As the country is again preparing to hold fresh CA elections after the previous CA saw its unfortunate demise without promulgating a new Constitution, as it was mandated, former chief election commissioner Bhoj Raj Pokharel and peace researcher Shristi Rana have authored a book, “Nepal Votes for Peace,” which specifically deals with Nepal’s political journey to the CA elections right after the royal takeover of the then king Gyanendra Shah in February, 2005. [break]
The timing of the book’s launch, with critical insights of the former chief election commissioner on the shortcomings of the previous CA, could not have been more opportune than this.
The 266-page book starts with a brief historical background of Nepal and its key political actors, including king Gyanendra and his ambition to become an absolutist ruler in the face of the Maoist conflict that claimed the lives of some 17,000 people. The Prologue: Flying the Flag deals with the subsequent CA elections and the Parliament’s declaration of Nepal as a republic after the successful People’s Movement held in April, 2006. These two introductory chapters set the context for the succeeding 29 chapters – divided into two main parts – that follow to deal in detail the various political events leading up to the CA poll in 2008.
While the first half of the book starts dealing with the royal takeover staged by the then King Gyanendra on February1, 2005 to the 12-point political understanding between the SPA and the Maoists and the start of the historic People’s Movement that eventually forced king Gyanendra to relinquish all the executive powers he had usurped before, the second part deals with the success of the people’s movement, the subsequent Comprehensive peace Accord (CPA), the promulgation of the Interim Constitution, Maoists’ participation in the interim government and preparations of holding the first ever CA poll in the country and other political events surrounding the CA poll, which was deferred twice before it was finally held on April 10, 2008. This part is more interesting for discerning readers mainly because Pokharel, in his capacity as chief election commissioner, includes anecdotes and observations of the political situation and his interaction with then political actors in connection with holding the CA poll.
The book is not only important for bringing out to the readers the undercurrent politics during that time but also for the authors’ candid observations on the roles of foreign actors, including India, China, western countries and the UN in Nepal’s peace process. Pokharel observes that India was actively engaged in brokering the 12-point understanding between the SPA and the Maoists mainly because it was concerned over the repeated denial of the then king Gyanendra to engage democratic political forces and his insensitivity towards India’s security concerns in Nepal. As the resolution of the Maoist conflict in Nepal was in its security interests, India revised its twin-pillars policy—multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy—after the royal takeover, making it easy for the mainstream SPA and the rebel Maoists to join hands to abolish monarchy.
While India wanted as little participation of donor countries as possible in Nepal’s peace process, it did not want the UN to engage in Nepal’s process, either. This was because India feared that the UN might focus on Kashmir after Nepal. Also, India would be left to settle the mess if the UN failed in Nepal. Unlike India, China was least concerned about the involvement of the UN in Nepal. China was rather concerned about possible direct military intervention of India in Nepal.
The book also gives an idea about the interesting conflict between foreign powers in the deferral of the CA poll first scheduled to be held in June 2007. While India wanted Nepal to hold the CA poll at the earliest to contain unnecessary meddling of western powers in Nepal’s peace process, western powers, including the European countries, wanted to defer the CA election so that free and fair election could be held. Among other things, the concluding chapter– Postscript: Bhojraj Pokharel—could be especially important for Nepal’s policymakers and others alike as it makes a list of recommendations which Pokharel personally feels necessary to ensure free and fair elections in Nepal.
Though Pokharel and Rana accomplish a lot in the book, giving readers huge information and critical insights of the first CA poll and political actors involved during those days, readers at times feel that the book is just a memoir, drawing mainly on the personal experience of the former chief election commissioner. The authors could have done justice to all the forces that played their roles had they devoted at least one chapter to deal with the role played by the media and civil society’s actors. Also, the title of the book, “Nepal Votes for Peace” would have been more meaningful had only the erstwhile CA successfully drafted the new statute, ending the protracted political transition.
Nevertheless, the book by former senior bureaucrat and chief election commissioner, who has so closely observed Nepal’s politics and security for the past several years, is no doubt a blessing. The book is especially valuable for Pokharel’s insights, contacts, and ability to get off-the-record quotes, and his objective analysis of the events. The book is not only valuable to journalists, political analysts and peace and conflict researchers around the world, but also to those who want to learn about the modern history and political transformations that Nepal has seen itself through after the launch of the Maoist War in 1996.
Title : Nepal Votes for Peace
Author : Bhojraj Pokharel and Shrishti Rana
Genre : Political narrative, in English
Publisher : Cambridge University Press India Pvt. Ltd
Pages : 250, Paperback
Published : 2013
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