A Dangerous Hurry

Bhaskar Roy

If their role models are any indication, Nepal's Maoists seem to be moving swiftly to install a regime based on terror in our neighbourhood. Nepal's Maoists, or the Communist Party of Nepal -- CPN(M) -- appear to be in a tearing hurry to establish an iron grip on the country's Government, Parliament and other institutions through threats, muscle power, forced indoctrination and a "second revolution" if they are not allowed their way. It should be of serious concern that the Maoists propose to celebrate the birthdays of Kim Il-Sung, known as the 'Great Leader' of North Korea, his son and the current dictator Kim Jong-IL, known as the "Dear leader" and even North Korea's national day.

It would be quite understandable if Prachanda and his Cabal demanded only the stopping of observing the Nepal King's birthday as a national holiday. That is already happening, anyway. It would have been more encouraging if the Maoist leaders adopted some of the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's policies of moving forward. Equally, if not more important, Deng worked forcefully to rid China of the personality cult.

North Korea, or as it calls itself the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), never had any democracy and the people have been rendered utterly poverty-stricken, almost Zombies, with no voice whatsoever. On a walk through the streets of Pyongyang one can see posh restaurants with glass doors, stores stocked with food, but not a soul inside them. These are shows for the few foreigners who get a visa to enter Pyongyang. The displayed food go to the most senior cadres.

The elementary indoctrination book used by the CPN(M) in their schools and for the slave labourers has big pictures of Prachanda. Mao Zedong's Red Book had only Mao's photograph. In North Korea, the only photographs are those of the "Great Leader" and the "Dear Leader".

Mao kept one moderate leader with him, to try and repair some of the most critical damages wrecked upon the state by his Red Guards and the "Gang of Four". This man was Premier Zhou Enlai. Since Zhou never coveted the top position and remained personally loyal to Mao, he remained safe. Even then, Mao spied on Zhou to ensure that he was not being betrayed. Mao, the 'Great Helmsman' needed somebody on his side permanently.

Who is Prachanda's Sancho Panza? The party ideologue, Baburam Bhattarai, is seem to be performing Zhou Enlai role for Prachanda. But Bhattarai is not half as astute as the wily Zhou. There have been rifts between Prachanda and Bhattarai, some reported to be serious. This would suggest Prachanda is not as powerful as Mao and that Baburam has his own power group within the party.

Mao Zedong was a preceptor of the Maoist, especially Prachanda. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), however, dismisses any connection with the Nepalese Maoists and have only declared the CPN(M) adoption of the adjunct "Maoist" is not accepted by Beijing. Though the Madhav Nepal-led CPN(UML) is China's closest fraternal party in Nepal, Beijing has not desisted from engaging the top Maoist leadership.

What would be most uncomfortable to China is the CPN(M)'s apparent open admiration of the North Korean dictatorship. To the CCP, the CPN(M) is trying to swim against the stream, inkling towards Pyongyang's Korean Worker's Party (KWP). China's relationship with North Korea is no longer the old "lips to teeth" relationship. It is only strategic compulsions that forces Beijing's support to North Korea.

The movement against King Gyanendra, which ultimately led to the abolition of the monarchy, should in itself be a lesson for megalomaniac politicians. Gyanendra came to the throne through a yet unexplained massacre of the royal family allegedly by the heir apparent to the throne. He quickly showed his driving greed for absolute power, but was brought down by his people. One wrong decision to yoke the people destroyed a 200-year-old proud dynasty.

The Maoists have been recently accused of transgressing the 23-point agreement. The Nepal Congress vice-president and Minister, Ramchandra Poudel, has pointed to the violent methods still adopted by the Maoists. Former Prime Minister and NC leader, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and other senior leaders have accused the Maoists and their youth arm, the Young Communist League (YCL), of atrocities that could put the scheduled April 10 Constituent Assembly (CA) polls in jeopardy. In fact, the largest Left party, the NCP (UML), which made moves to establish some common cause with the Maoists, are having second thoughts.

Prachanda has yet to make any serious move to return the confiscated property of civillians. If this is being done in the name of Communism then such land and immovable property should have been distributed among the poor and landless peasants long ago. Instead the Maoist cadres continue to enjoy their properties like warlords. Given the track record of the Maoists, it does not appear that their demand to have their fighting cadres absorbed in the Nepalese Army is out of an intent to accommodate the PLA into proper working engagements. There are other motives, perhaps. The then United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has set a formula for absorption of a part of the PLA in the Nepalese Army. The rest are to be paid a stipend of Rs 3,000 a month till alternative employment is found for them. This has not satisfied Prachanda and his comrades.

The Maoist leadership may be trying to sell the idea that Mao's "long marchers" subsequently became China's official Army after the success of their revolution. But there are crucial differences. China's millet-and-rifle soldiers commanded by officers who were mostly trained in the Soviet Union. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was a disciplined force, and their commanders were real military strategists of whom many professional armies in the world would be proud of. They did not get absorbed into any other army after liberation.

The most shocking practice of the Maoists are their "Labour Camps". Here poor people imprisoned are mad to work like slaves, with no pay and no freedom. They are also imparted forced indoctrination. The Prachanda Red Book is compulsory in some Maoist controlled schools.
Is Prachanda also trying to run a Gulag? While trying to camouflage his intentions periodically, he makes no secret of his willingness to repeat in Nepal some of the worst crimes committed on humanity by Communist regimes elsewhere.

Source: The Pioneer, February 16, 2008