Developments in Nepal and the Demand for a Constituent Assembly

According to latest reports from Nepal, elections to a constituent assembly are likely to be held some time next year. The demand for an elected constituent assembly, which would decide on the future form of political power in Nepal, has been one of the key demands raised by the Nepali people, since their successful rebellion against King Gyanendra and the rule of the exploiting elite.

Discussion on the nature and timing of the elections to the constituent assembly, as well as on the issues that it will take up, has dominated political life in Nepal these past few months. For instance, it is reported that over 36 voluntary organisations and networks have got together with the aim of defending the gains of the people's movement and taking it forward. They are holding programs in the various towns and district centres in different parts of the country. The issues that are being vigorously discussed in various people's forums include how to bring about social transformation, how to defend minority rights and how to ensure that people have control over the nation’s resources. The strong sentiment voiced by various political forces during the people's movement -- for the abolition of the reactionary monarchy and the establishment of a republic – is also to be resolved by the constituent assembly.

The ongoing discussion in Nepal in connection with the constituent assembly is of great interest to the Indian communists and communists worldwide who are agitating for the renewal of democracy in their own countries so as to ensure that workers and peasants become the rulers. In fact tt is of great interest to all political forces worldwide who want an end to party dominated representative democracy that ensures the marginalisation of the masses of toiling people and replace it with direct democracy. The Nepali people are seeking ways to take their destiny in their own hands and chart out a new course for themselves that will put the long years of exploitation and backwardness behind them, and bring justice and prosperity for all sections of the Nepali people. However, various external forces, including the Indian state, the US and UK Governments, would like to see Nepal adopt the Westminster model or some variation of the political process of capitalist democracy, which is called representative democracy or multi-party democracy. To this end, they are trying to influence political circles in Nepal, using various means at their disposal. Such a course would be a dead-end road for the people of Nepal.

The Westminster and other models of governance developed by Anglo-American imperialism do not ensure power in the hands of the people. On the contrary, they are designed to ensure that the people surrender their sovereignty, their initiative, to political parties financed by exploiting classes, who will then manage the state institutions to serve their own class interests, allegedly at the “will of the people”. Foreign powers that would like to carry on with their exploitation and interference in Nepal, including the Indian state and the US, would be very comfortable with such a system. The Indian people have suffered greatly from this party dominated system, which has left the vast majority of our people the victims of acute poverty and super-exploitation. It is capitalist democracy that has permitted human rights to be violated and atrocious crimes to be committed by those in power, against the different nations and nationalities and against minorities. It has opened up the natural wealth of our motherland to maximum plunder by rapacious private interests, both Indian and foreign.

The ongoing talks between the different political forces are reportedly around the issues of whether or not the current parliament should be dissolved and a new interim parliament be elected in its place; whether or not the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) will join an interim coalition government and under what conditions it would do so; and how the armed forces of the King and of the People’s Liberation Army will be managed during the run-up to the elections and during the elections to the constituent assembly. These issues can be sorted out only by creating and expanding the space for active participation of the masses of people, to deliberate on how to seize and hold on to political power in their hands, to open the path to socialism – a society that will guarantee the fulfillment of the claims of all its members.

The leadership of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has taken the position that the People’s Liberation Army cannot lay down its arms at this time, when a constituent assembly is still to be elected, to deliberate and decide on the new political order for Nepal. This is an entirely just and necessary stand, because monopoly of armed might in the hands of the Royal Army at this juncture, or the intervention of external armies under any pretext, can only drag Nepal backwards.

The efforts of the revolutionary forces and broad masses of people of Nepal to assert their right to decide what system would suit them deserves the unconditional support of the Indian working class and people, and of all the freedom loving peoples of the world.