JOIN USNepal is hurtling from one crisis to another. The latest has been precipitated by the resignation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal. President Ram Baran Yadav has given Nepal’s squabbling political parties time until Saturday to stitch together a coalition government. Whether they will sink their differences to form a government and more importantly provide Nepal the stability it so desperately needs is debatable. It is unfortunate that the Maoists decided to pull out of the government.
The President’s refusal to endorse Prime Minister Dahal’s decision to sack army chief General Katawal prompted the extreme step by the Maoists. Dahal has acted immaturely by resigning on the matter. In doing so, the Maoists have ended up isolating themselves in the political arena. The decision to take on the army chief and to sack him was one that the Maoists took on their own, without reaching a consensus with their coalition partners. If the Maoists decision to enter the democratic mainstream signalled their capacity to take bold risks, the drama over the sacking of the army chief has left them looking petulant and unable and unwilling to play by the rules in a democratic set-up.
Many in the international community, including India have backed the military in the Maoist-military confrontation and are happy to see the exit of the difficult Maoists. But this isn’t about the Maoists alone. It is the outcome of a civilian-military conflict and one which the military seems to have won. The military has undoubtedly emerged stronger from the face-off. How the new government proceeds on the issue of integration of Maoist cadres in the army remains to be seen.
While the exit of the Maoists from government is a setback for the peace process it does not necessarily signal its end. The Maoists are likely to remain in mainstream politics but can be expected to engage in the politics of confrontation, to use their organisational strength to disrupt the new government in parliament and on the streets. In the past, Nepal’s political parties have rarely shown foresight or acted in the interests of democracy. The new government needs the support of the Maoists in drafting a new constitution and must resist the temptation to isolate and exclude them. Co-operation rather than confrontation is in the interest of all political parties. The army is watching from the sidelines and Nepal’s democratic forces cannot afford to make mistakes.