the-red-under-the-bed
31st May 2008, 02:25
On Wednesday the Nepali Constitutional Assembly voted to institute a republic and abolish the 240 year old Monarchy. This however was already a forgone conclusion. The monarchy is long dead, the real struggle in Nepal is a complex struggle between class interests, bureaucracys, international interference and ethnic tensions.
Prior to the events of 2006 that effectivly destroyed the monarchy, the Nepali parliament was effectivly a 2 party system between the Nepali Congress that represented the upperclass and their interests, and the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist), which acted to "represent" the poor, but without dilivering anything concrete to these elements in society.
This all changed with the elections this year, where the Maoists swept the elections and shocked the established political elites by getting far more support than any other party.
The real struggle in Nepal now is not between the monarchy and democratic forces, that battle has been fought and won. The struggle now is between the progressive forces led by the Maoists, and those representing the rich or trying to protect their bureaucratic posistions in society.
Prior to the election an interim constitution was written and a series of agreements made between all the major political parties on how the new legislature and new government would operate while the new constitution was being written.
The NC and the CPN(UML) are now trying to alter the constitution to exclude the maoists from power, or make any maoist government impotent. This struggle is the real struggle for the new Nepal.
I'm no Maoist (ideologically) but the Nepalese maoists are the best force for bringing about as much progressive change in Nepal as is possible.
Prior to the events of 2006 that effectivly destroyed the monarchy, the Nepali parliament was effectivly a 2 party system between the Nepali Congress that represented the upperclass and their interests, and the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist), which acted to "represent" the poor, but without dilivering anything concrete to these elements in society.
This all changed with the elections this year, where the Maoists swept the elections and shocked the established political elites by getting far more support than any other party.
The real struggle in Nepal now is not between the monarchy and democratic forces, that battle has been fought and won. The struggle now is between the progressive forces led by the Maoists, and those representing the rich or trying to protect their bureaucratic posistions in society.
Prior to the election an interim constitution was written and a series of agreements made between all the major political parties on how the new legislature and new government would operate while the new constitution was being written.
The NC and the CPN(UML) are now trying to alter the constitution to exclude the maoists from power, or make any maoist government impotent. This struggle is the real struggle for the new Nepal.
I'm no Maoist (ideologically) but the Nepalese maoists are the best force for bringing about as much progressive change in Nepal as is possible.