Hope and contradiction

The political process in Nepal is in shambles, even as the peace process holds. There is currently only a semblance of governance in place, while the activities of violent groups are on the rise. Rule of law has been all but abandoned: the police are unmotivated, and all political parties have set up violence-prone youth forces, to emulate the Young Communist League of the Maoists. The utility of the Maoist-led coalition government has been to give the former rebels a taste of the responsibility of holding power, no doubt. And though they are making a brave attempt at it, the challenges  are enormous.

Internally, despite some sobriety in the presentation of the annual government budget, they are buffeted by the need to placate cadres (and relatives and henchmen) with jobs. Most importantly, the Maoists are being forced to be everything to everyone. While Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ('Prachanda') reassures the international community about his commitment to multiparty pluralism and 'capitalism', he and his colleagues reassure the party rank and file that the 'people's republic' remains the definitive goal. Of course, everyone has been giving the Maoists the benefit of the doubt, because they have a need to defend the 'people's war', even while abandoning it on the way to open politics. But the question is, how many misrepresentations can Prime Minister Dahal make without beginning to look ridiculous? The apt metaphor has the prime minister with his feet not in two boats, but on several.