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Nepal: revolution stalled

On 2 June, tens of thousands of people attended a Maoist (CPN-ML) rally in the capital of Nepal Kathmandu. They were there to protest the stalling of the revolutionary movement that saw the ending of the King’s rule in April.

Despite negotiations at the end of May that produced a 25-point accord and moves towards establishing human rights. Yet no actual date beyond an agreement has been agreed for the constitutional assembly.

The seven-party coalition that had organised the 19-day general strike that brought an end to the King’s rule was supposedly meant to bring about a constitutional assembly. But since then, the Congress party has put its people in power and reconvened the House of Representatives (ie the old parliament).

Speakers at the 2 June rally declared the convening of the House of Representatives as a “betrayal” and that the Maoists demand for a constitutional assembly expressed the wishes of the people.

Since the stepping down of the King, many of his powers over parliament have been removed and hundreds of political prisoners have been released. Nepal saw its biggest May Day for a very long year with workers demanding the freeing of labour activists and more workplace rights.

But since the euphoria of late April the traditional capitalist parties of Nepal have began to reassert their control.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala of the Nepalese Congress Party appointed his own cabinet including sections of the CPN-ML, which had previously stated that it was in favour of a constitutional assembly.

Another debate emerged in early may over the role of the army, which had proved itself as the loyal tool of the King, beating and killing protesters in May. At first this took the form of the CPN-UML (United Marxist Leninist, the main reformist party) demanding the removal of the word “Royal” from the title and putting the army under the control of parliament. There was also complaints that leading generals refused to attend the swearing in ceremony of the House of Representatives.

This resulted in the army being re-titled the National Army and its chief of staff General Pyar Jung Thapa saying that “Nepali Army is committed to following the directives of Nepal government which is moving ahead with the objective of creating a prosperous Nepal by strengthening multi-party democracy and lasting peace."

The revolution in Nepal was the brave act of tens of thousands that won the beginnings of freedom. They have cut down the powers of the King and his clique. But they must go further and challenge the poverty and oppression that ruin the lives of the workers and peasants.

– Demand a Constitutional Assembly now. Build committees to elect delegates from the workplaces, shantytowns and peasant communities. – For a revolutionary Constitutional Assembly not a talking shop.

– Give land to the peasants. The peasants should break up the landed estates and own their own land. The Maoists in the countryside must support this and encourage it by handing weapons to the peasants and helping them defend themselves and build peasant committees.

– Disband the army. Despite its name change it still the tool of the ruling class to oppress the masses. Put it under the control of the armed people. For a workers and peasants militia.

– Organise the workers and peasants into committees of action that can link up and co-ordinate action. These committees can challenge the power and legitimacy of the capitalist state and lay the basis of a new workers state.

In Russia, between the democratic revolution in February and the socialist revolution of October 1917 the Bolsheviks argued for such a programme: all power to the workers councils (soviets); land to the peasants; down with the capitalist ministers; for a workers militia. Lenin and The Bolsheviks followed the line in practice outlined by Trotsky in 1905’s “Results and Prospects”, the bourgeoisie are the grave diggers of the revolution, only the workers supported by the peasants can go further and make the revolution permanent by taking power.

All this means patiently explaining the need to challenge the system of private property – capitalism and the building of a revolutionary party in Nepal that fights for permanent revolution.

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