There are rumors, still unconfirmed, that the Maoists are going to impose an all-day curfew on the day of the municipal polls, with explicit orders from the party leadership to its cadres to shoot-at-sight. I fear that just to show their commitment to the curfew, there will a few lives lost early morning in the day of the polls. The Maoists do not have the support nor the military capability to impose a strict curfew, at least not in the valley. But even one life lost will mean that the people of the valley will be scared enough to obey the curfew. Of course, the RNA will provide security to the candidates and their posse who come to vote.
The Maoists have shot another candidate for mayor – this time for the Lalitpur municipality. Meanwhile, policemen in Nepalgunj opened fire inside a house killing a girl and injuring others. The girl was in the house of a policeman, because the policeman's wife, scared to be alone in this tense situation, has called on the deceased to give her company. The police claimed that she was killed in a crossfire between the police forces and the Maoists. Human rights monitors believe otherwise.
The revolution has slowly entered the civil sphere. I saw news clips of different civil organizations (like the Nepal Engineers Association) taking out a rally against the polls. Professors from government colleges and universities have called for a pen-down on Feb 1st, the ‘Black Day’. This is a welcome development, because until the civil society, and most notably, civil servants, do not participate publicly in the protests, the revolution will continue in a sluggish pace. The reason the civil servants are hesitant is because they cannot yet trust the parties and they loathe the Maoists (who, despite their commitment to the 12-point agreement with the parties, remain untrustworthy). However, with their lives at stake now that they will have to officiate during the elections, the matter has become far more urgent for civil servants. I vividly remember the revolution of 1990 when civil servants wore black arm bands in protest of the then government, and some even resigned from their jobs. The bad news though, many of those conscientious objectors who had resigned from their jobs did not get it back. If the civil servants participate actively in this revolution, the legal system that is formed after the revolution will have to make sure such injustice is not committed again.
With nine days left for the municipal polls, and 3 or 4 for the week-long bandh called by the Maoists, and keeping in mind the rising expenses of household necessities and excessive load-shedding, the average citizen of Nepal face a hard knock life ahead, and even harder choices.
The Maoists have shot another candidate for mayor – this time for the Lalitpur municipality. Meanwhile, policemen in Nepalgunj opened fire inside a house killing a girl and injuring others. The girl was in the house of a policeman, because the policeman's wife, scared to be alone in this tense situation, has called on the deceased to give her company. The police claimed that she was killed in a crossfire between the police forces and the Maoists. Human rights monitors believe otherwise.
The revolution has slowly entered the civil sphere. I saw news clips of different civil organizations (like the Nepal Engineers Association) taking out a rally against the polls. Professors from government colleges and universities have called for a pen-down on Feb 1st, the ‘Black Day’. This is a welcome development, because until the civil society, and most notably, civil servants, do not participate publicly in the protests, the revolution will continue in a sluggish pace. The reason the civil servants are hesitant is because they cannot yet trust the parties and they loathe the Maoists (who, despite their commitment to the 12-point agreement with the parties, remain untrustworthy). However, with their lives at stake now that they will have to officiate during the elections, the matter has become far more urgent for civil servants. I vividly remember the revolution of 1990 when civil servants wore black arm bands in protest of the then government, and some even resigned from their jobs. The bad news though, many of those conscientious objectors who had resigned from their jobs did not get it back. If the civil servants participate actively in this revolution, the legal system that is formed after the revolution will have to make sure such injustice is not committed again.
With nine days left for the municipal polls, and 3 or 4 for the week-long bandh called by the Maoists, and keeping in mind the rising expenses of household necessities and excessive load-shedding, the average citizen of Nepal face a hard knock life ahead, and even harder choices.
No comments:
Post a Comment