[Marxism] Nepal confrontation deepens: Popularly-supported left asks peaceful accord

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

My headline, like the one from Green Left, is carefully chosen. I do not
believe that the propaganda response of revolutionaries in other countries
to what is happening in Nepal should be the exposure and fight against
Maoism or Stalinism. 

I do not think the central issue today is to hope the power of the Maoists
can be limited by the generals and feudalists so that they will not create
another Pol Pot regime or something like the CPI(M) regime in India's West
Bengal province.. I see no sign that they have such plans, although I cannot
at all rule out negative developments on their side.

Just to be clear, I am glad that the imperialist troops and their puppet
regime were defeated in 1975. I am glad that the imperialists were unable to
intervene to "save" the Cambodian people. I am glad that the struggle of the
Cambodian people, together with the massive self-defense intervention of
Vietnamese troops were able to oust Pol Pot's criminal regime, and that the
regime that came into power was able to beat back the Pol Potists and their
monarchist allies, backed by imperialism, to establish a stable, relatively
independent regime (thoroughly capitalist) that survives to this day.
Eighteen years after the last Vietnamese soldier left the country.

It think a Stalin- or Mao-phobic response to the revolutionary process in
Nepal, whatever its eventual outcome, will be a disaster for revolutionaries
in neighboring countries.
Fred Feldman

The outcome leaves much un-accomplished, but it is striking as the un-
Afghanistan!
Fred Feldman

Nepal: The people resist elite coup

May Day rally in Kathmandu, May 1, 2009. 

By Stuart Munckton

May 9, 2009 -- "This is not just a Maoist movement", said Green Left
Weekly's correspondent in Kathmandu, Ben Peterson. "This is threatening to
become a new people's movement, like the one that swept away the monarchy."


Peterson was commenting on the large number of daily demonstrations across
the country to demand respect for the people's will. They have come in the
aftermath of the May 3 resignation of Prime Minister Prachanda and other
members of the government belonging to the Unified Communist Party of
Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M). 

Peterson described the events as a "soft coup". 

The resignations were forced by the insubordination by the military high
command, backed by the president and sections the coalition government. The
UCPN (M), which had led the coalition government until its members walked
out on May 3, had tried to use constitutional means to sack the chief of the
army, General Kul Bahadur Katwal. 


Ben Peterson's video report on developments in Nepal.
The army high command had refused to obey instructions from the elected
civilian government. The high command refused to implement key parts of the
peace accords that, in 2006, ended the armed conflict with the UCPN (M)-led
People's Liberation Army. 

Sections of the high command in the Nepalese Army, infamous for its human
rights abuses during the armed conflict, even spoke openly to the Times of
India on April 24 about an aborted plot for a military coup against the
elected government. 

It is difficult to imagine a more blatant threat to democracy. If the
military is not subordinated to an elected civilian government, but is
allowed to defy it openly on central issues, then there is no democracy -
merely military rule with a civilian government as window-dressing. 

However, Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav from the conservative Nepalese
Congress party (NC), issued a decree countering the UCPN-M decision to
remove Katwal from his post. This is despite the fact that under the interim
constitution, the power of the president is largely ceremonial. 

The result was the creation of two military heads: the Maoist-appointed head
and Katwal, who, backed by the president, refused to recognise his sacking. 

Coalition partners, such as the social-democratic Communist Party of Nepal
(United-Marxist-Leninist), despite internal divisions, failed to support the
UCPN (M) decision. 

With little choice, the Maoists called a press conference announcing they
were withdrawing from the government. The Maoists called for street protests
to defend democracy. 

Just over a year since the historic declaration of a republic, which brought
people out into the streets in celebration, Nepal has been thrown into a
fresh political crisis. 

The monarchy was overthrown through a combination of the decade-long
Maoist-led "people's war" and the 2006 mass democratic uprising. A central
demand of the Maoists was for elections to a constituent assembly to draft a
new constitution to create a "New Nepal". 

The central role of the UCPN (M) in the democracy movement, and the degree
to which the poor identify with it, resulted in the Maoists winning over 1
million votes more than their nearest competitor. 

Seeking the widest-possible consensus, the UCPN (M) established a broad
coalition government. However, the UCPN (M)'s proposals for a peaceful and
democratic pro-poor transformation of Nepal that were endorsed at the ballot
box have been frustrated by opposition within the parliament, the state and
even the coalition government. 

The cause of the crisis is the moves of the elite, based in the political
and military establishment, that seek to frustrate the popular mandate for a
New Nepal based on equality and social justice. 

Class conflict

The Nepalese elite are backed by the government of neighbouring India and
the United States - both of whom fear the example of radical, pro-poor
change in the region. 

India, in particular, played a big role in bringing the Maoist-led
government down. The former king and leaders of NC and the CPN (UML) all
visited India under various pretexts in the weeks before the anti-Maoist
coup. 

For the poor majority, the program the UCPN (M) seeks to implement includes
an increase in workers' rights, land reform for the peasants, equal rights
in a federal structure for ethnic and national minorities, access to
education and health care, and a plan for extensive pro-people economic
development. 

In the lead-up to the crisis, while the bureaucrats and opportunist
politicians were moving to stab the UCPN (M) and its poor supporters in the
back, the Maoist deputies were out in the countryside talking to the poor to
gather proposals for the new constitution. 

For all concerned, the stakes are high. 

The elite, and their foreign backers, are terrified of the consequences of
implementing the 2006 peace accords. These require the integration of PLA
fighters into the existing army to create a new, democratic armed forces. 

This could mean the military would no longer be a weapon in the hands of the
elite to violently repress the struggles of the poor. 

The poor, however, have every reason to fear the continuation of the
unreformed old army, which committed great crimes against the people. 

The situation remains uncertain. The UCPN (M) is refusing to take part in
any government and are boycotting parliament until their demand for the
sacking of Katwal is met. 

It is likely to prove difficult for the opponents of the UCPN (M) to form a
coalition government to replace the one that has now collapsed. The UCPN (M)
alone controls 40% of the seats in the assembly. Also, the main point of
unity among the other parties is opposition to the Maoists. All this makes
it difficult for a government to be formed without them. However, the
situation is not simply determined by parliamentary numbers. Rather, the
greatest difficulty facing the elite is the genuinely popular support the
Maoists enjoy. 

Peterson explained that recent events have only increased support for the
Maoists. He said ordinary people he had spoken to everywhere, regardless of
party affiliation, are furious at the actions of the president and the
opportunist behaviour of parties like the CPN (UML). 

He said the overwhelming majority of Nepalese people believed the
undemocratic actions that had occurred had been organised by foreign forces
like the US and India. There is incredible anger at those political parties
that have allowed themselves to be used by foreign powers. 

'The mood is angry'

The UCPN (M) has called for protests in the streets until its demands have
been met. "The protests have been many and all over the place", Peterson
said. "They are organised by a whole range of different groups. Every
different group has its own protest. The mood is angry." 

The protests ranged from involving hundreds, to tens of thousands, he said.
However, he emphasised that these protests occurred simultaneously - there
could be dozens of protests in Kathmandu at any one time. "Many of the
people I have spoken to at the protests were not Maoists", Peterson said. 

As example of the mood, he explained: "The other night I was at the bus
park, and about 20 people just waiting around for a bus spontaneously
started chanting against the president." 

The foreign media have attempted to play up protests by right-wing NC
supporters. The Sydney Morning Herald even featured a photo of an NC
supporters protest with the caption "People's Power". Peterson said that
before the UCPN (M) left government, there were some tiny protests involving
a few hundred people at most. Since then, no such protests had occurred. 

In some cases the police have attacked protesters, including tear gassing a
demonstration by the pro-UCPN (M) Young Communist League. Police repeatedly
attack attempts by protesters, mostly Maoist women, to demonstrate in front
of the president's offices. Protests in that are have been banned, resulting
in regular clashes.

However, the state has held off from trying full-scale repression. 

So far, the UCPN (M) has also held back from full-scale mobilisations. It
has yet to organise a centralised, all-out demonstration that calls the
greatest numbers onto the streets together. However, as the likely futile
negotiations by the anti-Maoist parties drags on, that could be about to
change. 

[Read Ben Peterson's blog at www.maobadiwatch.blogspot.com. This article
first appeared in Green Left Weekly, issue #794, May 10, 2009.] 

Asia CPN (Maoist) CPN (UML) multimedia Nepal video 
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