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Nepal: Cautious Welcome to Rebels in Government

Categories: South Asia, Nepal, Elections, Governance, Human Rights, Politics, War & Conflict

The Maoists of Nepal, who ended 12-year-long armed insurgency to come to the mainstream politics, joined the government on April 1 taking up five ministries under premiership of Girija Prasad Koirala [1]. More than 13,000 people lost their lives due to the insurgency and that was something peaceful poluation of the country hated most. Now with the Maoists joining the interim parliament and now the interim government, people are looking ahead for the peace. Dedicated to Daniel Pearl [2] writes:

With the induction of Maoist in the government and the current unity among the political parties, I hope we will see a new Nepal in near future. The violence will stop, parties will act responsibly and we are proceeding towards bright and prosperous Nepal.

United We Blog! [3] has the minute-by-minute updates of the rebels sworning in at the parliament. Satyakura [4] has the list of all the ministers and the common program put forward by the main seven political parties and the Maoists. The most important task for the interim government is the election of Constitient Assembly which will then determine the future of the monarchy in its first meeting. The date annouced for the election is June 20.

While the Nepali bloggers were thrilled by the hopes of peaceful future, they cautiously welcomed the Maoists inclusion in the government. United We Blog! [5] represented the feeling of all people:

The induction of the Maoists in the government has sent waves of hope to Nepali people who are desperately looking forward to the successful completion of the peace process.

And, Nepali Perspectives [6] says the choice of ministries by the Maoists is interesting because they all are directly related to the people. It calls it a ploy to gain the people's confidence and questions Maoists’ honesty:

If the Maoists have accepted a multi-party democracy for Nepal, which they say they have, there is cause for optimism. But if the current participation in the government is just a tactical ploy, there is an imminent need to be on guard. The actions of the Maoists even after the signing of the Peace Accord do not provide much confidence as to their intentions.

There are many people expecting revolutionary changes from the Maoists but The Radiant Star [7] believes that's not going to come. It asks people not to expect too much as the Maoists since coming to the mainstream politics have only been fighting for positions and driving Pajeros. Hamroblog [8] hopes that the government is not an April Fool joke and that they will will together leading us to the elections. Nepali Netbook [9] calls it a defeat conceded by the Maoists while Everest Eyes [10] reports that many people who are chased out from their villages by the Maoists still couldn't return to their places.