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A People's Movement in Nepal - The Promise and the Perils
The Nepali revolution of Spring 2006 was a formidable show of a true people's movement. The strength of the Nepali civil society was apparent in the outpouring of a massive number of diverse peoples, with a strong contingent of youth onto the streets. Today, for the first time in Nepali history, there exists a possibility of a new constitutional parliament and Nepal is finally a secular nation. The palace has lost its power and the political parties have perhaps realized their fundamental role to serve the people rather than their own interests.
The face of the revolution was young but more significantly, the Kathmandu elite took to the streets. The image of middle-aged women in saris, to spiky haired youth, to old-school political activists created a much different collage than that of the young rural Maoist revolutionaries clutching their guns in the countryside.
The US recently applauded the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) on its democratic achievements while scolding the Maoists to disarm and enter the political arena so as to not establish a single-party system in Nepal (while the US supported until recently the autocratic Monarchy). The political parties have urged the rebels to restore the cease-fire in order to move forward with the peace process. However, the Maoists are holding strong at the bargaining table, as the cease-fire deal rests on a vulnerable stand. The Maoists have threatened to end it until the language in the new constitution reflects their demand of completely stripping the Monarchy of power and honor.
A true analysis of Nepal's people's democratic revolution needs to be situated in a complex history of Nepali politics. As much as the analysis of the recent accomplishments are being characterized as an organic upsurge of the people, the fact remains that Nepali politics of the last ten years were critical for the civil society to erupt in the way it did.
Firstly, Nepali history has had many bloody palace back stabbings and takeovers. The western media packaged the June 2001 massacre as a story from the old world Himalayan kingdom with protagonist royal brothers, evil queens and deranged princes. But if one is to read Nepali history, the 2001 massacre only follows a foundation of autocracy and fascism in the royal palace. Nepal's autocratic history, like other poor South Asian nations, has been upheld by the regional powers that see the poor nations in the region as nothing more than their playpens. The support of the palace by India and China (and subsequently the US in recent years) has been critical to Nepal's failed development since the two royal lineages in Kathmandu (the Shahs and the Ranas) have controlled most of the country's operations and in the process built their own familial wealth.
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http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=92100ac5f21e164d2bcf0abe60039d8a
The US recently applauded the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) on its democratic achievements while scolding the Maoists to disarm and enter the political arena so as to not establish a single-party system in Nepal (while the US supported until recently the autocratic Monarchy). The political parties have urged the rebels to restore the cease-fire in order to move forward with the peace process. However, the Maoists are holding strong at the bargaining table, as the cease-fire deal rests on a vulnerable stand. The Maoists have threatened to end it until the language in the new constitution reflects their demand of completely stripping the Monarchy of power and honor.
A true analysis of Nepal's people's democratic revolution needs to be situated in a complex history of Nepali politics. As much as the analysis of the recent accomplishments are being characterized as an organic upsurge of the people, the fact remains that Nepali politics of the last ten years were critical for the civil society to erupt in the way it did.
Firstly, Nepali history has had many bloody palace back stabbings and takeovers. The western media packaged the June 2001 massacre as a story from the old world Himalayan kingdom with protagonist royal brothers, evil queens and deranged princes. But if one is to read Nepali history, the 2001 massacre only follows a foundation of autocracy and fascism in the royal palace. Nepal's autocratic history, like other poor South Asian nations, has been upheld by the regional powers that see the poor nations in the region as nothing more than their playpens. The support of the palace by India and China (and subsequently the US in recent years) has been critical to Nepal's failed development since the two royal lineages in Kathmandu (the Shahs and the Ranas) have controlled most of the country's operations and in the process built their own familial wealth.
More
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=92100ac5f21e164d2bcf0abe60039d8a
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