News from Nepal’s The Red Star

The Red Star

Neighbourhood prioritised

The new government, under the leadership of the CPN Maoist, is trying to carry the peace process to its logical end and to write a constitution. However, there are many obstacles in the way. There are many challenges before the government. The main challenge, however, is to meet the expectations of the Nepalese people given by the mandate of the people through the election of the Constituent Assembly.

As a sign of good start, the coalition government has already publicised the Common Minimum Programme. Prime Minister Prachanda, after his oath, spoke about the immediate and strategic priorities of the government in his address to the people of the country. Nevertheless, after the address of the Prime Minister, the status quo and the traditional forces are still trying to stall and disrupt even the reformist agenda expressed in the Common Minimum Programme, let alone the radical once. They are raising trifling issues as though they are the big issues and challenges for the government.

The immediate reason behind this propaganda is PM Prachanda’s visit to China. It is also learned that the Indian ruling class have expressed disappointment over his visit. Many of the parliamentary leaders of Nepal have also commented the visit opining that the relation with India could fall into jeopardy. A paradox on this agony obviously get exposed, what kind of grandly relation with India prevailed while it fall into jeopardy because of the first visit to China? For Nepal, both of the countries are good neighbours, and it must keep equal relation with both of the countries. The political legacy of first visiting to India has been established by the subsequent governments, which developed trend even to India that the Nepalese PM must visit India first.

Every sovereign independent country and its elected government are always free to carry out their tasks according to their priorities. Nepal expects from Indian counterpart the reorganisation of the (Panchashil sidhanta) five betterment principles. However, a political trend has been established in Nepal, that the foreign powers, the Indian ruling class in particular, dictate the government on what it can and cannot do. This submissive trend has to be broken down. The supporters and followers of external powers in the country are trying to cloud the political environment. Because of the geo-political situation, Nepal wants a relationship of equal-distance between the two countries, from the perspective of a good neighbour.

India should understand the aspirations of the Nepalese people and the minimum civility between the two sovereign countries. In the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the feudalist class, bureaucrat and comprador capitalist do not have complete control and the sovereign Nepalese people are able to take control in the political, economic, socio-cultural and other spheres.

In this situation, the Nepalese people expect helpful hands of the good neighbours. Nepalese people know the history of Sikkim as well as the political relations with Bhutan. Nepalese people do not want to repeat the bitter history and brotherhood relation that happened in the past.

The New Nepal and the Nepalese people expect to review all the unequal treaties, and expect India to behave to Nepal according to the five principles. India should also be ready to review and redraw the old and outdated compromises and treaties made over one hundred years ago. Nepal and India share a similar culture, language, religion, and other things besides. Nepal as well as the other neighbours of India, like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is oppressed by Indian expansionist behaviour.

The question of nationality has been a serious issue in this crucial transitional period. All the Nepalese people are thinking about how to build a new Nepal. At this time, the Nepalese people are not doing anything harmful against India, rather expect help in building a new Nepal. Therefore, Nepal and the Nepalese people deserve and expect respectful behaviour from their neighbouring countries.