Nepal is going through interesting phenomena. While the neighbouring countries India and China are seeing to it that this small poverty-ridden country is not being used as a field to launch activities against their respective countries, it seems Nepal is being used against its own people. Hence, in order to save Nepal from this self-defeating exercise, it is important to dissect all the actors who are responsible. First, it is important to know the predominant parties who are major players today.
Take the high-profile Nepali Congress (NC), which was placed second in the Constituent Assembly (CA) election (something they have not been able to digest, having been the ruling party for most of the time). In spite of whatever way the NC defines its ideology, the people understand the party as being status quoist in fighting for democracy (whether in form or essence, history will be the judge). Their base is predominantly the affluent class, and they are comfortable with feudal, expansionist and imperialist values. They are vociferous because the dominant force in the world system is in their favour.
Similarly, take the novice United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). The UCPN (Maoist) emerged, fortunately or unfortunately, as the largest party in the CA (arousing much jealousy among other parties). The people understand this party as a radical force fighting for communist values; working for forward-looking restructuring of the country (whether it is rhetoric or real restructuring, history will be the judge). The political base of this party is predominantly poor peasants and workers. For them, the main hurdle was the king representing feudalism hindering their productive capacities, hence their justification for going for the 10-year-long people's war to end the monarchy. For them, ending the monarchy has not ended the feudal relation completely; hence, they now want to restructure the state. In the international arena, they are a loner, if not castigated. Hence, they sound defensive.
Then there is the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), which people understand as a middle left force, always swinging from one position to another; but ultimately succumbing to the status quoists. The class base of the UML is the petty bourgeoisie who are scared of being marginalized into the poor class. Hence, they sympathize with the left out of fear; but at the same time, they covet wealth, so they tend to align with the right force, hence the swing from the left to the right. The international force is not only tolerant towards them, but also make use of them. Hence, the UML makes a lot of noise to draw their attention in their favour.
Currently, a number of new parties have emerged which reflect the present aspirations for ethnic and regional identities such as the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum and others. They are looked upon as a force that complements whichever predominant force comes to form the government. In short, we have all the tendencies that represent today's society and its aspirations.
Having understood the characteristics of all the parties, it is also important to know their internal dynamics. There are regressive and progressive forces and middle forces which belong to none in all the parties, but whichever force is able to influence this force makes that force decisive. In the NC, the forward-looking force is that force which wants to see the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) taking shape as soon as possible and who wants to see civil supremacy and the rule of law followed. They want democratic norms institutionalized; they want to institutionalize the state on the basis of a federal republic along democratic norms. The regressive elements within it want to adopt a federal republic in form but not in essence. This they do by sticking to the archaic feudal relation and keeping it as intact as possible. Their hobnobbing with Rookmangud Katawal, the errant chief of army staff who is working to strengthen military supremacy, is one point.
In the case of the UCPN (Maoist), the regressive forces are those forces which want to go back to the people's war. They underestimate the achievement of a federal democratic republic, hence they are not very enthusiastic about the CPA reaching a logical conclusion. The progressive forces are those forces which look forward to consolidating the federal republic democratic as much as possible by incorporating proportionate and inclusive elements to make it more people oriented, decentralized and sustainable. They are acutely aware of the dialectical relation between necessity and freedom taking the form of discipline and democracy within the party.
Within the UML, the regressive forces assist the regressive forces in the NC by using double-speak. They say that they are for the CPA and civilian rule; but they endorse all the limitations put by the NC in concluding the CPA and establishing civilian rule. The forward-looking force is exposing the stand taken by those who are helping military supremacy and driving the country towards civil war.
Assessing the forward-looking and regressive forces in all the major parties, one pattern emerges. Those who are comfortable with change based on concrete analysis of concrete situations (within the limitations put by the party) fall under the forward-looking category, and those who are afraid of change fall under the regressive category. Those who are afraid of change are the ones who are conducting a self-defeating exercise by refusing to march ahead with the times. What is interesting is that these tendencies apply to all the parties all over the world, but in varying form and intensity.
Hence, let us have a win-win situation by consolidating all the forward-looking forces within all the parties. But this can only be done by fighting the regressive tendencies within all the parties. It is then that we can look to our neighbouring countries to take positive lessons while shunning negative lessons. In Nepal's case, let us make a united front of all the progressive forces within different parties. Let us learn to be comfortable with change, because this time history has given us a chance to change from an archaic feudal world to a modern sustainable productive world.
source: resistnowresist
Democracy and Class Struggle says when Hisila Yami talks of regressive forces in the UCPN Maoist I thought she meant Matrika Yadav but of course she most likely means Kiran ,Gajurel and I would completely disagree with her has I regard them as progressive and not regressive forces - her ambiguity is the enemy of truth.
The looseness of her defintion of what constitutes a United Front is also highly problematic and is not merely tactical flexiblity but strategically wrong.
Hisila Yami's is joining Laxman Pant and Roshan Kisson in the growing list of UCPN Maoist leaders and members who I disagree with.
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