Udaya Chalaune, former Vice-commander of the third division cantonment of the People’s Liberation Army, had expected the party leaders to keep their promise of democratizing then Royal Nepal Army to form a new national army. [break]Now he realizes that the debate on democratization was only employed as a tool of political bargain. “It was the responsibility of the government to begin the process of democratizing the army. But the political parties misinterpreted the whole idea behind the debate,” he said.
Political parties have differing views regarding democratization of the army, said Balananda Sharma, Retired Lt General of Nepal Army. The peace agreements and the Interim Constitution of Nepal envisage democratization of the Nepal Army but no political party took the trouble of understanding and explaining the concept with interest.
Recent political developments have shown that the Nepal Army does not need transformation as it is both professional and democratic, said Sharma, who was also the coordinator of the army integration special committee secretariat. The term ‘democratization’ is no longer relevant in the context of Nepal Army, he added.
After the huge success of the people’s movement of 2006, there were cries for bringing the Nepal Army under civilian control. The government even formed a cabinet-level committee led by the then Defense Minister Bidhya Devi Bhandari to offer suggestions on the matter. The committee submitted the report “Democratization of Nepal Army & Security Mechanism Reforms Suggestion Committee Report- 2067” to the government, but the report is yet to be implemented.
Despite NA argument against the need for transformation and democratization, certain provisions in the Military Act need to be revised so that it better reflects the aspirations of the people, said Rajan Bhattarai, a security expert. However, the national army cannot be brought under the control of parties or groups with vested interests. The national army should always be guided by the constitution and the laws of the land, said Bhattarai.
The integration of the former Maoist combatants into the national army has already been completed and those recruited are already undergoing training. This has also assuaged fears that integration of the former Maoist combatants would bring the Nepal Army under the subordination of UCPN (Maoist) and help them in their aim of capturing state powers. Former PLA chief Nanda Kishor Pun said, “We had demanded overall reform of the security sector but the debate now remains stalled because of various reasons.” The debate on federal system and security sector reform must go hand in hand, he said.
The major issues to be taken into consideration are relationship of the national army with the defense ministry, resource management, transparency, professionalism and inclusiveness, said security expert Bhattarai. The other important dimension of a democratic army it its relation with the civilians, he added.
In its report, the committee has incorporated issues related to a cost effective, efficient and professionally functioning army in a competitive multi-party democratic system along with the constitutional regulatory aspects. The report also focuses on strong civilian leadership and its firm commitment to respecting the aspiration of the people.
The report states organizational restructuring and identification of national interests are the preliminary steps toward ‘democratization’ of the national army, said Pun. “But we couldn’t begin the process. This doesn’t mean that we have neglected the issue. The national army should have a voluntary character; which is trained well and led well, and provided with the right equipment and tools to fulfill its responsibility.
Merit based promotions and postings, transparency, accountability to human rights and the rule of law are basic norms that have to be strictly followed by the national army. NA has adopted a zero-tolerance policy on human rights issues and national and international rules and laws, Sharma said.
Steps must be taken to prevent the misuse of the national army. The national army should not owe allegiance to any political party or group, said Bhattarai, adding, NA is the pride of the nation and must remain united. Not that attempts have not been made in the past to misuse the army but NA still is under the risk of being manipulated and misused, he said.
Unless there is a proper understanding on the issues related to democratization of the national army, conceptualization of a national security strategy becomes almost impossible, say experts. The major stakeholders must be clear about the concept of “democratization” to be able to build a more professional and competent national army, said Sharma. According to the NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat, the idea of democratization floated by the UCPN (Maoist) has utterly failed and that as a result has made the NA even more powerful.
Democratization of NA is an issue related to nationality but the concept has been robbed of its essence by recruiting a handful of former combatants in the name of integration, said former PLA commander Chalaune. Peace Agreement has been breached in the name of concluding the peace process but the Maoist leadership will have to pay the price of breaking its promise sooner or later, he said.
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