Call by the CPN (Maoist) for a general strike
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)
Central Committee
Press Statement
1.The countrywide mass movement launched according to the understanding reached on November 22, 2005 and March 19, 2006 between the CPN (Maoist) and the seven political parties is heading for victory with unprecedented mass participation, people’s resistance and the sense of sacrifice. Thwarting all kinds of repressions including the fascist curfew and prohibition order against the general strike, disobedience movement and huge mass demonstrations particularly after April 6, 2006, the active and encouraging participation witnessed on the part of lakhs and crores of the masses of all levels and strata including peasants, workers, students, women, dalits, ethnic people, teachers, professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, journalists, litterateurs, artists, civil servants, businessmen, industrialists and civil society has transformed this movement into a real united mass movement of all anti-monarchical democratic forces. Therefore, this movement has not now remained to be a movement only of either seven political parties or the CPN (Maoist) or civil society or any particular group but as a united movement of all the real democratic forces, who have been repeatedly deceived by the feudal autocratic monarchy since 1949. Grasping honestly and responsibly that this objective fact has developed first time in the Nepalese history, and defeating all kinds of splittist tendencies that emerge in the movement we appeal the entire political forces, civil society and the broad masses to make it reach to the final goal by further unifying, consolidating and reinforcing this movement.
2.The time has come to see off from the stage of history the royal fascist elements, who have dreamt of sustaining the moribund feudal autocratic power with the force of fascist repression, terror, massacre, Goebble’s method of propaganda, misuse of the state fund etc. by dispensing a decisive last blow now. For this, it is very necessary to converge the flame of the movement, which is now blazing all across the country, particularly at the capital Kathmandu, enforce complete economic blockade to the royal power and shatter its administrative and security mechanism. In this course, expressing complete solidarity to the huge protest the seven political parties have called for from April 20 at Kathmandu, we heartily appeal the entire political activists, mass organizations, ethnic and regional fronts and the broad masses for an extensive and active participation. Likewise, we also appeal to all not to pay any kinds of taxes and tariffs, the officials from government and corporations to stop work by disobeying all orders from royal state and the officers and soldiers of royal army, armed police and police to disobey the royal power and again appeal to all to continue with countrywide general strike, protest rallies and people’s resistance till the goal of movement has been achieved.
3. With the development of movement, a forceful voice is being raised from all sides to set a concrete goal and destination of the movement, which is obvious and correct. Despite the terminology of ‘an end to absolute monarchy and establishment of full democracy’ was used to include the stances of all parties in the Maoist-Parliamentarian 12-point understanding, the underlying meaning of that was the abolition of monarchy and establishment of democratic republic, on which a commitment was made to institutionalize it through a free and fair election to the constituent assembly. An intense development of the movement and the slogans being chanted from people’s level all across the country shows there is no doubt that the masses of the people have ratified the clear destination of democratic republic. Any other demand below the establishment of a republic through constituent assembly cannot provide a positive way out to the decade long conflict and cannot fulfil people’s aspiration of democracy, peace and progress in the country. Therefore, paying attention to the experience of the democratic movement since 1949, the existing political power equation in the country and people’s wish to become sovereign in all aspects, we have a firm stand that the movement must in no case be stopped or terminated with a compromise till the goal of democratic republic has been achieved by way of unconditional constituent assembly. Contrary to this, if attempts are made to abort this movement by a deceitful compromise half way like in 1949 and 1990, we specially appeal to the entire genuine democratic forces, civil societies and the broad masses to go ahead by forcefully resisting it.
4.It is necessary for the agitating forces to seriously bear in mind that the present movement is aimed at forward-looking restructuring of the state and not for mere adjustment of power. The preamble of the historic 12-point understanding, which states that “it has been an indispensable necessity to implement the concept of full democracy by way of forward-looking restructuring of the state to resolve the problems related to class, nationality, sex, region etc, in all the domains of political, economic, cultural spheres by establishing full democracy and bringing absolute monarchy to an end” justifies it fully. It is self-evident that the upcoming new democratic state is not the parliamentary system as of before February 1 (2005) and October 4 (2002), but a forward-looking multi-party democratic republic with the qualities that ensure wide participation of poor peasants and workers in the state power, autonomous rule of the oppressed nationalities, regions and Madhesi people along with right to self-determination, special privilege to women and dalits, fundamental right to all in all the domains of education, health and employment, redistribution of the land based on ‘land to the tiller’ by ending the feudal land relation, development of national industrial and self-reliant economy etc. Not to understand the meaning and importance of wide participation, never seen before in history, of the wretched and poor section of the society, the oppressed rural masses, ethnic groups, women, dalits etc and their courageous resistance against the violence and repression of the royal power in the present urban movement, will be a big irony. Therefore, remaining cautious towards the fatal tendency of completely negating the people’s war of ten years, heard and observed at times in the present movement, or the status-quoist tendency of talking about abstract ‘restoration of democracy’ we sincerely appeal to all to make this movement reach the declared destination by advancing it unitedly.
5. Finally, reiferating our firm commitment towards the historic 12-point understanding and the second understanding reached with seven parliamentary parties and rejecting scornfully all kinds of disinformation compaign launched by the fascist royal state, we express our commitment to make the peaceful united mass movement reach the point of success by actively participating in the movement.
Date: April 17, 2006
Baburam Bhattarai
Coordinator
Broad National Political Conference Organising Committee
United Revolutionary People’s Council, Nepal
and
Prachanda
Chairman
C.P.N. (Maoist)
& Supreme Commander People’s Liberation Army, Nepal
