Understanding the Nepalese Conflict
Now for Nepalese, it is as if the future doesnt exist. Everyone talks of money and emigration. Despite average aid of nearly US$400 million per annum, the Nepalese
Nepals economic failure is underpinned by the multidimensional problems arising from the The Peoples War launched in 1996 by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). Equally, the Maoist movement is itself fuelled by widespread poverty and entrenched inequality between gender, caste, ethnic and rural-urban groups. Dispensing with myths Yet to assess the conflict as an irreconcilable spiral of violence and poverty is over-simplistic. To disentangle cause and effect more clearly, it is first necessary to dispose of popular myths which are cited as explanations for longstanding failure to resolve the conflict: Myth 1. Poverty and inequality are the source of violent conflict in Nepal. Poverty and inequality are indeed a source of conflict but this is an insufficient condition. If poverty and inequality alone created certainty of violent conflict, then Latin America would be one of the worlds most violent regions. Myth 2. The nature and extent of this conflict is more or less the same as others elsewhere. No two conflicts are the same. The Maoists in Nepal have never demanded a separate homeland, nor proclaimed any sort of antipathy to a particular group. They want to establish a communist regime. So it is a battle for ideological values - totally different from other current world conflicts. Myth 3. Conflict flourishes within the security, capacity and legitimacy gaps of His Majestys Government of Nepal. These gaps are prevailing all over the world in all times. There are many shortcomings in security, capacity and legitimacy even in the developed world. Myth 4. Conflict resolution is contentious and depends on huge resources. Conflict resolution is simple and starts with building trust rather than proposing contentious solutions and allocating huge resources. In search of understanding Various factors can account for the ability of the Maoist campaign to flourish in Nepal over such a long period. Foremost among these are uneven development, corruption, political instability, and ethnic and caste division.
Corruption is endemic in all walks of life. Transparency International placed Nepal 117th in its 2005 ranking and has stated that law enforcement is perceived to be the most corrupt public institution in Nepal. Corruption has not only delayed development projects but also frustrated people severely.
Tension over cultural, linguistic and religious forms of discrimination therefore persists. The state mechanism has become unable to deliver socially inclusive policies and programmes in the desired manner. The interaction of these social, economic and political shortcomings creates the melting pot in which the Maoists have cajoled marginalized groups into joining their militia and
Knowledge itself cannot resolve the crisis but it creates an enabling environment to all stakeholders to perform their duties. Knowledge is not only about databases and IT, it is about behaviour, attitude, culture and learning so that it can build trust among the people of different walks of life. ------------ Pradipna Raj Panta is Volunteer Editor for the One World Nepal Guide. A second article addresses The failure of international intervention Links: One World Nepal Guide Who are the key actors in Nepal? |
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