A great step forward in Nepal

[Joanne98]

Farooq Tariq
18 April 2008


The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) victory in the constituent assembly elections held on April 10 is a great step forward for the forces of the left in the region and internationally. The masses voted for those with no experience of elections but with full experience of fighting for basic rights.


The Maoist youth launched a campaign all over Nepal after the success of the movement in 2006 against corrupt officials in the bureaucracy. They would picket any government office for this purpose and sometimes kidnap corrupt officials to be paraded in public later.

This practice brought a very forceful message in a society that is in the grip of absolute poverty.

Earlier in 2006, a mass movement initiated by the various radical social movements was joined by hundreds of thousands of people and forced the king to withdraw his dictatorial measures and to restore the parliament.

There is absolutely no basis for a counter-revolution after this latest stunning victory. The masses will not accept any attempt. In fact, the military suffered a crushing defeat in the 2006 mass uprising, and it will take a long time to recover.

The victory of left forces will have a tremendous effect on the politics of the South Asian countries. It will radicalise a whole new layer, and particularly it will have a tremendous effect on the youth in Pakistan where a mass movement against the military dictatorship is still going on.

To what extent the CPN-M will be able to solve the basic problems of the masses will have to be seen. But while I was in Nepal, there was a meeting of a World Bank official with the Maoist minister in charge of Kathmandu water. They were in negotiations for the privatisation of Kathmandu water.

It seemed that the minister was not that worried about privatisation but more interested in the aid that will come through World Bank. There was some criticism of this by activists in the meeting I was attending.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/747/38624

This is exactly why I don't trust communists. They can't wait to sell out.