Opinion
Bringing Peace to Nepal's
Terai Region Won't be Easy
by Shubha Singh
The formation
of an alliance of the three main Madhesi groups in the Terai region of
Nepal - the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) - has provided a
focal point for the government's efforts towards a dialogue on the
Madhesi issue. The need for a government initiative became more than
obvious when a series of bomb explosions marred the election meetings
organized by the seven-party alliance in the Terai. Life in the region
bordering India remains affected by localized strikes called by
different groups as well as killings, abductions-for-ransom and
inter-gang violence.
The government has taken some steps to create an atmosphere for a
dialogue. The cabinet approved the decision to ensure 45 percent
reservation in the police, army and state-run enterprises for all
minority groups including Madhesis. It has also decided to recast its
seven-member team for a dialogue with the Madhesis, with representatives
from the seven parties in the government. Peace and Reconstruction
Minister Ram Chandra Poudel will head the team.
The Madhesis, who live in the densely populated Terai region, have long
complained of discrimination and exclusion from government jobs. When
the peace agreement signed in November 2006 ended the decade long civil
war in Nepal, the Madhesis and other minorities felt that their
interests had not been addressed.
There has been an alignment of forces among the main groups in the Terai
with the coming together of the Terai-Madhesi Democratic Party led by
Mahanta Thakur, the Madhesi People's Rights Forum led by Upendra Yadav
and Rajendra Mahato's Nepal Sadbhavana Party to form the UDMF. The new
Madhesi combine has called for a programme of fresh protests that
includes an indefinite strike in the Terai.
An earlier attempt by the government to hold talks with Madhesi leaders
only served to exacerbate tempers when the call for a dialogue was
accompanied with a list of Madhesi demands that had been met by
Kathmandu. Moderate Madhesi leader Mahanta Thakur, who quit the
government and the Nepali Congress last year, declined the dialogue
offer pointing out that there was no need for talks if the government
feels it has already done enough vis-à-vis the Terai.
The government had expected that the measures taken to redress some of
the grievances of the Terai people would be enough to allow elections to
be held under heavy security. Maoist chief Prachanda was even reported
to have said that the army could be deployed to ensure that the polls
are held. The government in Kathmandu has failed to understand the anger
and alienation in the Terai.
A bomb explosion at an election meeting in early February in Birgunj
where 35 people were injured has brought home the unstable situation in
the Terai region. A joint meeting scheduled by the seven parties
including the Maoists at Janakpur last month to start the election
campaign in the region could only be held under tight security as the
rebel groups called a general strike. In another Terai town, three
blasts took place near a Nepali Congress meeting injuring a young girl.
The Madhesi Janadhikar Manch's agitation to redress their longstanding
grievances ended in August 2007 with the government accepting some of
the Madhesi demands. The government distributed citizenship papers for
those born in the country after 1990, recognized the local language and
partially accepted the demand for proportional representation in the
Constituent Assembly.
But violence has continued in the Terai. New armed groups and splinter
factions have sprung up in the last year, many of which have threatened
to disrupt the elections.
Among the six-point demand of the UDMF are constitutional guarantees for
autonomy for the Madhesi region and ending discrimination against
Madhesis in recruitment in the police, army and government bodies.
However, whether the new Front can prove to be a rallying point for the
Madhesi people is a moot point due to the host of armed groups operating
in the Terai region.
Arriving at an agreement with the Madhesi Front would be just the
beginning of the process to bring the Madhesi people to accept the
elections. The next stage of dealing with the armed groups, of which
almost two dozen abound in the Terai, will be more difficult. Delays on
the part of the government in undertaking a political initiative have
added to the complexities of the situation in Terai.
(Shubha Singh is a writer on international affairs. She can be reached
on shubhasingh101@gmail.com)
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