[From The Worker, #8, January 2003]
INTERVIEWS
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CHAIRMAN PRACHANDAHow would you like to assess the current position of the Nepalese Democratic Revolution? At present what are some of important gains and challenges faced by the Party?
The Nepalese democratic revolution, which is part and parcel of the world revolution, has today reached at a critical juncture of its development. The mighty People's War, which is marching ahead since the last seven years in order to complete New Democratic Revolution against feudalism, has now reached a stage when it is directly at loggerhead with world imperialists. Today ringleaders of world imperialist who replay the tune of parliamentary democracy" are nakedly siding with corrupt and incumbent dictatorial feudal forces against the Nepalese New Democratic Revolution, which has once again validated Comrade Lenin's scientific conclusion about the specificity of the era of imperialism and proletarian revolution. The loftiness and challenges of today’s Nepalese New Democratic Revolution lies in its direct confrontation with the world imperialism.
The new energy released in the process of synthesizing the experiences gained through creative application of the almighty truth of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism in the context of Nepalese Democratic Revolution in the historic Second National Conference of the Party has given qualitative impetus to the People's-War from a political as well as military point of view. The whole world is witnessing the unprecedented churning process of Nepalese society and the achievements gained by the mighty People's War in the past one and the half years. The formation of People’s Liberation Army with its brigade level military formation, and central democratic state oriented "United Revolutionary People's Council" under the leadership of our Party which is conscious of its role in serving the 21st century world revolution, has successfully destroyed and captured enemy's district headquarter and has satisfactorily carried out military actions throughout the country leading towards the development of some inherent characteristics of People’s War in an overall war context. "People's Council" representing broad united front for all class, nationality, regions and sex, oppressed by feudalism and imperialism and representing political manifestation of democratic new Nepal, is playing its role to prepare for mass insurrection.
According to the law of revolution, which gives birth to powerful counter-revolution, the main challenge for the Nepalese democratic revolution is the challenge to counter the imperialist intervention. Being a foremost front of world revolution which is preparing to launch counter offensive from its present position of strategic equilibrium, this challenge is not only addressed to the Nepalese proletarian class and its people but to the whole proletarian class and entire labouring masses. And only worldwide people's resistance can confront this challenge. Being a part of international proletarian-armed detachment, our Party is prepared to play its role to the hilt with full conviction and strength.
How are you observing the recent counter revolutionary coup? What are your plans to counter this?
The reactionary coup staged by the medieval feudal murderer Gyanendra Shah under the direction and backing of American imperialist and Indian expansionist forces, in reality reflects the last stage of its desperation and indicates advancement of People’s War and the glory of its victory. For any one who has been studying the process of Nepalese class war and the advancement of People's War, this incident should neither surprise him nor make disillusioned. The feudalist state based on unholy alliance between feudalism and imperialism, which has become isolated from the masses and is on the verge of collapse due to advancement of People’s War, has, by undertaking this reactionary and nakedly fascist step as a last resort, in fact sounded its own death knell. By siding with Gyanendra-Paras clique who are notoriously known as fratricidal, genocidal and smugglers, Bush, Blaire and Bajpay have exposed their so-called democratic mask by revealing their true fascist character before the people of Nepal. This reactionary coup, which has come over the surface, is the result of grand design of the past heinous palace massacre. Because our Party 'has been continuously apprising the result right from the time of palace massacre, the general masses have not only no illusion about it, but in fact they have hatred and anger against Gyanendra-Paras clique.
This negative incident has created a positive role for the Party to play, which is to forge a broader alliance amongst wider democratic forces, to mobilise international public opinion and mainly to prepare for general mass insurrection through People's War. We will fight against this counterrevolution by planning to attack the enemy at a wider scale through both political and military fronts. We are fully aware that behind this reactionary step undertaken by Gyanendra Shah, there is conspiratorial move by the interventionist American and mainly Indian military force, to massacre Nepalese masses. Knowing the importance of Nepalese geo-political and strategic position, American imperialism wants to place its military base in South Asia and to encircle its rival China. It is under this strategic design that the American imperialism is going ahead to use Gyanendra Shah as Pinochet, Suharto and Jigme. The people of Nepal as well as the people of South Asia can never tolerate this imperialist intrusion. This strategic design of the imperialists, who have got entangled with people's resistance, will ultimately mean nothing other than lifting a stone to crush one's own feet.
The mobilization of reactionary royal army against the revolutionary People’s War is completing one year; what are the main achievements and challenges faced in the military front at present?
In Nepal, feudalist royal palace has been using its running dog, the "royal army" since hundreds of years as a big specter to terrorize the Nepalese masses. Before mobilization of the so-called army on its own land, the feudal elements used to boast that People’s War will end within 20-30 days of its mobilization, thereby terrorizing the masses. However, the events after nine months of emergency and one year of military mobilization have proved the other way round from what feudalist elements had expected and had forecasted. In every war front, People's War and People's Liberation Army proved invincible because of their sense of commitment, which is replete with consciousness, devotion and sacrifice, while on the other hand, the continuous humiliating defeats suffered one after the other, has turned the initial euphoria of the "royal army" totally shattered. Starting with the capture of Dang barrack and Shyangja and Solu district headquarters and through the massive attacks on Accham's Mangalsen, Satbaria and Lamahi in Dang, the shameful defeat of royal army's three company in mobile warfare in Lisne of Rolpa right at broad day light, attack on military base camp of Gam in Rolpa, Khara of Rukum and massive attacks in Damachour of Salyan, Lamki of Kailali, together with innumerable ambushes, raid in Barpak in Gorkha and successful ambushes in Chitwan, Dhading, Tanahu and other districts, continuous sabotages, raids and annihilations carried out in Kathmandu; similarly in the Eastern sector, attack on Kavre's Bhakundevesi, attack on Chainpur, Sarlahi (in Tarai region), Panchthar; and at the later stage attack on Bhiman of Sindhuli, Sandhikharka of Argha and Makwanpur, Siraha and Surkhet, along with innumerable small to big military actions of various kinds throughout the country after the so-called promulgation of emergency; all these have amply proved the superiority of People's Liberation Army over the royal army. In every big raid, People's Liberation Army has managed to capture ample storage of modern arms and ammunitions by paying with their blood.
Today, after one year, the commanders of royal army are themselves admitting their defeat. Their confidence is receding. Because now they cannot instill fear on Nepalese masses and it is not possible to put them under their control through mobilization of royal army, hence the reactionaries are openly challenging to bring in American, British and Indian army to fight the Nepalese masses.
The reactionary rulers themselves are admitting that most of the area in the country other than the capital and district headquarters is under the control of the revolutionaries. What are the experiences of running the people's power in these regions?
Along with the historic initiation of People's War, the Party has been emphasizing on the planned development of three instruments of democratic revolution. Even when People's War was entering or about to enter the second year, there was a situation of power vacuum seen in the local state machineries in the main conflict areas (where the Party had already started rural class struggle much earlier). Since that time the Party had developed initial plans to organize local people's powers. By now it has been made possible to have district level people's power in many districts of the country and to form "People's Council" at the central level. It is a fact that today all the rural areas of the country are coming under the direct or indirect control of the revolutionaries. At present the Party is giving special emphasis to run the democratic state power efficiently through various departments in main base areas and to prepare for insurrection through continuous political intervention at the central level and country-wide strike activities. In reality, today except in capital and district headquarters, the enemy is forced to follow underground and guerrilla tactics to fight against the People's War in the rural areas.
Even then as the enemy is now preparing to launch bigger strikes on rural areas with the help of imperialists and small attacks are being carried out the function of war and destruction of the old would play the primary role, and as a result, the position of all local people's powers also remain in a state of war-like situation. In the course of intense civil war a process of people’s power getting built, destroyed and re-organised at newer height is going on. To imagine that people's power can be exercised in an organized and planned way as in peaceful times is contrary to the prevailing civil war-like situation.
The Party is seen to be continuously talking about negotiations and a minimum forward-looking solution. Could you make this clear for the benefit of the international revolutionary community?
Certainly, our Party has been raising the question of negotiations and a forward-looking political solution as a part of political tactics right from the beginning. It is also a fact that last year our Party had initiated dialogue with the enemy in three rounds. The enemy was not coming out with any advanced political solution from that, and as a result the Party went ahead to launch all out attack on the enemy at a higher level after educating the masses about it which has not been hidden from anybody. Even today we have kept the door for dialogue open taking into consideration of people's interests and progressive political solution. Through
experience it has been proved that this political tactics has been successful in attracting people belonging to the middle strata and isolating the enemy, and that this has been helping in uplifting People's War to higher level one after the other. This does not mean, and it cannot be, that every time and everybody should use negotiation and agreement as a tactics. When to call for dialogue and when not to, depends upon concrete analysis of concrete situation of that country. If anyone thinks our Party's tactics of negotiation and agreement as meaning to give permanent emphasis to negotiation, then, it should be assumed that such a person has not understood the head and tail of our tactics. In reality the truth is that we have continuously condemned and exposed negotiation for the sake of negotiation or negotiation against the interest of the people.It is important to make clear here that on the basis of analysis of today’s international and national situation, cur Party is ready for dialogue on the issue of election to a constituent assembly, and institutionalization of the republican state. If a situation comes whereby an interim government for such purpose is to be constituted then we may participate in it. It is probable that international revolutionary community may have most questions to ask on our political tactics such as "interim government, "constituent assembly" and "institutionalization of the republic". We have confidence in ourselves that this revolutionary tactics conforms with the basic ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, and that it fits into today's specific situation of balance of power of international forces and that it conforms with the necessity of the Nepalese class war. Here, in this small interview, it is not possible to give long analysis of this tactics. We want to apprise the revolutionary international community that no country's revolutionary development takes a straight forward and simple path, and it is by this very nature that Nepalese war is going ahead and that we are facing the challenges of its creative application and development in the 21st century with full faith on our class and ideology. The question of facing this challenge is not as straight forward and simple as explaining the general line of ideology, on the contrary it is a complicated question, which demands research through the furnace of today's international and national class struggle. For this, common effort of the entire international proletarian class is very necessary.
Probably because of Nepal’s specific geo-political condition the ever advancing Nepalese democratic revolution towards the summit of victory seems to be creating a big flutter amongst the international reactionary ruling classes. How are you thinking of facing the possibility of foreign intervention? In particular how are you thinking of maintaining relationships with the two giant neighbouring countries?
The main reason behind the tension and flutter of the ringleaders of world imperialism is not Nepal’s specific geo-political position but it is the ideology, which uses MLM creatively in order to advance People's War and is an advanced form of 21st century world proletarian revolution. The reason behind their intense fear is that they know that their moribund imperialist world system, which is facing crises in all directions, will be engulfed into flames once the revolution succeeds in Nepal. Certainly, because of the importance of the secondary aspect, which is the development of revolution in the context of Nepal’s specific geo-political condition, their fear has been intensified further.
Nepal is physically situated amidst two and a half billion population of giant India and China. From both physical and historical point of views there is no danger to Nepal at present from Chinese rulers. In Nepal there have always been direct intervention from Indian expansionist rulers. In the present new situation there is a direct danger of Indian military intervention under the leadership of American imperialism. There has always been continuous indirect Indian military intervention in Nepal. Gyanendra Shahi has betrayed the nation with the intention of making Nepal a Bhutan and on the condition of making himself a Jigme; he has already surrendered national interests by inviting interventions of the Indian military against the Nepalese revolution. The contradiction with China, the acuteness of Arab and Middle East problem and the development of democratic and national liberation movement within India and the increasing number of Indian masses supporting the Nepalese democratic revolution are forcing a clandestine intervention by foreign reactionaries till now. It is clear that at any time a direct military intervention is on the offing.
The moment such intervention takes place Nepalese People's War will be transformed into a national war. Using contradictions between foreign reactionary forces, the Party will give firm leadership to the national liberation war. From that negative situation, a positive result will come with the creation of a new wave of struggle in India and South Asia against the military intervention. Not only that it will give new opportunity to communist revolutionaries to mobilize the masses of the world against such imperialist intervention. Certainly, in that process Nepalese masses will have to provide their utmost commitment, devotion and sacrifice. But at the end, victory will be won by the Nepalese masses and the People's War. That victory, which will have co-operation and support of people of South Asia and the world, will play great historical role of advancing world revolution.
The Party is seen to acknowledge that the fate of Nepalese revolution is deeply intertwined with the revolutionary process in South Asia. In that sense how would you present the relevance and importance of CCOMPOSA?
The document passed by the Second historic National Conference of our Party has dwelt deeply on the specific situation of South Asia and the necessity of forging unity amongst the communist revolutionaries of this region. In fact, today South Asia is becoming a kind of storm center of world revolution. In such a situation we have taken the formation of CCOMPOSA as an important and a very positive initiative with a long-term relevance. CCOMPOSA will play an important role as a co-coordinator, thereby providing help needed for every country's revolutionary processes in fighting against Indian expansionism, the common enemy of the masses of this whole region. In order to raise it to higher level, all communist revolutionaries of this region need to work hard even more. Certainly we have given high importance to this initiative as we have heartily acknowledged the fact that the fate of the Nepalese revolution has special relationship with the advancement process of South Asian revolution. .
It has been seen that the Party has been giving high value to the role of "RIM“ What is the Party's latest thinking regarding the future of RIM?
The Party, the People's Liberation Army and Nepalese people have high regards for RIM, not because our Party is itself a responsible member of RIM, but because of ideological and other forms of help that it has been bestowing upon the Nepalese People's War in its preparatory period, initiation and advancement process. The future of RIM, which is advancing ahead with the clear-cut aim of forming a new international so as to advance world revolution under the ideological command of M-L-M is bright. And unitedly we must make it successful. Even now many revolutionary organizations in South Asia and the world have not been organized under the RIM, which is developing as an international organization with a clear-cut sharp ideology. We firmly believe that RIM will advance further by helping to co-ordinate all revolutionaries of the world and thereby learning from each country's revolutionary movement and helping to advance each country's revolutionary movement through the advanced consciousness of the world proletarian class. In this great historical process our Party has been trying utmost to fulfill its share of responsibility and will continue to do the same. It is self-evident that according to the law of science the development of RIM has been going on through the intense struggle against non-proletarian right and left deviations and will continue to do so.
Through this publication would you like to say anything else to the international revolutionary community?
Today, Nepalese People's War has reached a very challenging juncture in its development. To defeat this front of the international proletarian army, the ringleaders of world imperialism are attacking it in innumerable ways and are preparing for direct military intervention. At this critical point, as a commander of the Nepalese front of international proletarian army, I anticipate urgent voice against the imperialist intervention in Nepal from the revolutionary community all over the world, according to their strength and capabilities.