A good proposal

The proposal floated by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) for the management of PLA combatants makes sense. On Sunday, Maoist representatives on the Special Committee, which is to monitor, manage and integrate the PLA combatants, proposed that the combatants be first offered a civilian package as part of the terms and conditions for rehabilitation. The combatants who do not wish to take the civilian package will then be considered for integration into the different security forces.



We think this is a sensible proposal and will smoothen the rehabilitation/integration process. The experience of other post-conflict countries shows that combatants often opt for a civilian package rather than join the armed forces. But that definitely depends on the attractiveness of the civilian package on offer. Take for instance the cases of two African countries – Mozambique and Mali. The civilian packages (rehabilitation packages) offered were so attractive that in Mozambique the government did not get an adequate number of armed personnel (from both sides) to form a new national army. And in Mali, only 2,000 persons opted to join the national army while 9,000 others took the civilian package.



If an overwhelming majority of PLA combatants take the civilian package, as they are expected to, it will automatically resolve the dispute over the number of combatants to be integrated into the armed forces, including the Nepal Army. The number has been the main sticking point in resolving the PLA issue. Giving the PLA combatants such a choice will also make things easier for the Maoist leadership, which fears a backlash from the combatants if it is seen to be too lenient over the issue.



The Special Committee has asked the technical committee to prepare the package within three days. We think that is too short a timeframe and also believe that the technical committee alone cannot take decisions on various components of the civilian package. Besides many other things, we believe that the civilian package will include a cash incentive. If we want most of the combatants to opt for the civilian package, the cash incentive will have to be generous enough to tempt them. The technical committee alone cannot decide the size of such a cash incentive. Since that incentive will require a huge amount of money, top leaders will also have to think about where the money will come from. It may even require consultations with donors to finance the combatants’ rehabilitation, something on which the success of the entire peace process largely depends.

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