Nepal

[Pictured: May 1, 2010, Kathmandu. Photo by Jed Brandt.]
Articles compiled by Links international journal of socialist renewal
STOP PRESS: Nepal PM agrees to step down
May 30, 2010 -- Morning Star -- Nepal's three main parties have held talks to try to hammer out a new coalition government after the prime minister finally agreed to resign to avert a political crisis.
Madhav Kumar Nepal of the Communist Party of Nepal -- Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) said that he would step down in a last-minute bid to secure the support of Maoist MPs for a government Bill to extend parliament's term.
It was due to end on May 28, which would have left the country without a functioning legislature.

Dancing at a barracade in Kathmandu during the Maoist May 2-7 general strike. Photo by Jed Brandt.
Jed Brandt, a member of US Kasama Project, is in Katmandu reporting on the ongoing struggle between Nepal’s poor majority, led by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (UCPN-M), and the US and Indian-backed elite that removed the UCPN-M-led government last year.
The poor are struggling for a “New Nepal” based on popular democracy and social justice. This article was abridged by Green Left Weekly from www.jedbrandt.net. A statement from a number of left parties in Asia and beyond in solidarity with the Nepalese people's struggle can be read here.

[Photo by Jed Brandt.]
By Stuart Munckton, Green Left Weekly
On May 1, Nepal was entirely shut down by huge demonstrations called by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) to call for the resignation of the unpopular government. In Kathmandu, at least 500,000 marched — the streets a sea of red flags.
The Maoists are calling for the replacement by a “national unity” government headed by the UCPN-M, which easily won the largest number of seats on the constituent assembly elections in 2008. The army chiefs and political elite removed the UCPN-M-led government a year ago in a “soft coup”.

[May Day march, Kathmandu. Photo courtesy Kasama Project.]
On May 1 in Kathmandu, between 500,000-1 million people took over the streets in a dramatic show of force by Nepal’s Maoists to demand a return to civilian rule and a democratic process of creating a new, pro-people constitution. With the government refusing popular demands for its resignation, an indefinite general strike ahs been called from May 2 in what the Maoists are calling a “final push” to resolve the struggle for power betweenthe poor majority and Nepal’s elite.

UNITYblog, March 21, 2010 -- Ben Peterson is a young Australian socialist who spent four and half months in Nepal last year. Ben is crossing the Tasman for a speaking tour of New Zealand from March 21-26. Ben was kind enough to answer some questions for UNITYblog about his experiences in Nepal.

When did you go to Nepal? How long were you there for?

On May 28, 2008, an elected constituent assembly declared Nepal’s centuries-old semi-feudal monarchy finished. As Nepalese people celebrated in the streets, the Himalayan country was declared a republic.
In 1996, Nepal’s Maoists began an armed struggle against the monarchy and its backers among the large landowners and wealthy elites. The key demand of this struggle was for royal rule to be replaced by an elected constituent assembly to draft a new, democratic constitution.

Ben Peterson, Green Left Weekly
The movement in Nepal for the restoration of civilian supremacy continued in December, with 100,000 people demonstrating in Kathamndu on December 22 on the final day of a three-day general strike called by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M).

The general strike was the culmination of a series of mass demonstrations and blockades of local and national government offices. The UCPN-M-led demonstrations are part of the campaign against the unconstitutional actions of President Ram Baran Yadav in May 2009.

By Stuart Munckton/Green Left Weekly
“This is not just a Maoist movement”, Green Left Weekly’s correspondent in Kathmandu, Ben Peterson, said on the struggle that has erupted in Nepal. “This is threatening to become a new people’s movement, like the one that swept away the monarchy.”
Peterson was commenting on the large number of daily demonstrations across the country to demand respect for the people’s will. They have come in the aftermath of the forced May 3 resignation of Prime Minister Prachanda and other members of the government belonging to the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M). Peterson described the events as a “soft coup”.

By Ben Peterson
On April 10 across the country by-elections were held in 6 constituencies that had been left vacant in the last 12 months. These elections took place in a range of areas, in different parts of the country, in areas where different ethnic groups and where political parties were powerful so in effect these elections gave a good reflection in the political mood amongst the people. While only a fraction of people could vote, and the small amount of seats at stake would not affect the balance of power within the parliament, these elections were incredibly important because of the role they take in the wider political struggle in the country.
In these elections, the Maoists (again) won considerably.

The combination of a ten-year long “people’s war” waged by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), and a pro-democracy uprising in 2006 overthrew the centuries-old Nepalese monarchy and paved the way for elections to a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution. Elected last year, the largest number of seats are held by the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, which is aligned with the PLA and currently heads a coalition government.
Ben Peterson visited a PLA camp in March. The account below is abridged from his blog.