Monday, September 26, 2005

The RNA Could Be Disbanded


A democratic interim government born out of a revolution could legitimately disband the RNA with a simple decree: that is a technical possibility. It got done in Iraq.
Choice 1: Take over power. The civilian prime minister is Commander In Chief of the army. Reform the army, downsize it, tame it, reduce its budget so as to have more money for education and health.

Choice 2: Disband the army. Perhaps have no army at all. Add a special armed militia segment to the police instead.

Choice 3: Disband the RNA. Build a Nepal Army from scratch. Invite individual applications from former RNA and PLA foot soldiers without giving any preference to them. Truly start from scratch. Cap the army size at 27,000.

There are many options on the table.

A movement is a flood, a revolution is a tsunami.

If the king sticks to his muncipal polls by April mantra, he faces a movement. If he continues to physicially abuse peaceful protestors, and if he engineers any violent crackdowns, he faces a revolution. Illegal orders do not have to be obeyed. Nothing in the 1990 constitution gives the RNA the authority to open fire upon peaceful demonstrators. So if they are ordered to do so, they have the option to refuse: they have no other option. The RNA is not on the king's payroll. The RNA is on the people's payroll.

All those tear gas shells let loose in the hundreds in the densely populated residential areas in Kathmandu: that is practically chemical warfare upon the people, Saddam style. That poison stays in the air for days and weeks.
Don't Let The Ceasefire Break Down

There are things we democrats can do to make sure the ceasefire does not break down, regardless of what the king does or not. And we need to do them. If the king does not do the right things, he hurts himself. Simple as that. We need the ceasefire to have plenty of political space for our impending mass movement.

Forming a formal committee to hold formal, sustained dialogue with the Maoists would be a good start.

I have great confidence that if a strong Maoist-Democrat alliance can be forged, the ceasefire can be maintained and extended, and permanent peace will be possible, and democracy will materialize, not democracy with strings attached, but full democracy.

On to victory.

In The News

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

who said they were demonstrating peacefully ??? if u take a walk down the lane infront of the shankerdev campus or pradarshani marg then u will see the entire road RED with bricks.. i hope u dont turn a blind eye to that and call that a peaceful demo... i think its just a vulgar display of power from the goons in the payroll of the most corrupt politicians in the face of the earth. and what do u expect the RNA to do when ur demonstrators throw strow at their vehicle ??? i think those lousy bas@#$rds should have been shot at their leg as a sort of warning so that they dont dare to mess with da army ... no country in the world ...not even the most democratic world .. including USA would have tolerated if someone messes up with the armed forces...
abt the user of water canons and tear gas .. u need that to contain such a violent crowd ... infact a bunch of rowdies whose been hangin around in the same class for god knows how many no of years..and u call them students ??? they are a bunch of losers damit... screw them all... i think its high time we use plastic bullets now....