Article
A Brief Introduction to the Policies of the C.P.N. (Maoist)
-Com. Prachanda
Chairman, C.P.N (Maoist)
It is
well known that the guiding principle of the C.P.N. (Maoist), the political
representative of the Nepalese proletariat, is Marxism-Leninism-Maoism (MLM),
and its ultimate goal is socialism and communism. While firmly adhering to its
principles and goals the Party has been developing its policies in a flexible
manner on the basis of concrete analysis of concrete conditions. The Party has
been particularly stressing on creative application and development of the
principles with ceaseless struggles against dogmatism and empiricism in the
realm of ideology. According to this scientific understanding, the Party has synthesized
‘Prachanda Path’ as a particular set of ideas of its own in the course of
providing leadership to the anti-feudal and anti-imperialist democratic
revolution of the Nepalese people. Prachanda Path has provided a new dimension
of ingenuity and creativity to the communist movement with the proposed new
idea of ‘Development of Democracy in the 21st Century’. The C.P.N.
(Maoist) may not be cognigible to those who fail to understand this ingenuity
and creativity of the ideas and view it from the old perspective.
Political Strategy
On the
basis of study of history of the Nepalese society and its economic, political
and cultural specificities the Party has concluded that feudal production
relations and imperialist exploitation and interventions are the main obstacles
to the progress of Nepal. The Party is firm in its conviction that the
development process of the productive forces would take a forward course and
the progress of the Nepalese society would be ensured only when it is freed
from the feudal production relations. Hence, the basic political strategy of
the Party is to free the Nepalese society from feudalism and imperialism
through the bourgeois democratic revolution. The military strategy of People’s
War (PW) is objectively based on the goal of achieving this political strategy.
Political Tactics or Immediate Policy
In the
light of the particularity of the total international situation and the
prevailing balance of power within the country, the Party has been pursuing a
very flexible political tactics. A round table conference, an interim
government and election to a Constituent Assembly are the minimum political
tactics proposed by the Party in this context. Only a new constitution made by
a Constituent Assembly can in reality institutionalize the sovereign rights of
the Nepalese people. There can be no reason for anybody to disagree with this
supreme modality of democracy to let the Nepalese people determine their own
destiny and future.
On the
basis of this flexible tactical line the Party entered into negotiations with
the old regime twice. However, both the times it was proved that the old regime
was not in favour of a political solution but was in the path of conspiracy and
regression. Rejection of the supreme
democratic method of Constituent Assembly to make a new constitution by the old
regime merely proves that it does not rely on the people but on armaments, army
and terror.
The past
53 years of political developments in Nepal have proved time and again that the
feudal monarchy is the principal impediment to the democratic rights of the
people. The eight years of PW, the infamous Narayanhiti palace massacre and the
regressive step of October 4, 2002, have inflated the hatred and wrath of the
Nepalese people against the King and the monarchy to its peak. Scared of the
reality that republican consciousness has now become the consciousness of the
general masses, the fake monarchy erected after the palace massacre has
consistently opposed the proposal for a Constituent Assembly. Now it is making
a vain attempt to perpetuate the rule of genocide and terror on Nepal and the
Nepalese people by appeasing and kowtowing mainly American imperialism.
As a
conspiracy to hoodwink the international community and to perpetuate its feudal
military dictatorship, the old regime has labeled the great & historic
democratic movement of the Nepalese people as “terrorism”. The Party has been
cautioning the international community against the false and conspiratorial
propaganda of the old feudal regime of Nepal that has degenerated into a pawn
of American imperialism to maintain its hegemony in South Asia.
In this
context, the Party once again reasserts its commitment to the following minimum
policies and programmes:
- The Party still maintains the
proposal of round table conference, an interim government and election to a Constituent Assembly to make a
new constitution as its immediate minimum political proposal for a
forward-looking political solution to the present crises in the country.
-
The Party wants to institutionalize a
republican form of state through the Constituent Assembly and believes that in
a free and fair election the mandate of the Nepalese people would be in favour
of a republic.
-
In the given context of the existence of two
ideologies, two armies and two states in the country, the Party is agreeable to
demobilization of both the armies and carrying out of elections to the
Constituent Assembly under the supervision of United Nations Organization and
international human rights organizations.
-
The content of the new constitution would be:
(a) Political
Full
sovereignty to the people; secular state; elected house of representatives as
the highest representative body of the people; reorganization of a unified
national army; provision of national and regional autonomy along with rights of
self-determination; provision of constitutional changes or refinement according
to the wishes of the people; guarantee of multi-party competition, periodic
elections, adult franchise, rule of law and fundamental rights including
freedom of speech and press; provision of special rights for women and dalits
(i.e. oppressed caste); etc.
(b) Economic
Revolutionary
land reforms for judicious redistribution of land on the principle of ‘land to
the tiller’; self-reliant and national industrial policy; promotion and
development of national capital; formulation of an integrated national policy
for proper utilization of natural resources; etc.
(c) Social
Development
of a mechanism for strict punishment to the corrupt, smugglers and profiteers;
development of employment-oriented national and scientific education system;
universal health service; provision of state care for the destitutes, the
elderly and the children; end to all forms of exploitation, discrimination and
dishonour to women and dalits; guarantee of minimum wages and worker’s
participation in industrial management; guarantee of intellectual &
academic freedom and professional rights; promotion of democratic and
scientific culture in place of feudal and imperialist reactionary culture; plan
of integrated national infrastructure development; guarantee of full employment
to all; fulfillment of demands of class and mass organizations; etc.
(d) Foreign
Policy
- Independent foreign policy of maintaining
friendly relations with all on the basis of Panchasheel (i.e. five principles
of peaceful coexistence) and non-alignment.
- Abrogation of all unequal treaties from the
past and conclusion of new treaties and agreements on a new basis.
- Promotion of good neighbourly relations with
neighbouring India and China with mutual cooperation in the fields of
utilization of natural resources, trade and transit, etc. for mutual benefit,
keeping in view the particularity of economic, political, cultural, historical
and geographical relations with them.
It is
obvious that these immediate policies reflect the most flexible and democratic
methods for peaceful and forward-looking political solution to the ongoing
civil war in the country. However, the
old feudal regime that has lost all support and confidence of the people is
unleashing a naked military terror on the people relying on the military
assistance of imperialism. In this context the Party highly values the
solidarity of all the democratic forces inside and outside the country against
the autocratic monarchy and in favour of the republican movement of the people.
Hence the Party appeals to all concerned to lend their voices in favour of the
democratic movement of the Nepalese people. ·