Orange Revolution and New Nepal

Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-Maoists) has kicked off
their ‘Orange Revolution’ campaign in the capital. “Clean up the political
wastes from your mind. Let’s build a ‘New Nepal’. Let’s introduce ourselves as
conscious citizens of the country.” The objective of the campaign is a good
one; however, the actual motif of the party is still unclear.

 The campaign was called by Republican Civic Society-Nepal
today. Hundreds of the Maoists cadres rallied around the major parts of the
Kathmandu valley with placards carrying messages like- Responsibility of the
country has come unto youth’s shoulder; Country is primary, wealth is
secondary; Keep your city clean; Health is life; Punish the producers of waste;
and such awareness slogans. I can’t really explain what the Maoists’ motives
are behind this sort of campaign. Recently, it had also organized valley clean
up campaign. It was successful and helped to bolster its image among the
capital denizens.

However, the campaign to clean up the waste of the society
should start from the cleaning of one’s own mind. What is the use of cleaning
the garbage of the city if the people themselves stink foul? Corruption and
impunity, and anarchy are ruining the country. When the country is in need of a
firm leadership to address the on-going unrest in Terai due to Madhesi
movement, strikes launched by different groups, economics ruined by
load-shedding, frequent crimes and theft even in the daytime in major parts of
the capital itself, and many other problems—I wonder if their campaign would be
a slightest point of relief for Nepalis. 

Moreover, the party’s leadership has tried to keep the
citizens in dark. Do you think it is possible for thirty thousand combatants to
have just three thousand weapons? In this country, people are being forced to
buy that Maoists’ 30,852 combatants have just 3428 number of weapons. The
United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) chief Ian Martin, after the arms and
armies registration process of the rebels finished recently, informed that the
total number of Maoist army combatants registered at the seven main and 21
satellite cantonment sites stands at 30,852 while the total number of weapons
registered so far is 3428.

Today, the
party chairman Prachanda tried to clarify in an attempt to end speculations
like mine that the number of weapons registered at the UN is less than that of
People’s Liberation Army combatants since the UNMIN didn’t recognize and
register grenades or socket bombs as weapons. According to Kantipur report, he
said that the party hasn’t concealed any weapons arguing further that there are
instances of fighters outnumbering their weapons being prevalent in other
nations as well. Speaking at a press meet in Butwal, he was tried to dismiss
the corruption allegations that has hounded the party for some time now.
Prachanda said that the government’s statements about the party’s failure to
submit the details of its expenditures of the fund allocated for cantonment
management doesn’t hold water. But who will buy this statement, they might but
speculations that the rebels are buying new arms are high at present.

The
Himalayan Times, one of the country’s top English daily, carried out this
survey report in its today’s edition. The state-of-nation survey was carried
out by it’s sister publication Annapurna Post found out that- “Notwithstanding
the ongoing peace process, a huge majority of Nepalis believe that the most
important challenge before their country is not political stability, but
maintaining law and order.  At the same
time, a majority of Nepalis feel that the peace process will eventually lead to
lasting political stability. The survey findings, in effect, indicate a total
breakdown of the law and order mechanism, especially in the rural countryside.
Accordingly, 81 per cent of the illiterates said that the most important
challenge being faced by the country is law and order. By contrast, 47 per cent
of those who had attained higher education felt that law and order was the most
important challenge for the nation. For them, other challenges being faced by Nepal such as
unemployment (22 per cent) and political stability (17 per cent) were of
primary importance.”

 Recently, the same Nepali daily Annapurna Post
had carried out a similar survey on the fate of monarchy which had indicated
his declining popularity and hinted ultimately to the end of monarchy in the
country. However, similar survey on the political parties should be also
carried out. The deep concern of every Nepalis is about the future of the
country, fear of their own security and desire for freedom and democracy. If
any political party will initiate a nationwide campaign to address the main
problems of the country such as corruption, anarchy and illiteracy, that would
be a true step towards building a ‘new’ Nepal in true sense.

(Video is coming)