US reconsidering travel advisory, while Maoists avoid democratic pitfall
Surya B. Prasai
May 07, 2008
According to prominent Nepali media, the US government, whose envoy to Nepal, Nancy Powell recently met with Maoist chairman Prachanda before her visit to the US, might likely remove the negative travel advisory to Nepal. This comes amidst fresh Kathmandu diplomatic gossip that the US government may be preparing to remove the "terrorist" tag on the Maoist leadership after they won major seats in the CA polls. As reported in various Nepali media, the Political and Economic Chief of the US Embassy in Kathmandu, Williams S. Martin, had recently indicated that the US was doing groundwork to remove the CPN-Maoist from its terror list and Nepal from the negative travel advisory. Even Nelson Mandela, the former South African President´s name was reported in the list last week by The Washington Post, which the US State Department assured would be removed quickly. It is to be noted that the Prime Minister´s senior advisor for Foreign Affairs, Aditya Baral, in an exclusive media to Nepal Horizons.com and American Chronicle international media network, had recently mentioned, how travel advisories had in the past hurt Nepali tourism growth and even the Nepali economy, which inexplicably has a far reaching negative impact on the Nepali people´s democratic aspirations. Baral seemed to be firmly against travel advisories and felt Nepal was still the world´s number one adventure tourism destination which should remain that way.
The Maoists have so far committed themselves to forming a United Democratic Nepal Government to have representation from all the political parties that recently participated in the Constituent Assembly Polls on April 10, but their attempts so far have fallen prey to Nepali political ´leg puling´ -- an inherent negative aspect of Nepali culture that extends from the family outwards. Various Nepali political parties have also observed the current phase of Maoist led discussions as a renewed attempt to understand in couched terms ´Nepal´s rich culture, traditions and unity symbol´ (an inherent part of Nepalese foreign policy as well) in order to get Nepal away from the past economic and political morass. It is as good as Prime Minister GP Koirala dropping the media hint before the CA Poll that he found Nepal´s 1990 Constitution the best model, if it were implemented sincerely from all sides, a view that ex-PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has also vented several times in the past.
Prachanda insists that the Maoists are serious about government formation and have consulted Prime
Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on several occasions on the democratic way forward. But, despite pledging the Nepali people that a government would be formed within 10 days of the election, it is now getting to be nearly a month since the CA Poll was held. Even Upendra Yadav, the charismatic Coordinator of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), now heading the fourth largest party in Nepal and a crucial tie-up coalition berth seeker to the Maoists, has called for swift political action, noting that otherwise, it might be seen as a frail political effort in consensus building. Yadav's party, which won with a surprising large number of votes in the CA Polls, has been maneuvering a possible amendment in the interim government to introduce the provision of simple majority of the CA to unseat the Prime Minister in order to make way for a new Maoist led government. According to Yadav, "We are ready to support any party be it Maoists, Nepali Congress or UML, that is willing to forge a national consensus." Prime Minister Koirala has already assured foreign diplomats that he is ready to step down once a new government is ready to swear itself in.
However, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, still the head of NC, has lately hinted at political complications in forming the ´new constitution´ given the current fruitless discussion patterns in existence. As of now, the Maoists have continued showing respect for Mr. Koirala in having adopted the democratic consensus principle in sacrificing his own political career to bring the Maoists into the political mainstream and even let them head a future government. After all, it was Mr. Koirala who earlier advocated that Nepal´s Maoists should not be branded as terrorists. The new reality after the CA Poll, it appears is, if Prachanda cannot garner the required majority within a matter of days, the only other option left would be to let Mr. Koirala have a standing all party democratic government. That would imply, in short, Mr. Koirala continue as the provisional Head of the Nepal Government.
But Prachanda opines, his party is closing in day-by-day toward forming the two-thirds majority required for a ´consensus government' whereby only some technicalities remain. Earlier, he was given unenthusiastic responses from both Nepali Congress and the UML in forming a government led by the Maoists. Prachanda and his number two, Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai have both hinted that the democratic consensus building act requires more patience from the media, since it also involves division of ´sensitive´ cabinet portfolios and allocation of new constitutional heads, including Nepali ambassadors. Although, Prachanda has meaningfully projected himself as the next Head of Government, he still needs genuine legitimate support from foreign powers who consider themselves traditional development stakeholders in Nepali happenings which is quite true, since some of the more prominent ones have been in Nepal for more than five decades, such as the US and India.
While India and China have not shown any objection to a Maoist led government, the US still needs to revise its global terrorist list and strike the Maoists´ names off; the UK and the EU have shown diplomatic support but not as forthcoming as India´s; the Nordic countries seem excited about the Maoists in the front seat of power in Nepal; but still SAARC countries have come up with anything else but muted response. In fact, the only other SAARC power, Pakistan has only congratulated Nepal on successfully holding its CA Polls so far.
At the moment, Nepal´s Maoist leadership still have three major issues to solve before July 22 when it is reported that the Untied Nations Mission in Nepal is planning to pack its bags and leave Nepal for good, given its moderate success in peace building and its constant stand-offs with certain Nepali politicians and media houses that obfuscated UNMIN´s more noble achievements in the end. One, the integration of the ex-Maoist militia and the Nepal Army is not an easy issue, which CP Gajurel insists will be done internally through mutual understanding and respect, given NA´s international standing as a global peacekeeping, disciplined force adherent to the UN´s globally enshrined principles. Two, Prachanda has also to dismantle the YCL, which both NC and UML insist will help speed up their own decision in joining a future government. And three, Nepal´s business community needs good assurances from the Maoist leaders that past repetition of open interference will not occur again from any political quarter including the Maoists. Prachanda recently stated to Nepali business leaders, "You have no other option but to trust us for two years." But will that happen unless rhetoric is converted into action on the political plane?
As the bell tolls now, with lack of a firm national democratic consensus, it is unlikely that the two big economic neighbors, India and China, which are both interested in Nepal´s power sector development to enhance their own industrial and economic growth, and pull Nepal along their marching industrial stride, will make any large scale financial commitments unless the political parties are able to live up to the challenge of a new Nepali awakening through successful structuring of an all encompassing democratic government, instead of riding each other´s backs to snatch a bag of cookies, as on previous occasions.
The Maoists have so far committed themselves to forming a United Democratic Nepal Government to have representation from all the political parties that recently participated in the Constituent Assembly Polls on April 10, but their attempts so far have fallen prey to Nepali political ´leg puling´ -- an inherent negative aspect of Nepali culture that extends from the family outwards. Various Nepali political parties have also observed the current phase of Maoist led discussions as a renewed attempt to understand in couched terms ´Nepal´s rich culture, traditions and unity symbol´ (an inherent part of Nepalese foreign policy as well) in order to get Nepal away from the past economic and political morass. It is as good as Prime Minister GP Koirala dropping the media hint before the CA Poll that he found Nepal´s 1990 Constitution the best model, if it were implemented sincerely from all sides, a view that ex-PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has also vented several times in the past.
Prachanda insists that the Maoists are serious about government formation and have consulted Prime
Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on several occasions on the democratic way forward. But, despite pledging the Nepali people that a government would be formed within 10 days of the election, it is now getting to be nearly a month since the CA Poll was held. Even Upendra Yadav, the charismatic Coordinator of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), now heading the fourth largest party in Nepal and a crucial tie-up coalition berth seeker to the Maoists, has called for swift political action, noting that otherwise, it might be seen as a frail political effort in consensus building. Yadav's party, which won with a surprising large number of votes in the CA Polls, has been maneuvering a possible amendment in the interim government to introduce the provision of simple majority of the CA to unseat the Prime Minister in order to make way for a new Maoist led government. According to Yadav, "We are ready to support any party be it Maoists, Nepali Congress or UML, that is willing to forge a national consensus." Prime Minister Koirala has already assured foreign diplomats that he is ready to step down once a new government is ready to swear itself in.
However, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, still the head of NC, has lately hinted at political complications in forming the ´new constitution´ given the current fruitless discussion patterns in existence. As of now, the Maoists have continued showing respect for Mr. Koirala in having adopted the democratic consensus principle in sacrificing his own political career to bring the Maoists into the political mainstream and even let them head a future government. After all, it was Mr. Koirala who earlier advocated that Nepal´s Maoists should not be branded as terrorists. The new reality after the CA Poll, it appears is, if Prachanda cannot garner the required majority within a matter of days, the only other option left would be to let Mr. Koirala have a standing all party democratic government. That would imply, in short, Mr. Koirala continue as the provisional Head of the Nepal Government.
But Prachanda opines, his party is closing in day-by-day toward forming the two-thirds majority required for a ´consensus government' whereby only some technicalities remain. Earlier, he was given unenthusiastic responses from both Nepali Congress and the UML in forming a government led by the Maoists. Prachanda and his number two, Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai have both hinted that the democratic consensus building act requires more patience from the media, since it also involves division of ´sensitive´ cabinet portfolios and allocation of new constitutional heads, including Nepali ambassadors. Although, Prachanda has meaningfully projected himself as the next Head of Government, he still needs genuine legitimate support from foreign powers who consider themselves traditional development stakeholders in Nepali happenings which is quite true, since some of the more prominent ones have been in Nepal for more than five decades, such as the US and India.
While India and China have not shown any objection to a Maoist led government, the US still needs to revise its global terrorist list and strike the Maoists´ names off; the UK and the EU have shown diplomatic support but not as forthcoming as India´s; the Nordic countries seem excited about the Maoists in the front seat of power in Nepal; but still SAARC countries have come up with anything else but muted response. In fact, the only other SAARC power, Pakistan has only congratulated Nepal on successfully holding its CA Polls so far.
At the moment, Nepal´s Maoist leadership still have three major issues to solve before July 22 when it is reported that the Untied Nations Mission in Nepal is planning to pack its bags and leave Nepal for good, given its moderate success in peace building and its constant stand-offs with certain Nepali politicians and media houses that obfuscated UNMIN´s more noble achievements in the end. One, the integration of the ex-Maoist militia and the Nepal Army is not an easy issue, which CP Gajurel insists will be done internally through mutual understanding and respect, given NA´s international standing as a global peacekeeping, disciplined force adherent to the UN´s globally enshrined principles. Two, Prachanda has also to dismantle the YCL, which both NC and UML insist will help speed up their own decision in joining a future government. And three, Nepal´s business community needs good assurances from the Maoist leaders that past repetition of open interference will not occur again from any political quarter including the Maoists. Prachanda recently stated to Nepali business leaders, "You have no other option but to trust us for two years." But will that happen unless rhetoric is converted into action on the political plane?
As the bell tolls now, with lack of a firm national democratic consensus, it is unlikely that the two big economic neighbors, India and China, which are both interested in Nepal´s power sector development to enhance their own industrial and economic growth, and pull Nepal along their marching industrial stride, will make any large scale financial commitments unless the political parties are able to live up to the challenge of a new Nepali awakening through successful structuring of an all encompassing democratic government, instead of riding each other´s backs to snatch a bag of cookies, as on previous occasions.
Print
Email
