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40 Point Demand
4 February, 1996
Right Honourable Prime Minister
Prime Minister's Office,
Singha Darbar, Kathmandu
Sub: Memorandum
Sir,
It has been six years since the autocratic
monarchical partyless Panchayat system was ended by the 1990 People's
Movement and a constitutional monarchical multiparty parliamentary system
established. During this period state control has been exercised by
a tripartite interim government, a single-party government of the Nepali
Congress, a minority government of UML and a present Nepali Congress-RPP-Sadbhavana
coalition. That, instead of making progress, The situation of the country
and the people is going downhill is evident from the fact that Nepal
has slid to being the second poorest country in the world; people living
below the absolute poverty line has gone up to 71 per cent; the number
of unemployed has reached more than 10 per cent while the number of
people who are semi-employed or in disguised employment has crossed
60 per cent; the country is on the verge of bankruptcy due to rising
foreign loans and deficit trade; economic and cultural encroachment
within the country by foreign, and especially Indian, expansionists
is increasing by the day; the gap between the rich and the poor and
between towns and villages is growing wider. On (lie other hand, parliamentary
parties that have formed the government by various means have shown
that they are more interested in remaining in power with the blessings
of foreign imperialist and expansionist masters than in the welfare
of the country and the people. This is clear from their blindly adopting
so-called privatisation and liberalisation to fulfil the interestes
of all imperialists and from the recent 'national consensus' reached
in handing over the rights over Nepal's water resources to Indian expansionists.
Since 6 April, 1992, the United People's Front has been involved in
various struggles to fulfil relevant demands related to nationalism,
democracy and livelyhood, either by itself or with others. But rather
than fulfil those demands, the governments formed at different times
have violently suppressed the agitators and taken the lives of hundreds;
the most recent example of this is the armed police operation in Rolpa
a few months back. In this context, we would like to once again present
to the current coalition government demands related to nationalism,
democracy and livelihood, which have been raised in the past and many
of which have become relevant in the present context.
Our demands
Concerning nationality
- All discriminatory treaties, including the 1950 Nepal-India
Treaty, should be abrogated.
- The so-called Integrated Mahakali Treaty concluded
on 29 January, 1996 should be repealed immediately, as it is designed
to conceal the disastrous Tanakpur Treaty and allows Indian imperialist
monopoly over Nepal's water resources.
- The open border between Nepal and India should be
regulated, controlled and systematised. All vehicles with Indian licence
plates should be banned from Nepal.
- The Gurkha/Gorkha Recruitment Centres should be closed.
Nepali citizens should be provided dignified employment in the country.
- Nepali workers should be given priority in different
sectors. A 'work permit' system should be strictly implemented if
foreign workers are required in the country.
- The domination of foreign capital in Nepali industries,
business and finance should be stopped.
- An appropriate customs policy should be devised and
implemented so that economic development helps the nation become self-reliant.
- The invasion of imperialist and colonial culture
should be banned. Vulgar Hindi films, videos and magazines should
be immediately outlawed.
- The invasion of colonial and imperial elements in
the name of NGOs and INGOs should be stopped.
Concerning people's democracy
- A new constitution should be drafted by representatives
elected for the establishment of a people's democratic system.
- All special privileges of the king and the royal
family should be abolished.
- The army, the police and the bureaucracy should be
completely under people's control.
- All repressive acts, including the Security Act,
should be repealed.
- Everyone arrested extra-judicially for political
reasons or revenge in Rukum, Rolpa, Jajarkot, Gorkha, Kabhrc, Sindhupalchowk.
Sindhuli, Dhanusa, Ramechhap, and so on, should be immediately released.
All false cases should be immediately withdrawn.
- The operation of armed police, repression and state-sponsored
terror should be immediately stopped.
- The whereabouts of citizens who disappeared in police
custody at different times, namely Dilip Chaudhary, Bhuwan Thapa Magar,
Prabhakar Subedi and others, should be investigated and those responsible
brought to justice. The families of victims should be duly compensated.
- All those killed during the People's Movement should
be declared martyrs. The families of the martyrs and those injured
and deformed should be duly compensated, and the murderers brought
to justice.
- Nepal should be declared a secular nation.
- Patriarchal exploitation and discrimination against
women should be stopped. Daughters should be allowed access to paternal
property.
- All racial exploitation and suppression should be
stopped. Where ethnic communities are in the majority, they should
be allowed to form their own autonomous governments.
- Discrimination against downtrodden and backward people
should be stopped. The system of untouchability should be eliminated.
- All languages and dialects should be given equal
opportunities to prosper. The right to education in the mother tongue
up to higher levels should be guaranteed.
- The right to expression and freedom of press and
publication should be guaranteed. The government mass media should
be completely autonomous.
- Academic and professional freedom of scholars, writers,
artists and cultural workers should be guaranteed.
- Regional discrimination between the hills and the
tarai should be eliminated. Backward areas should be given regional
autonomy. Rural and urban areas should be treated at par.
- Local bodies should be empowered and appropriately
equipped.
Concerning livelihood
- Land should be belong to 'tenants'. Land under the
control of the feudal system should be confiscated and distributed
to the landless and the homeless.
- The property of middlemen and comprador capitalists
should be confiscated and nationalised. Capital lying unproductive
should be invested to promote industrialisation.
- Employment should be guaranteed for all. Until such
time as employment can be arranged, an unemployment allowance should
be provided.
- A minimum wage for workers in industries, agriculture
and so on should be fixed and strictly implemented.
- The homeless should be rehabilitated. No one should
be ' relocated until alternative infrastructure is guaranteed.
- Poor farmers should be exempt from loan repayments.
Loans taken by small farmers from the Agricultural Development Bank
should be written off. Appropriate provisions should be made to provide
loans for small farmers.
- Fertiliser and seeds should be easily available and
at a cheap rate. Farmers should be provided with appropriate prices
and markets for their produce.
- People in flood and drought-affected areas should
be provided with appropriate relief materials.
- Free and scientific health services and education
should be available to all. The commercialisation of education should
be stopped.
- Inflation should be checked. Wages should be increased
proportionate to inflation. Essential goods should be cheaply and
easily available to everyone.
- Drinking water, roads and electricity should be provided
to all villagers.
- Domestic and cottage industries should be protected
and promoted.
- Corruption, smuggling, black marketing, bribery,
and the practices of middlemen and so on should be eliminated.
- Orphans, the disabled, the elderly and children should
be duly honoured and protected.
We would like to request the present
coalition government to immediately initiate steps to fulfil these demands
which are inextricably linked with the Nepali nation and the life of
the people. If there are no positive indications towards this from the
government by 17 February, 1996, we would like to inform you that we
will be forced to adopt the path of armed struggle against the existing
state power.
Thank you.
Dr Baburam Bhattarai
Chairman
Central Committee, United People's Front, Nepal
Source:
Deepak Thapa, ed., Understanding the Maoist Movement of Nepal,
Kathmandu, Martin Chautari, 2003, pp. 391, First published in Dr Baburam
Bhattarai, Barta ra tatkalin rajnaitik nikasko prashna, Kathmandu:
Publication Department, Special Central Command, CPN (Maoist), Fagun
2059 BS.
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