Opinion
Madhesi Agitation Threatens
to Derail Nepal Elections
by Shubha Singh
The Madhesi
agitation in the Terai region of Nepal has intensified with the United
Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) displaying their intention of keeping
out of the elections to the Constituent Assembly by not submitting their
list of candidates for proportional representation, the deadline for
which ended Feb 20.
Several districts in the Terai region are under curfew following the
UDMF's call for an indefinite shutdown. Police have fired at
demonstrators at several places and violent incidents have left over 150
people injured. Kathmandu has been feeling the effect of the strike with
shortages of several commodities, including fuel, after the blockading
of the East-West Highway. The government has been forced to make special
arrangements to bring heavily guarded convoys of petrol tankers from the
border through the Terai area to Kathmandu.
The UDMF alliance of the three main Madhesi parties - Terai-Madhes
Democratic Party (TMDP), Nepal Sadbhavana Party and the Madhesi
Janadhikar Forum (MJF) - had called for a peaceful, indefinite shutdown
Feb 13. But the presence of a large number of armed, militant Madhesi
groups has given the agitation a violent turn with bomb explosions at
several places and a growing number of clashes with the security forces.
Talks between the Madhesi leaders and the seven-party alliance (SPA)
representatives held Tuesday did not lead to any results. The UDMF
leaders asked for the release of those arrested during the on-going
agitation, withdrawal of false cases, medical treatment for the injured
and stopping repressive measures against their activists.
On Wednesday, 38 of the 74 registered parties submitted their lists to
the Election Commission, but none of the Madhesi parties submitted their
list of candidates. According to the interim constitution, the
Constituent Assembly of 601 seats would have 335 of its members elected
through a proportional representation system, 240 members would be
elected through a first-past-the-post election and the remaining 26
members would be nominated by the prime minister. The deadline for
filing the names of the candidates for the first-past-the-post elections
is Feb 25.
After the collapse of the talks between the UDMF leaders and
representatives of the SPA earlier this week, there have been some
informal meetings between the Madhesi leaders and some representatives
of the Nepali Congress party. Both the government and the UDMF need to
make greater efforts to resolve the crisis for if the situation in the
Terai districts worsens there is the danger of the agitation getting out
of the hands of the Madhesi political parties.
The Election Commission has extended the date for submission of the
closed list for proportional representation to Feb 24 on the request of
the government as efforts to bring the Madhesi parties into the
electoral process were still continuing.
The Madhesis living in the densely populated Terai region of Nepal have
been agitating to press for the redressal of their longstanding
grievances. People living in the Terai area have complained of being
treated as second-class citizens and excluded from government jobs and
political power.
The UDMF had submitted a list of six demands, which included declaring
45 of the people killed in the Madhes agitation as martyrs and giving
compensation to their families. The government has paid compensation to
the kin of 24 people but has not declared them as martyrs.
The UDMF demanded a commitment to form a federal, democratic republic
with autonomy and self-determination, proportional representation at all
levels of government and immediate representation in the army. The
Madhesi leaders want the government to hold talks with the armed groups.
Some of the demands of the UDMF leaders have already been conceded, but
there are some that can only be taken up by the Constituent Assembly.
The government is committed to declaring a republic on the first day of
the Constituent Assembly. It has taken a decision on 45 percent
representation in government jobs for minorities and the
underprivileged. The SPA coordination mechanism had said that the demand
for autonomy and self-determination were not acceptable as these issues
needed to be dealt with by the Constituent Assembly.
With Feb 25 as the last day for filing nominations for the Constituent
Assembly elections scheduled for April 10, there is a small window of
opportunity to bring in the Madhesi parties into the contest. An
election without the participation of the Madhesi people is not an
option. Postponed twice earlier, holding the elections with the widest
participation is of prime importance for ensuring the credibility of the
peace process.
(Shubha Singh is a writer on the Indian diaspora and international
affairs. She can be reached at shubyat@gmail.com)
Boloji.com is owned and managed by
Boloji Media Inc Privacy Policy |
Disclaimer No part of this Internet site may
be reproduced without prior written permission of the copyright holder.
