Strike Paralyses Life in Kathmandu

On Monday, Kathmandu ground to a halt as hundreds of people affiliated to the Young Communist League, a group connected to the Maoists, gathered in the streets of the capital. They had called a so-called Banda, or strike, in protest against the alleged killing of one of their leaders.

Shops, schools and offices were shut across the city as protesters burned tyres and forced buses and cars off the road to demand an investigation into the death of Rajendra Phuyal.

Situations like this have not been unusual since the Maoist government, which was only elected one year ago, resigned at the beginning of May.

Dismayed by politicians

Kunda Dixit, editor of the popular weekly newspaper ‘The Nepali Times’ has just returned from a two months tour around the country. He says: “The predominant impression we have is that people are fed up with the politicians in Kathmandu and their endless bickering. They feel that the politicians and leaders have led them down once more and the country is going back to war. Now, this is not really true – the country is not going back to war and yet the people seem convinced about this. I am trying to figure out why this despondency is there among the people and I think we in the media are partly to blame because we present every day the news as if this is never going to end so people are convinced.”

Kosmos Biswokarma of the United Nations Mission in Nepal says the latest disruptions and the fact that the newly elected Prime Minister, Madhav Kumar Nepal, does not yet lead a fully formed government have stalled the peace process and the drafting of the constitution for the country.

“The present uncertainties in the political sphere are definitely having a negative impact on the overall peace process and we as UNMIN have always said that unless the political actors themselves get together and move ahead together the peace process would not reach its end.”

Ethnic protests

While the 24 parties in the constituent assembly bicker over writing the constitution in the capital, Nepal’s countryside is faced with yet another problem, which could hamper the peace process even more if not controlled in time. Dixit explains:

“The other danger now is the ethnic friction, which is new. With the debate heating up on the new constitution there are groups which seem to be out of control of the political parties, ethnic warlords, who are pushing for their ethnic self-determination and liberation. Nepal has 103 ethnic groups and if this is not controlled Nepal is in real danger of degenerating.”

And besides getting the Maoists on board and writing a new constitution for the Himalayan country, the new Prime Minister will have to deal with a host of other urgent issues, such as education, health and infrastructure.

Author:Billi Bierling (Kathmandu)
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein