NEPAL: POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE WEST--WHAT'S NEXT?

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000077 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2017 TAGS: PGOV PTER EAID NP SUBJECT: NEPAL: POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE WEST--WHAT'S NEXT? REF: KATHMANDU 23 Classified By: CDA Nicholas J. Dean. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Leaders of the main political parties from 12 districts in western Nepal told Emboff during a driving tour from December 14-25 that they trusted the police as a legitimate force to restore security and lamented the fact that the police were not allowed to do their jobs. There was, for the most part, strong unity among the political parties in the Seven-Party Alliance (SPA) in the districts, although there were signs of splintering in some places. Most believed that the central party leadership in Kathmandu was not listening to the rural areas. All parties lamented that development work has not been able to move forward over the past few years due to the Maoist insurgency. Parties Trust the Police -------------- ¶2. (C) During Emboff's driving tour of the western (around Pokhara),mid-western (around Birendranagar),and far-western (around Dipayal) development regions from December 14-25, political leaders in 12 districts stated, for the most part, that they viewed the Nepal Police as a legitimate source of security. In most districts in the west, the political party leaders told Emboff that the police needed to provide security in the countryside. Political party leaders believed that the police had acted against them during the People's Movement in April 2006 because of the pressure of being under the "Unified Command." (Note: The Unified Command placed the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force under the command of the then Royal Nepal Army. End note.) Parties trusted the police to act independently now that the Unified Command had been dissolved. The parties did not trust the Nepal Army nor the Armed Police Force. Parties across the country lamented the fact that the police were not allowed to do their jobs (reftel). In Salyan, Trust is Growing -------------- ¶3. (C) In Salyan District, Emboff met with political party leaders from the three main parties together with the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) for the district. The political parties stated that the meeting was the first time they had sat together with the police, but that they fully trusted the police to do their jobs correctly and well. The DSP also said it was the first time they had sat together, and expressed a commitment to working with the political parties to find ways to help as the elections became closer. The problem, the DSP stated, was that the government had not given a clear mandate to the police to do their jobs. SPA United, but Maoists Still Intimidate -------------- ¶4. (C) In most parts of western Nepal, the political parties in the SPA were unified in their stance against the Maoists and in working together to create favorable conditions for the election in June to a Constituent Assembly. In Pyuthan, Dang, Salyan, and Kapilbastu Districts, the parties had held joint rallies in the district headquarters to spread the word about the peace process and to press the Maoists to come peacefully into the political mainstream. In Accham, the parties held a program with Maoist participation about the peace process and moving forward to elections. The Maoist leader came to the program in combat fatigues and spoke in "angry, revolutionary language." This intimidated many of the leaders of the other parties, who said it was more difficult to speak freely after the Maoist leader had spoken. Maoists Trying to Break SPA Unity -------------- KATHMANDU 00000077 002 OF 002 ¶5. (C) In Rolpa and Kailali Districts, the Maoists had been somewhat successful in splitting the unity of the SPA by allowing some parties to function at a higher level than others. For example, in Salyan, the Maoists had allowed the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and the People's Front Nepal, fellow communist parties, to travel out to some rural villages and set up party offices, but had not allowed the Nepali Congress (NC) nor the Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D) to do the same. This sort of activity started rumors among the non-communist parties that the communist parties were forming a coalition against them for the upcoming election. This "divide and conquer" technique was also evident in Kailali District, where the Maoists had tried to form coalitions with the CPN-UML, but not with the NC or NC-D, setting off rumors of a broader coalition. Central Leaders Not Listening -------------- ¶6. (C) Political party leaders across western Nepal told Emboff that they were frustrated and confused about the actions and guidance (or lack thereof) from their central party leadership in Kathmandu. In Pyuthan, Rolpa, and other remote areas, the local leaders said that they had some support from the central leadership. Local leaders said, however, that it was up to them to implement change in their home districts. Leaders in these remote areas were confused by a lack of guidance coming from the central leadership on how to accomplish their work. Conversely, in Dang, Surkhet, and Kapilbastu, the party leaders felt frustrated by a lack of support and guidance from their central leadership in Kathmandu. The local politicians believed that the leadership in Kathmandu was unaware of how bad the situation was in the countryside, because the situation in Kathmandu was so comfortable. The parties were worried that the Maoist leadership in Kathmandu was glossing over the atrocities being committed by their district-level workers. Development is Stagnating -------------- ¶7. (C) Without exception, political party leaders listed economic and social development as the number one priority after peace. In every district, people spoke of the need for drinking water, electricity, roads, bridges, new schools, more teachers, and health posts. All the parties acknowledged, however, that it would be difficult, given the current situation with the Maoists controlling most local government structures, to start new development projects in their districts. They strongly urged the USG to continue providing development assistance to the Nepali people, regardless of which party controlled the government. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Political parties across western Nepal are ready to begin campaigning in earnest for the Constituent Assembly election. However, the absence of a clear mandate to the Nepal Police in the face of continuing violence and intimidation from the Maoists is standing in the way. We will continue to encourage the central leadership of the Seven-Party Alliance in Kathmandu to be more responsive to the needs of their party colleagues in the countryside. We will also continue to urge them to remain united in spite of Maoist efforts to divide them. U.S. assistance will be complicated by the expected entry of Maoists into an interim government, but Nepal's successful development will still call for carefully targeted U.S. engagement. DEAN