March 18, 2005: Freedom for Nepal!

On February 1, 2005, the King of Nepal declared a state of emergency and drastically increased state terror against the Nepalese people. With the support of the Nepalese military and the help of US- military advisers, he established an open absolutist dictatorship in Nepal. From the very start this was met with broad and unbroken resistance. The Central Committee of the MLPD declares its full solidarity with the Nepalese people in their liberation struggle and calls up for giving full support to the liberation struggle of the Nepalese people.
1.)The declaration of a state of emergency in the entire country means the abolition of bourgeois-democratic rights and liberties, including freedom of the press, freedom of speech, trade union rights, the right to strike and freedom of assembly. It means censorship and preventive custody. Public criticism of the King’s actions is completely forbidden for the next six months. The news agency AP writes: “The new proclamation forbids all direct or indirect public comments about the security forces which can possibly have negative effects on their morale.” Those who defy the law can be arrested by security forces and their property can be confiscated. The administration under Premier minister Deuba, which was installed by the King only six months ago, was dismissed. The leaders of the larger bourgeois parties were also placed under house arrest, among them five former minister presidents. Domestic and international phone connections were temporarily interrupted and all connections in the Internet, even those going abroad, were capped. Soldiers forced their way into the offices of all important newspapers and magazines, as well as into those of radio and television channels, which are all subject to direct government censorship. Hundreds of people, in particular activists from the working-class and people’s movement, have been arrested and taken to unnamed places. “Letting people disappear” and having them liquidated by supposedly “unknown” persons is a method of oppression being systematically used. It is said that up till now, 150 have been murdered by military and police forces.
2.) The absolute monarchy, which has been established in Nepal with the support of the military, signifies the establishment of an open dictatorship directed against the uncompromising liberation struggle of the Nepalese people and the bourgeois-democratic rights which the working-class and the masses of the people gained in 1990 after decades of self-sacrificing struggle. The Nepalese people are faced with the immediate strategic task of forming a broad united front to overthrow the absolute dictatorship of the King while bearing the socialist goal in mind. The Marxist-Leninist NCP/UC-M (Nepalese Communist Party/Unity Centre-Mashal), with which the MLPD closely cooperates in solidarity, calls up in its Press Statement of March 5, 2005:
“At this juncture elimination of the direct autocratic rule or the absolute monarchy has been the immediate necessity of the country.” This requires “to launch broader United movement to fulfil the following demands.
a) Autocratic monarchy must be abolished
b) Emergency rule should be repealed.
c) Fundamental rights must be restored.
d) All political detainees- leaders and cadres, human right activists and journalists must be released immediately.
e) Restriction and censorship imposed on press and media must be repealed.”
3.) The brutal actions are supported and covered by imperialist forces, especially by US-imperialism. In spite of verbal protests, most of the economic support and arms deliveries are being continued. In a US-government public statement from the beginning of March 2005, representative Donald Camp clearly stated: “The United States, together with other friends of Nepal, especially India and Great Britain, share the view that the Maoist uprising must be opposed and answered.” The establishment of an open dictatorship is part of US-President Bush’s “New War”, which he declared after September 11, 2001, under the pretext of struggling against “terrorism”. What makes such a small country like Nepal so important for US-imperialism? Not fore mostly its economic role in the international production network of the international monopolies, but its strategic position between India and China, which is coming into competition with US-imperialism as a new, rising imperialist superpower. Neither did the government of the social-imperialist China condemn the actions of the King. Instead, it expressly declared that this is an “internal issue in Nepal”.
4.) The mass movement in Nepal has, in fact, become stronger in the past years. Hundreds of thousands participated in general strikes and mass demonstrations. There is a strong, organized trade union and women’s movement. However, what is most significant, is that the idea of socialism as a social alternative to the system of neo-colonial exploitation and oppression is alive among the masses. The NCP/UC-M reported in October 2004:
“For last two years a series of movement united or in the initiative of party itself have taken place in the country in which hundreds of thousands of people, almost all class and mass organizations or sections of people thought the country have participated. .. We maintain that the movement against retrogression led by the King is of primary importance in the country and we intended to concentrate all our force for that.”
The establishment of an open dictatorship is also an attempt of US-imperialism to suppress the mass movement and the struggle for national and social liberation with this method.
5.) Whoever occupies himself with Nepal more closely comes upon the guerrilla movement of CPN/Maoist. The bourgeois media also report regularly about them. CPN/Maoist, which has been leading an armed struggle since 1996, objectively belongs to the progressive forces in the struggle against autocracy . Its members and supporters are also affected by the massive repression. However, because of its sectarian strategy and tactics, it plays a contradictory role in the struggle of the Nepalese people. It also not only opposed the Nepalese military, but also went over to engaging in increasing terror against the people, against people who belong to the oppressed and exploited classes. They are responsible for a number of murders and kidnappings of Marxist-Leninists, people’s representatives and trade-union leaders. Objectively this splits the building of a broad united front and serves the interests of the King and the imperialists. They are demagogically called “Maoists” by the bourgeois media, although their policies are in open contradiction to Mao Tsetung’s views. Mao Tsetung pointed out fundamentally that problems of an ideological-political nature, like the differences between the NCP (UC-M) and the CPN/Maoist about the further path of the revolution in Nepal, or controversial issues which arise among the people can only be solved with the method of democracy and persuasion. In his well known text “On the correct handling of contradictions among the people” he writes: “All attempts to use administrative orders or coercive measures to settle ideological questions or questions of right and wrong are not only ineffective but harmful…The only way to settle questions of an ideological nature or controversial issues among the people is by the democratic method, the method of discussion, of criticism, of persuasion and education, and not by the method of coercion or repression.” (Mao Tsetung, “On the correct handling of contradictions among the people”, Five Essays on Philosophy, p. 86-87).
The MLPD ensures the Nepalese people that it will show its full solidarity with all progressive forces in the struggle against the reactionary and pro-imperialist regime of King Gyanendra and that it will give this struggle all possible support. This struggle for protecting and extending bourgeois-democratic rights is a part of the process of winning over the masses for the struggle for socialism and part of the preparations for the international socialist revolution in the interest of the working-class and the peoples of the world. The working-class and people’s movement in Nepal has close ties to the working-class and people’s movement in Germany. Revolutionary forces, trade union representatives, representatives of the women’s and youth movements have already been in Germany, as well as in Nepal, and have taken part in meetings and exchanged experiences.