SANGAM

Cooperation must for new Constitution: Prasain


Nanda Kumar Prasain is an invited member of the central committee of the CPN-Maoist. Born in 1944 in Hangpang Aathrai of Taplejung district, Prasain joined left politics as a student at the age of 14. In his more than five decade long active involvement in the communist movement, Prasain spent 12 years in imprisonment with a five year long exile and two-year long underground life. He was general secretary of CPN-MLM before it merged with CPN-Maoist two years ago.
Prasain who is a member of the Constituent Assembly and a leader of the main ruling party talked with Nandalal Tiwari and Sangam Prasain of The Rising Nepal on issues related with communist movement in Nepal, government’s efforts and limits to meet people’s aspirations and progress on constitution writing process. Prasain blames the status quoists for obstructing the government from delivering relief to the people. He cites the present political equilibrium as a limit of the left government. As a CA member, he says that the constitution will be drafted within the two years timeframe. Prasain also shared his positive experience in his new party following the merger of his previous party, CPN-MLM, with CPN-Maoist.


A couple of years have elapsed after your previous party unified with the CPN-Maoist. How are you feeling in the new party?

Well, I am very satisfied with my role and responsibility in the new party. In the last two years following the unification of the MLM and the Maoist parties, I have participated in several central committee meetings and other meetings including the state and the district committees. What I have felt is that there is a real exercise of people’s democracy in the party. Our previous party cadres have respect in the new party. We all are working to unify other communist parties with the Maoists and make a single communist party. Some seven small parties have already united with us. Unification among all the communist is the need of hour.


You were general secretary of CPN-MLM before it merged with CPN-Maoist and your responsibilities are now far behind, how does it feel?

I am not feeling difficulties, I believe that every proletarian should try to make a single powerful communist party and be ready to have any responsibility instead of engaging in many communist parties. I didn’t open CPN-MLM only to be general secretary. I believe that all the revolutionary forces should be united as per their ideology rather than designation. I have had an experience of involvement in the communist movement for over 51 years. We, the proletariat, have succeeded in making a history through our untiring effort walking along with MLM ideology and flag so I don’t feel being diminutive in our party levels.

How do you asses the trend of split in the left parties in Nepal irrespective of their vow to have one communist party?

Definitely, we reached here through different unity and splits and this is the reason that we were left behind in developing our leftist revolution in our model. In our analysis, either we came here being communist from India or inspired by Russian communism or we even imitated China. We adopted their tactics and translated into ours, which was not good for us. The initiation of People’s War was a major departure in Nepal’s largely conventional communist movement.
The major ideology that we had to achieve from the world communism was dialectical materialism. It should be our own foresight to view our society studying the world communist revolutions and considering dialectical materialism.

There had been shortcomings in issuing the party membership. The parties focused on opening the door to the middle class and capitalists instead of proletarians and land-less people and the party was totally dominated by these people. We were not able to start constructive class conflict. On the other hand, the middle class was becoming more ambitious and these communists tried getting close to the royal palace, Indian expansionism and American imperialism, which was the reason why the communist revolution didn’t get a definite direction leading to splits in the past.

Three months have already passed since the Maoist took the helm of the government carrying hope and aspirations of those people who supported them in the revolution. People are expecting a lot from the existing government. What will be the impact in the people’s trust if the Maoist fails to live up to its commitments?

We want to act as per the peoples hopes and aspirations. At this time when we are in a rapid pace of transformation, our efforts have met resistance. Maoist party is leading the government; it is our responsibility to take the peace process to a logical conclusion and write a new constitution. and this is harder than waging a war. Bringing other parties to the discussion table and addressing their demands seem to have shifted the focus of the government from the immediate needs and relief measures.

There was a long time spent in managing frivolous troubles. Most importantly, people should not think that they will get everything in a short period of time. Maoists have committed to bringing economic revolution and addresses the problems of all the deprived and poverty stricken people and for this, they have to wait for some more years.

You said that because of the status quoists the government had so far failed to meet people’s aspirations in its performance and make them feel the change. How can the government sideline them and perform better? What is your strategy to tackle them?

The first and foremost thing is to complete the constitution writing process. The new constitution will ensure people’s sovereignty and guarantee them of all the fundamental rights. This will make them feel the real change politically. So far as giving them a feel of change through government’s policies and programmes is concerned, the process has already been started and once it gears up the people will experience change in their lives.

Don’t you think that the constitution writing process has already been delayed? Will there be a new constitution within the stipulated timeframe of two years given so many obstacles as you said?

We all should feel assured that the new constitution will be written within two years. The Speaker has already expressed commitment to this effect and all the CA members and party leaders are very serious about this.
One thing is important - all the political parties should be cooperative in this. However, the foreign powers may try to push their agenda through various political parties and attack our nationality.

Do you see any possibility of attack on nationality during the constitution writing process?

The Maoist party is determined to leaping forward from the capitalist federal democratic republicanism. We want to make sure the new constitution is pro-people and paves the way for socialism eventually. And this will be a headache to some power centers and they will dictate their agents in the country to obstruct the process. That obstruction will also be an attack on nationality, they may create some excuses to do so. If this ever happens, all the nationalist, left and democratic forces will have to come together to fight against the attack and safeguard nationality. This might delay finalisation of the new constitution.