Peace Building in Nepal

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Chapter 4: Peace Building in Nepal and Data Analysis

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overall process.

To address the Nepali peace process and to bring it to its logical end, the stakeholders who contribute to the peace process must be addressed. The peace process or peace-building

“transformation” is the establishment of formal democratic processes combined with the promotion of economic activities. It has been accepted as a basic norm for strategies.

According to a liberal democratic theory, it is proper to stress formal institutions and the direction of democratic institution building, and focus mostly on creating a fair process for political competition. Unfortunately, Nepal’s political parties so far have not strived to achieve this. Ho-Won Jeong⁴⁴⁰ states that democracy can be consolidated with mature

political conditions, promoting both external and internal legitimacy. In this broader view, the peace-building process begins with the introduction of an inclusive democracy, with

democratic values being followed by all political parties and political changes – which surfaced in 2006 – having a direct connection with people’s aspirations. Rapid and massive political changes, the addressing of people’s views by the political leaders, the

implementation of a people-based democratic policy, and the use of existing natural resources for the people – all of these will play a role in peace building in post-conflict Nepal. The rise of the Maoist rebellion, which escalated in a very short time, proves there is a possibility of an eruption of conflict, but in order to minimize all possibilities of violent conflict that might erupt in the future, sociopolitical and cultural changes are necessary in Nepali society. For this, both the interim constitution and, later, the new constitution committed to implementing a federal structure for the government, equal rights to people and a just society, and the practice of inclusive democracy. These are all good steps to recognizing minorities and backward groups, which will minimize the possibility of conflicts in the future.

A stable political order does not necessarily emerge from a new constitutional framework.

440 Jeong, Peace Building in Post Conflict Societies, 11.

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The success or failure of any peace process depends upon the social and psychological aspects of the actors. Moreover, in Nepal specifically, implementation strategies have to be based on the identification of actors and the coordination of activities in sectors within a given time frame, according to priorities. The different needs of a society recovering from violent political conflicts must be incorporated into the peace-building design.

The peace process in Nepal was somehow able to move forward a few steps, but failed to address the human rights abuse issues and the internal displacement of people. During the insurgency, the people with abundant resources went abroad and returned home only after the initiation of the peace process. Those people who failed to go abroad or flee their homes either supported the government move or took part in the movement. The common people became the victims from both sides. To the detriment of the institutionalization of peace, there was a lack of response to immediate needs and local capacity building, both of which are necessary for successful peace building. Thus, for sustainable peace that will help the population to overcome extreme vulnerability and move towards self-sufficiency, integrative social development geared towards meeting human needs should be the ultimate focus.

For a country like Nepal to address peace building, the human security approach offers the best chance for a long-term recovery and for reconciliation and the emergence of sustainable institutions. Rather than establishing “just peace,” Nepal should focus on creating a lasting peace that will be sustainable.All actors should carefully fulfill their duties to build the political and economic capacity of the Nepali people. Political parties should work to empower the people by adopting nationalistic, rather than party-centric, thinking and action and by giving their support to the development of human rights for all. Political and non-political actors in Nepal will have to focus on developing a plan that incorporates both peace and development.

In Nepal, empowering people and increasing their capacity in different sectors like politics,

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production and the economy, and cultural awareness can act as a fruitful and long-lasting solution for durable peace and the promotion of democracy. Simply completing the political process will not bring any long-lasting solution, as there are multiple dynamics to the conflict in Nepal. So far, Nepal had successful political movements in the history of politics, but all failed to strengthen the national identity of the country and the sovereignty of Nepali people.

The sociopolitical culture of the Nepali leadership will have to be transformed to address the political crisis of the country.

Nepal’s peace process so far has been widely praised for its progress, but has also been highly criticized for its failure to implement its promises. The peace process becomes shaky when several groups and ethnic communities demand inclusion and participation at central positions.In this situation, the post-conflict transition has been hampered by lack of trust within and among communities in dealing with the adverse impacts of the conflict and in creating opportunities for peace building.

CPN (Maoist) followed the path of peace process after signing the 12-point agreement reached between political stakeholders. Political analysts agree that despite problems, the Nepali peace process is moving, and no major political incident has taken place yet to lead to its failure. The success and failure of the peace process lies in the conscience of Nepalese political actors. It ended the rule of the royal palace forever, declared a federal republican Nepal, and brought changes in the political equations in Nepal. The UN accepted the procedures of Nepalese peace process following the country’s mandate and the UNMIN began to monitor the arms and armies of Nepal’s government and the Maoists. During the conflict, the Maoists had established identity politics of different nationalistic groups, women, and other minority groups. They had declared different states based on nationality,

empowered the women in politics, the voices of marginal class were heard and, even at present, the rebel party has remained attached to these matters and wants to endorse them in

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the constitution.