Thursday, August 31, 2006

How To Avoid An October Revolution


Maoists Are Serious

The Maoist threat of an October Revolution has to be taken seriously. Such an undertaking on their part has the potential of taking the country's politics into uncharted territory. I do think they have the capacity for mass mobilization. They are militarily as strong as ever, stronger than ever. I don't think their preparatory work for mass mobilization is mere posturing before the scheduled summit talks.

Janadesh: Rumblings Of An October Revolution?

No Military Solution

The entire genius of the 12 point agreement was to realize there was no military solution to the conflict. It was a master stroke in the direction of a political solution. The seven parties should stay focused on the political solution.

Moriarty's Mistake

Moriarty Was Wrong On The 12 Point Agreement
Moriarty In The Soup
Baburam Moriarty Debate
Moriarty Deserves Your Ears
Moriarty's Irresponsible Mainstream
Maoist, Moriarty, Madhav, Manmohan: Get Behind The 3 Point Program
Moriarty Going The Bloomfield Route

Moriarty has been playing a spoiler. He never apologized for his total opposition to the 12 point agreement that was the bedrock of the April Revolution. Now he deals with the Nepal Army honchos in direct disrespect to a sovereign nation. Through his acts he is encouraging the Nepal Army to think it is independent of the seven party government.

Moriarty has made it less possible for the Maoists to seek a creative political solution to their own ideological baggage. The ambassador has a Cold War mentality. And the peace process in Nepal has been suffering.

When was the last time Girija Koirala met Madhav Nepal? When was the last time Girija Koirala met Moriarty? Girija does not have his priorities straight.

Moriarty's Compulsions

He is under tremendous pressure to prove his grad school training was worth it. And he is getting carried away by the Bush regime's terror rhetoric. Bush is a simple man. His world gets described in a few, simple strokes. You score points when you talk about terror. Maoists are terror.

He is also taking undue advantage of being a superpower ambassador in a small, poor country. He is being disrespectful through his direct interferences.

His what if I am right gets carried out in ways to actually end up making him right. Moriarty might be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Even if Moriarty's worst fears are true, it is for the seven parties to fight the political fight. The US is in no position to aid a military defeat of the Maoists.

The emphasis has to be on the political solution. Moriarty does not get this point.

The South Dakota Event

Seven Party Steering Committee Needed

There has to be a steering committee to lead the government. One physically feeble Prime Minister secluded from his own seven party colleagues is too much responsibility in one person under the current circumstances.

Maoists' Mistake

Moriarty has to be proven wrong. The Maoists' repeated attempts to draw parallels between where they are now and where Lenin and Mao were before they got into power rightly raises suspicions. If they are trying to imitate Lenin and Mao, then it is not true they are committed to multi-party democracy, human rights and rule of law. And so they have already departed from the 12 point agreement.

What If The Worst Fears About The Maoists Are True

I don't think they are true. We should have stuck to the 12 point agreement.

But even they are true, the seven parties have to work on the political and the military fronts.

You engineer a total, civilian control of the army. Fire Katawal. That is a royalist.

You engage the Maoists in political struggle. You compete with them on social justice.

Worst Case Scenario For The Seven Parties

It is not that the Maoists might militarily take over. What if they do manage to get a whole bunch of people out in the streets with simple slogans like Democratic Republic Through Constituent Assembly?

How could the seven parties argue against that? How could Moriarty?

The Seven Parties' Blunder

It is that they have not offered competing maps for federalism. They have not offered competing versions of what a future Nepal Army should look like. I like the Security Sector Restructuring phrase. SSR.

The seven parties do not have a mechanism through which to take collective decisions. There is a major lack of clarity on their part on many different issues. It is that fudginess that is giving room for all sorts of unwelcome currents in the country's politics.

The Army Generals Are Jerks

They do signify the old order. They are too used to revering the monarchy. The army top brass has to be treated like the royal family. Prepare for their ouster. Do the legal work to that effect.

Focus On The Summit Talks

The Maoists and the seven parties are better off avoiding the so-called October Revolution. There is still a need for a unity between them. The regressive forces have not been totally defeated. They could benefit if the eight party unity broke down.

To Republic Through Referendum

It has already been decided. The eight parties have to agree on this one. I think they have. So the Maoists should stop harassing Girija on this topic. The country is going republic.

And with the UML and the Deuba Congress both for federalism, the country is also going federal.

Federal Republic Guaranteed

Key Issue: Arms Management

So the key issue really is arms management.

Arms Management: Break It Down Into Smaller Pieces

That is the primary obstacle to peace, democracy and progress. All eight parties have to take responsibility and get down to work.

October Revolution: Not A Good Maoist Option

Should it end up an armed revolution, the Maoists will have invited chaos, for the country as well as themselves. They will have gone back to their dogmatic ways of when they were gunning for a communist republic.

Janadesh: Rumblings Of An October Revolution?
Arms Management, Money Management
Time For A New Nepali Congress
Prachanda: Not In Tune With The April Revolution
Critiquing The Interim Constitution
Prachanda: Frank Or Scary?
Between The Maoists And The Congress

Interim Parliament: 101 Members Total
Interim Bureaucracy
My Work In The Ideas Department Is Complete

Gurung Not Katawal For Army Chief
Who Will Tie The Bell Round The Cat's Neck
Language Policy
5 Weeks, 4 Weeks
Alliance, GFIPN: Audio, Video

The Next Revolution Will Be At The Ballot Box
Political Synthesis Nepali Style
Masterful Political Work: Compromise Takes Guts
Federal Republic Guaranteed
Mainstream Jay Krishna Goit Also
Arms Management: Break It Down Into Smaller Pieces
April Convention: Creating A Glowing Core
Baburam Bhattarai, Janadesh Article
What Is The SPA Report On The Maoists?
Fire Some Generals
Girija, Resign
Interim Monarchy, Interim Army, Interim Parliament

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