as the eighth amendment has saved them from being embroiled in civil war.
(The writer is a Senior Manager: BRAC Education Programme, PACE. He can be reached at e-mail: mmbillah2000@yahoo.com)