Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KATHMANDU1433
2006-06-06 02:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:
MAOIST EFFORTS TO PROMOTE A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT
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C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001433
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER ECON NP
SUBJECT: MAOIST EFFORTS TO PROMOTE A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT
REF: KATHMANDU 1375
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).
A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT IN THE MAKING
-----------------------------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 001433
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER ECON NP
SUBJECT: MAOIST EFFORTS TO PROMOTE A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT
REF: KATHMANDU 1375
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).
A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT IN THE MAKING
--------------
1. (C) The Maoists have recently been taking steps to
establish a parallel government in parts of Nepal. During
the week of May 29, the Maoist-aligned "Interim Rupandehi
District People's Council" (southwest Nepal) publicly
submitted a tender for bids on a contract to collect rocks,
pebbles, and sand from the Tinau river, days after the local
District Development Committee (DDC) had done so. The
Maoists pinned their tender notice on the DDC's door and
warned contractors not to bid on the DDC's tender. The DDC
tender called for minimum bids of USD 928,000 (65.9 million
Nepali Rupees) while the Maoist tender minimum was listed at
USD 422,000 (30 million Nepali Rupees). Bids from eligible
businesses may be light: A source told the Embassy that in
2005 the Maoists extorted almost half of the contract amount
from the contractor who had won this job. One potential
contractor commented that this was the first time the Maoists
had ever publicly called for bids. The Maoists threatened to
overrule the DDC and throw out the contract, per the laws of
the "People's Council," if bidding contractors did not make
their proposals through the Maoist tender offer. The
situation has left potential contractors confused on how to
proceed with bids. One contractor asked, "How can we bid in
such a situation?"
2. (C) An Embassy source explained that Maoists were
interfering with the day-to-day administration of the B.P.
Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur (south-central
Nepal). Visiting parts of Rupandehi District for the first
time in four years, the source reported seeing anti-King and
anti-American slogans painted on the walls of Village
Development Committee (VDC) offices, schools, health posts,
and agriculture centers. The source noted that in Palpa
District (mid-west Nepal),Maoists had demanded that
secondary and college-level principals appoint at least one
Maoist teacher in each school to teach "people's education."
CABINET DELAYS PROPOSAL TO REINSTATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
BODIES...
-------------- --------------
3. (U) On June 4, the Cabinet rejected Minister of Local
Development Rajendra Pandey's (CPN-UML) proposal to reinstate
local bodies. The Cabinet decided that, for the time being,
civil servants would oversee the affairs of local bodies.
(Note: Local bodies include VDCs, DDCs, and Municipalities.
End Note.) Maoist leader Prachanda had threatened to walk
away from dialogue with the new GON and return to violence
(reftel) if the GON reinstated the local DDC and VDC bodies.
Pandey claimed that his proposal was delayed due to party
politics within the seven-party alliance, as the majority of
those elected to local bodies in the last election were
CPN-UML. Prime Minister G.P. Koirala explained to Pandey
that the Cabinet's June 4 decision was for a "short period,"
and that his proposal to reinstate local bodies had not been
rejected.
... MINISTER FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CALLS FOR DISSOLUTION OF
"PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT"
-------------- --------------
4. (U) After the Cabinet's decision to delay the
reinstatement of local bodies, while speaking at an event
organized by the National Federation of Village Development
Committees on June 4, Minister Pandey went on the offensive,
demanding that the Maoists dissolve their "people's
governments" if they were so deeply opposed to the
reinstatement of local bodies. Bhisma Raj Angdambe of Nepali
Congress-Democratic (NC-D) reportedly asked the government to
address the issue of "people's government" before reinstating
local bodies.
COMMENT
--------------
5. (C) The non-communist members of the seven-party alliance
opposed the proposal to reinstate local bodies because the
previously elected local body representatives were
predominately affiliated with the CPN-UML. The Maoists would
prefer to be the only show in town, hence Prachanda's strong
objection to the UML proposal that would have reinstated
local government. The increase in Maoist efforts to act as a
parallel government in the absence of local government is a
worrisome challenge to the fragile Government of Nepal.
MORIARTY
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER ECON NP
SUBJECT: MAOIST EFFORTS TO PROMOTE A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT
REF: KATHMANDU 1375
Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).
A PARALLEL GOVERNMENT IN THE MAKING
--------------
1. (C) The Maoists have recently been taking steps to
establish a parallel government in parts of Nepal. During
the week of May 29, the Maoist-aligned "Interim Rupandehi
District People's Council" (southwest Nepal) publicly
submitted a tender for bids on a contract to collect rocks,
pebbles, and sand from the Tinau river, days after the local
District Development Committee (DDC) had done so. The
Maoists pinned their tender notice on the DDC's door and
warned contractors not to bid on the DDC's tender. The DDC
tender called for minimum bids of USD 928,000 (65.9 million
Nepali Rupees) while the Maoist tender minimum was listed at
USD 422,000 (30 million Nepali Rupees). Bids from eligible
businesses may be light: A source told the Embassy that in
2005 the Maoists extorted almost half of the contract amount
from the contractor who had won this job. One potential
contractor commented that this was the first time the Maoists
had ever publicly called for bids. The Maoists threatened to
overrule the DDC and throw out the contract, per the laws of
the "People's Council," if bidding contractors did not make
their proposals through the Maoist tender offer. The
situation has left potential contractors confused on how to
proceed with bids. One contractor asked, "How can we bid in
such a situation?"
2. (C) An Embassy source explained that Maoists were
interfering with the day-to-day administration of the B.P.
Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur (south-central
Nepal). Visiting parts of Rupandehi District for the first
time in four years, the source reported seeing anti-King and
anti-American slogans painted on the walls of Village
Development Committee (VDC) offices, schools, health posts,
and agriculture centers. The source noted that in Palpa
District (mid-west Nepal),Maoists had demanded that
secondary and college-level principals appoint at least one
Maoist teacher in each school to teach "people's education."
CABINET DELAYS PROPOSAL TO REINSTATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
BODIES...
-------------- --------------
3. (U) On June 4, the Cabinet rejected Minister of Local
Development Rajendra Pandey's (CPN-UML) proposal to reinstate
local bodies. The Cabinet decided that, for the time being,
civil servants would oversee the affairs of local bodies.
(Note: Local bodies include VDCs, DDCs, and Municipalities.
End Note.) Maoist leader Prachanda had threatened to walk
away from dialogue with the new GON and return to violence
(reftel) if the GON reinstated the local DDC and VDC bodies.
Pandey claimed that his proposal was delayed due to party
politics within the seven-party alliance, as the majority of
those elected to local bodies in the last election were
CPN-UML. Prime Minister G.P. Koirala explained to Pandey
that the Cabinet's June 4 decision was for a "short period,"
and that his proposal to reinstate local bodies had not been
rejected.
... MINISTER FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CALLS FOR DISSOLUTION OF
"PEOPLE'S GOVERNMENT"
-------------- --------------
4. (U) After the Cabinet's decision to delay the
reinstatement of local bodies, while speaking at an event
organized by the National Federation of Village Development
Committees on June 4, Minister Pandey went on the offensive,
demanding that the Maoists dissolve their "people's
governments" if they were so deeply opposed to the
reinstatement of local bodies. Bhisma Raj Angdambe of Nepali
Congress-Democratic (NC-D) reportedly asked the government to
address the issue of "people's government" before reinstating
local bodies.
COMMENT
--------------
5. (C) The non-communist members of the seven-party alliance
opposed the proposal to reinstate local bodies because the
previously elected local body representatives were
predominately affiliated with the CPN-UML. The Maoists would
prefer to be the only show in town, hence Prachanda's strong
objection to the UML proposal that would have reinstated
local government. The increase in Maoist efforts to act as a
parallel government in the absence of local government is a
worrisome challenge to the fragile Government of Nepal.
MORIARTY