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NewSecurityBeat

The blog of the Wilson Center's Environmental Change and Security Program
  • Paper Tigers? Maoist Victory in Nepal Has Roots in Population Growth, Natural Resource Conflict

    April 25, 2008 By Meaghan Parker
    The final results confirm the Maoist victory in Nepal’s historic elections earlier this month, paving the way for the end of the monarchy and the final resolution of the decades-long civil war that led to more than 13,000 deaths. But will they be able to maintain stability after so many years fighting to disrupt the system? The roots of the Maoists’ rise—and the underlying conditions that supported their insurgency—may hold some clues to the future.

    ECSP speaker Bishnu Raj Upreti told a Wilson Center audience in November 2006 that a critical factor in the conflict was lack of access to natural resources. Twenty percent of Nepal’s land supports 78 percent of the population—and the poor own only a small fraction of the arable land. A rapidly growing population—projected to increase more than 50 percent by 2050—and migration from the mountain highlands into the fertile lowlands compounds the demand on resources.

    In ECSP Report 11, Richard Matthew and Upreti state that environmental and population factors are “important elements of what has gone wrong in Nepal, and they must be addressed before stability can be restored.” It remains to be seen how the newly capitalist Maoists will tackle Nepal’s environmental degradation and rapid population growth, given their past history of using these problems to drum up popular support.
    Topics: Asia, conflict, livelihoods, natural resources, population
    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/05843199100753109071 Bishnu

      Nepal’s political landscape has been changed and power relations altered significantly after the successful completion of the Constitution Assembly Election on 10th April 2008.

      Nepal has tremendous opportunities for its transformation from feudal, monarchical, exclusionary state to a federal, inclusive republican nation if major political forces work together. However, there are also gigantic challenges ahead particularly if the major political forces such as Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal United Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) and Communist Party of Nepal Maoist (CPN-M) failed to cooperate and engaged in petty interest of their respective parties keeping aside the national interests. The important question raised by Meghan Parker is crucially important. His question is: will they be able to maintain stability after so many years fighting to disrupt the system? To answer this question we need to see how major political forces will deal with the following major challenges:
      • Agreeing on federal structures: All major political parties have presented different models of federal structures (some have very clear models and others have presented the criteria that are mutually exclusive. Newly emerged regional power Madeshi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) has vehemently demanded whole madehs as one province where as CPN-Maoist has presented several federal units within Madesh. Other big two parties CPN-UML and NC has disagreed with the models presented by both MJF (1 Madesh 1 Pradesh) and CPN-M ethnicity based federal structures)
      • Another major issue is inclusion of all concerned actors in the peace process and making new constitution as well as ensuring their participation in decision making related to national issues and concerns. So far the culture of political parties is very exclusive and power-centric. Hence reorienting their perceptive and behavior is another challenge
      • Sustaining alliance and working on ‘coalition culture’: None of the alliance members have coalition culture and they have demonstrated in the past that even do not want to respect culture of coalition. How they will shift this mentality.
      • Facilitating Disarming, Demobilization and Reintegration unqualified ‘Peoples Liberation Army’ (PLA) is another big issue. Security system restructuring is also equally important and highly sensitive. Reintegration of PLA into security forces, right sizing of security forces of Nepal are other important issues.
      • Safe exit of the king and execution of the republican system is also crucial and potentially difficult.
      • Managing frustration, high expectation and radical or extremist thinking
      • Meeting required resources and appropriate use of resources
      • Balancing need of the transitional countries and overt and covert interests of international communities (international interference)
      • Proper functioning of weak state (enabling state)
      • Non-cooperation and disputes among major political forces
      • Armed groups in Terai and emergence of war lords
      • Erosion of democratic characteristics in political parties and their democratization
      • Role of UNMIN and its continuity v/s exit

      So far environmental concerns are not priority of political parties except developing hydropower. Vast majority of Nepalese people have livelihood insecurity and the chronic fuel crisis, abuses and misuse of state resources by powerful elites protected by political system, extremely skewed distribution of land resources are other major concerns.

      Restoring security and achieving stability depend upon the concerted action of all major political forces (at least NC, CPN-UML, CPN-M, MJF and others) and CPN-Maoist alone can not do much if it does not get cooperation form domestic and international forces.

      Bishnu Raj Upreti
      Kathamndu
      2 May 2008

    • Kiran Maharjan

      Definitely, the result of the recently held CA election in Nepal shows that Nepal and the Nepalese people want newer taste of development. But, I don’t understand why the Maoists have been called the Paper Tigers.In fact, at this current situation, they have shown their capability to become the real tigers defeating others.
      I agree that the Maoist victory in Nepal has root in Feudal system of Unequal distribution of Natural Resources and exploitation of the lower agrarian based class by the feudal class. But, actually, I don’t think that the population growth is another factor for the Maoist victory. It’s the perception and awareness of people that has contributed to their victory. Though they have made mistakes in the past, people have accepted them for this time. If other parties had done better for the nation’s development, how could the Maoists get chance to rule the country?
      They have also done some good things for the betterment of different societies of the country. Hope that Nepal will be amazingly developed in the future to come.

    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/16306092127676030898 yamuna

      The attempt to recognize the linkage between natural resources and political conflict as a crux of social and political transformation is a high demand of the time. In Nepal, the power concentration based on natural reources especially the land still remained as a major issue. Till the date, many nepalese speically women, dalits and indigenous communities suffering from identity crisis, recognition and lack of access to basic services due to denial of land rights. Therefore, the issue of natural resources is not limited to productivity, but largely determines status and culture of social justice, societal attitude, power relation and reflection in public policy. If not dealt properly, it again can become a source of social and political conflict. Since history, the land remained as a monopolised property of certain group who claims themselve as a master of the state, community and or family. It helped to promote and practice culture of denial and excercise power based on access to control over natura resources. Now, the prime time came in front of all political parties, beaurocracy and civil society to recognise the importance of dealing with natural resource agenda with the principle of equitable access, management and benefit sharing. It will help in societal transformation, political understanding and ensuring autonomy and rights of citizens.

    • Sharad Ghimire

      “Resource curse in the Himalaya”

      While debating the scarcity-conflict issue in Nepal, a typical case of “resource curse” has been raised in the media as shown in a news report below. Conflict is on: who controls the economically important resources and who should be benefited (local vs. outsiders). Can’t we expect much of such conflicts in coming days when the country is going for federalism and the distribution of “scarce” resource will be vital for everybody?

      However such case of conflict over resources is not new to Nepal. It was well reported in the media during the insurgency period when taxes and profits from marketable Himalayan herb were said to be used to fuel the insurgency. The herb mentioned in this story is one of such resources. It is called Yarcha Gumba (Codryceps sinensis), aka Himalayan Viagra, highly prized medicinal fungus for traditional Chinese medicines, available in the high altitude grassland. It is one of the expensive medicinal plants available in the Himalaya being exported to China, which has been considered as a potential resource for uplifting mountain communities living in those remote mountains. But the irony is shown by the case given in the following news report, which has actually indicated, in my opinion, that if there is lack diversifying the livelihood of local people through the suitable policy and institutional set-up, barely emphasizing on any particular natural resource will not help to devise a sustainable peace.

      http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid;=146061

      Yarcha rules spark protest
      POST REPORT

      DOLPA, May 5 – The days for collecting the valuable aphrodisiac herb — Yarchagumba (Cordyceps Sinensis) — are being numbered for this season.
      And, disputes regarding the recently introduced rules for regulating the plucking and sale of the natural herb are also on the rise lately.
      On Sunday, local youths here in the district protested at the district headquarters Dunai demanding that the recently-introduced Yarchagumba Collection Management Directives be scrapped.
      They also submitted a memorandum to District Forest Office (DFO) before staging a sit-in in front of District Administration Office (DAO) in order to exert pressure to make their demand fulfilled. The irate locals even pelted stones at DFO.

      The protest follows the introduction of the directives by local administration which were aimed at regulating the collection of the herb — thought to be sexual stimulant — in the hills of the district. The DAO move was prompted by frequent disputes and fights between locals during the plucking of the rare fungus in various parts of the district in the yester years.

      As per the new provision, various people have been categorized in four separate groups and charges are set accordingly. While locals of any one village in Dolpa have to pay minimum charge of 100 rupees to the DFO for getting permission to collect the herb, locals from other districts have been charged as high as 1,000 rupees for the same.
      The protesting youths demanded equal fee for all.

      The DAO, however, said that the directives were introduced after intensive discussions with all concerned stakeholders and are targeted to manage the “human sea” that flock to the district during the plucking season.

      Sharad Ghimire
      MA Environmental Security and Peace
      Currently: Martin Chautari, Kathmandu, Nepal
      sharad.ghimire@gmail.com

    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11666212441523104258 Surya raj

      In democracy it is not the party but the agenda wins the elections. it is exactly what has happened in Nepal. CPN- Maoist which after fighting the dacade long civil war has come up with the agenda and programmes which most of the people of nepal has been presssing to the so called the mainstream political parties of Nepal has consistently ignored for so long. Population growth is the persisting problems in contemporery Nepal but the real problem is not the size of population but the feudal and centralized governance structure of the country which has created huge income disparities in the last two dacades leaving majority of the people in the country deprived of the promishes the political parties made dirung the dawn of the democracy in 1990. The hugely abundant natural resources has been used by the limited fef and the inequitable distribution of the natural resources has feuled the discontent of rural people in the country. The indigeneous right of people have been undermined over the resources while the traditional occupation of different cast group has also been in decline due to unavailabiliuty of the inputs and diminishing market. Overall options of people have been decreasing day by day.
      by voting for maoist and the newly emerging parties in Terai the people has validated the cause of the conflict and it is now the high time for new political forces in nepal to prove themself and adress the underlying problems of the nepalese society.

    • http://www.blogger.com/profile/08217613225470655937 dhruba

      Truly, this election proved that CPN Maoist is not the paper tiger, and desire of Nepali people for change. There are many challenges not only for maoist but also to other political parties. First of all Neplai people were the main actors for this change (Jana Andolan Part II and election). All the parties should keep that in mind and move together forward in addressing the national issues. This is an opportunity to Maoist and Madeshi forum to prove that they can really work and other parties to analyze the root cause for their defeat in this election. The work should be started from structural changes of society where power and resource always concentrate around elite groups. I truly agree with comment from Mr. Bishnu Raj Uprety in other major issues.
      The government which will be formed in future should be careful in addressing the issues of development, poverty, and reconciliation. The new constitution should guarantee the protection of fundamental rights of people, access to the resources and the basic necessities of life including health, education etc, and ensure inclusion of marginalized, backward community, and poor people in main stream. Other problems can be solved through dialogue and serious homework by all the political parties in Nepal. All political parties should seriously move forward in fulfilling popular demand in alliance otherwise they should be prepared for their own downfall.
      Dhruba
      Udaypur

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