Objectionable

The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has decided to declare autonomous provinces unilaterally after having stalled such a move for some weeks under pressure from civil society and other quarters. The Maoists have now decided to announce the autonomous provinces between December 11-18, mainly bowing to the party’s various ethnic fronts. The Maoist leadership had earlier deferred such announcements, citing “lack of preparation”. As per their plan, the Maoists are set to announce 13 such autonomous provinces —11 of which will be named on the basis of ethnicity. This is going to be problematic both for the Maoists and for the country.



Writing a new constitution and federalizing the country is the exclusive responsibility of the Constituent Assembly. By unilaterally declaring the autonomous provinces the Maoist party is either encroaching on the jurisdiction of the CA or it is challenging the CA’s legitimacy altogether. The Maoist leadership has over and again tried to defend its stance on the declaration of autonomous provinces as just a symbolic measure. But this is such a naïve defense, and it overlooks the serious ramifications involved.



First, such a declaration by the largest party in the CA will only alienate the other parties, which will also quickly jump into taking positions as they see the Maoist move as a tactic to impose its model of federal Nepal on others. Secondly, Maoist cadres, with time, will also begin to harden their stance around the model of federation proposed by their party, leaving the Maoist leadership in a difficult position when they are required to show flexibility. Third, the Maoists are playing with fire by over-stoking ethnic sentiments that have the potential to further destabilize the country. There is already heated debate within the Maoist party about the delineation of such federal provinces and there are competing and seemingly irreconcilable claims and counter-claims among the various ethnic groups within the Maoist fold.



Given all these possible implications, we urge the UCPN-M to refrain from making such a unilateral declaration on autonomous provinces. This is a deeply sensitive issue and a potentially destabilizing one as well, so it needs consensus among the major political parties. We also urge the Maoist party not to use such a sensitive issue as a tool to pressure the other parties for fulfill its demands. As the largest party in the CA, the onus of leading the constitution-writing process lies with the Maoists and they must reach out to the other parties to build consensus on this issue even as they fight them on the other issues, including formation of a national government.

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