NS-jyu,

I really appreciate your gentle style, tough questions and also your interest to see that I am not promoting the wrong party and ideology.

I can assure you that I have never promoted the wrong ideology and practice of Maoist. What I have been promoting about Maoist all along is the POSSIBILITY that this party can be CONVERTED into a DEMOCRATIC party and Nepal can benefit from it’s REVOLUTIONARY ZEAL for CHANGE.

Whether I was right or wrong is yet to be proven fully. Yet, I can fairly certainly say that it does look like I might be right.

Now the tough question is- what happens, or rather what should happen, to the past wrongdoings of Maoist ?

I think this question is so unanswered it actually frustrates everybody and I believe all the Maoist bashing, hatred and cynicism that we see in Sajha and elsewhere actually is a direct or indirect expression of that frustration. So I think this is very important question and everybody should raise this question with priority.

Unfortunately, no civil society organization is talking about this yet. I am reading post-election press releases and reactions of several organization and individuals and am deeply disappointed to find nobody is talking about this critical issue. Everybody is busy congratulating Maoist and cautioning them to fulfill their promises. Nobody is uttering a single word about what to do with the past wrongdoing of Maoist.

The only organization that I know did not miss this issue is “North American Network for Democratic Republic of Nepal (NANDRON)”

“..We also urge the government to establish a Peace and Justice Commission to investigate human rights abuses during the era of insurgency and begin a countrywide process of justice and healing.”

http://www.nepalipost.com/index/englishnews.php?&nid=5712

(Disclaimer: I am associated with NANDRON. So this was also for the publicity of the organization :-) )

NS-jyu, I hope this small note and reference gives you some idea about what I personally think about the issue. I do have some more and specific ideas regarding how we should deal with the issue. I will be happy to share them if the discussion goes to that direction.

Now I would like to reply to some interesting questions you have asked.

1. Baban Singh

This indeed is a complex case now. However, as you can also sense from the above discussion, I am for justice to prevail. He should be brought to justice and the victim’s and their families should get the justice. The most important thing is that the victims and their families should feel that they got their justice. Then we are free to do anything, any compromise, any deal.

What shall happen ? I am as anxious as you are. Let’s wait and see what happens.

2. Maoist vote

NS-jyu, I do not know what do you include in the “fear factor” you talked about. If you are talking about “forced vote against the voter’s will” due to threat and intimidation, then I think 50% would be way too exaggerated number.

If I go by the review/reaction made by some trustworthy NC leaders like Narahari Acharya, this kind of forced vote against voter’s will accounts for very small percentage (Narahari Achayra has not mentioned the numbers or even the exact category, however from the language and tone of his and many other people’s review seem to be claiming the “intimidated” votes ranging somewhere between 5-20%). We will need some scientific survey to find out how people actually voted (I hope some media and NGO might do that like they have been doing in the past). However, I myself think that, by and large, the vote reflects the free will voting of Nepali voters. What more is that I think this was the election in which the voters thought very long and hard before casting their vote. Therefore this is very well thought out voting and a reflection of maturity and intellect of Nepali people. This kind of thing never happened before. Therefore I am pissed when I see people making mockery of how Nepali voters voted this time. I think the mockery itself is a mockery and a reflection of our disconnection with Nepal and Nepalis.

Even if 50% votes really were not genuine Maoist vote for this or that reason, Maoist got enough mandate of people, particularly if we also apply the same measuring stick to measure the genuineness of other parties’ votes.

So, all in all, I think Nepali people really and genuinely gave Maoists their mandate to bring all the changes Maoists have been promising.

3. Sajha Maoists

I have learned that anonymous debate where egos run high must not be taken seriously. So I really do not follow all the debate that goes in Kurakani to know and judge all political posters. Yet, my overall impression is that people are just sharing their own views, not official Maoist views. I am yet to come across Maoist imposters who are well versed in Maoist history, thinking and vision. But as I said, I do not follow all the debates. So I might be missing some.

4. Misc.

NS-jyu, you probably have now enough idea about the political person that I am. I am an ordinary person just like anybody else with slightly greater interest in closely following what goes on with our country. Call it a hobby. That is all.

By the way, the VIPs that I said I met in Kathmandu were Ramraja Prasad Singh, Khagendra Sangraula, Krishna Pahadi and Gagan Thapa, all republican icons and some old friends. I just fondly called them VIPs, that’s all.

I will stop here. I hope I answered some of your questions and curiosities as honestly as I could. Thank you once again for your interest and specially for your wholesome style of engagement. Thank you.

Nepe