Tags:
Journalism of Courage
It doesnt take a mansion to show how the Maoists credibility has been undermined
Nepals Maoist top boss,Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda has found himself a multi-wing mansion in Kathmandus central Lazimpat area. The new digs,with a swimming pool space and badminton court,are far from the monastic accommodation one might expect former guerrillas to choose.
The question is not about whether Maoist leaders should preserve appearances and shun conspicuous consumption that was then,this is now. They are nor insurgents,they are potentates. But the troubling thing is that Prachanda,and other Maoist leaders,have not bothered to explain their actions,disclose their assets or otherwise dispel the doubts about their probity. They have simply taken advantage of a weak state,one that cannot enforce minimal accountability on its elected leaders and officials. Nearly six years after the end of its bitter internal conflict,Nepals republican ideals have been thwarted,its constitution still unresolved,its politics chaotic. The Maoists,as the largest party in the House,must take much of the responsibility. Their attitude now is only a reflection of the morass Nepal finds itself in.
