[From The Worker, #8, January 2003]
Resist Forcefully The Retrogressive Royal Proclamation
Observe Tharuwan & Terai Bandh on October 27 and Nepal Bandh on November11-13
It is well known that in order to create public pressure for a progressive political solution of the current serious problems confronted by the country, a series of programs of struggle under the call of CPN (Maoist) and organized by the United Revolutionary People's Council was declared for September 22 to November 13. But amidst this, when the major parliamentarist parties were making efforts to find out an alternative way out for the appropriate solution of the political problem by postponing the parliamentary elections declared for November 13, the feudal autocratic elements, fishing in troubled water, have staged an utterly regressive 'coup' of grabbing absolute power through the so-called royal proclamation of October 4. The shameless claim made by the royal proclamation that by using the 'state authority' being exercised by the so-called king total 'executive power' and 'responsibility of governance' have been centralized in him, has left no scope of doubt that the limited achievements of the mass movement of 1990 have been hijacked and a new edition of autocratic monarchy has been formally proclaimed in the country. It is also obvious from the bizarre sight of the reactivation of the counter-revolutionary storm troopers (Mandale-Kundale), who were driven to their graveyards by the mass movement of 1990, right after the royal proclamation. In spite of the talk of immediate formation of a cabinet and holding of general elections by paying lip service to the 'constitutional monarchy and multi party democracy' in order to hoodwink the masses and the world opinion, it is sure to be nothing more than the puppet cabinet and the election-drama of the past Panchayat period. Because, once the 'state authority' and 'executive power' is recognised to be inherent in the so-called king, it is self-evident that either the political parties will have to go for ever according to the wishes of the palace or be 'dismissed'. In this situation, the tendency of justifying this regressive royal action or participating in the royal puppet cabinet in one or the other pretext, will not only go against the entire values and tradition of democracy but will also be a grave betrayal and deception against the country and the people.
On the other hand, in the mean time, instead of taking initiative for the positive peaceful way out of the present intense civil war in the country, the feudal palace is continuing to unleash a countrywide white terror killing dozens of unarmed people and political activists daily in fake encounter through its servile Royal Army. And to exploit and divert the attention of the masses and the industrialists-traders who are panicked by the economic stagnation, corruption etc. and to fulfill their self-interest, the feudal autocrats have parroted the slogans of so-called 'clean image' and started the stale drama of anti-corruption campaign. There can be no bigger hypocrisy and mockery than to talk about clean image and anti-corruption campaign by those palace elements who are themselves neck dip into smuggling, idol-theft and bribery for years are now striving hard to clean up and elevate Paras Shah, who is guilty in many murder cases. The path of the economic development can not be paved in the country without completely destroying the moharchy, the bulwark of feudalism and bureaucratic capitalism, which is monopolising all the resources and natural wealth of the country for many generations.
In this situation, the heroic Nepalese people who have adopted the path of fierce civil war to establish complete democracy by defending the rights achieved by the mass movement of 1990, will never tolerate the ill-efforts of the handful of feudal elements of the palace in pushing the wheel of the history backwards. Rather, it has become urgent to mount a forceful people's resistance campaign against this retrogressive step by uniting all the democratic forces within and outside the parliament in order to sweep away the feudal monarchy, which has been constantly the main enemy and obstacle for all kinds of democracy since 1950, from the stage of Nepalese history for ever, so as to make the Nepalese people sovereign in the real sense and to realise democracy in its completeness. In this context, our assertion that the only appropriate way to make the Nepalese people sovereign and to materealise complete democracy is to elect a constituent assembly by organizing an interim government through a broad round table conference of all democratic and patriotic political forces, institutions and individuals, and to build up a national army by disarming the royal army, has been proved all the more correct. For this, the correctness and relevance of the program of struggles declared by us on September 21 last has further increased, even though the targets of struggle have been further focused against the feudal autocratic elements. Therefore, in order to organize the countrywide people's resistance forcefully against this autocratic monarchial retrogression and open an onward political way out, we heartily appeal to all the democratic and patriotic political forces, organisations, and the broad masses to make our pre-declared program of Terai and Tharuwan Bandh on October 27 and the Nepal Bandh on
November 11,12 and 13 a grand success. At the same time, we would like to announce our natural support and assistance to the programs of struggle for the similar cause organized by other political forces and organisations as well. Our immediate slogans :-
1. Abrogate the retrogressive royal proclamation of October 4.
2. Organize a round table conference of all democratic and patriotic forces.
3. Hold the elections to a constituent assembly under an interim government.
4. Stop immediately the countrywide white terror of the royal army.
5. Make the position of all the prisoners of war public immediately.
6. Build up a national army by disarming the mercenary royal army.
7. Take stern actions against all the criminals and corrupted persons, including Paras Shah.
8. Guarantee the rights of national and regional self-determination and autonomy.
9. Fulfill immediately the legitimate demands of all the in as organizations.
October 7, 2002
(Prachanda)
Chairman, CPN (Maoist)
Supreme Commander, People's Liberation Army, Nepal(Baburab Bhattarai)
Convenor, United Revolutionary People's Council, Nepal