KATHMANDU: Nepali Communist Party leader Barshaman Pun ‘Ananta’ has said the country needs unity among communist forces and cooperation among democratic forces.
Addressing a gathering of the party’s Khanikhola Rural Municipality Contact Committee in Kavre on Saturday, Pun said his party favoured bringing together forces with similar ideological positions.
He said the Gen-Z movement that began on September 8 last year and the destruction that followed on September 9 took place against a backdrop of frustration caused by the split in the communist party.
“When the Nepal Communist Party existed, we formed an alliance and won a majority, but we could not sustain it. There was frustration that even the communists could not sustain a communist majority, and there were also various forms of interference and infiltration,” Pun said. “We need to move forward from the point where the mistake occurred.”
Pun said it was possible to restore communist forces to a leading role in the country. He said efforts to reorganise and strengthen the Nepali Communist Party through a convention or general convention would move forward alongside efforts to unite with other left-wing groups.
“The Nepali Communist Party must be strengthened. We will do that. But that alone is not enough. To face the current challenges, we need to cooperate with various left-wing groups whose agendas align with ours and work toward turning that cooperation into unity. It is possible to establish the communist party in a leading role,” he said.
Pun also said his party was emphasising cooperation among forces that support the Constitution and democracy, including the Nepali Congress and Madhes-based political forces, to prevent attacks on the Constitution and the existing political system.
He claimed that the Gen-Z movement that began on September 8 was “hijacked” by the following day, alleging geopolitical manoeuvring, conflict and infiltration.
“There was a major incident in the country on September 8 and 9. Gen-Z youths launched the movement on September 8. By September 9, the movement was hijacked. There was geopolitical manoeuvring, conflict and infiltration,” Pun said.
Linking Nepal’s developments with political events in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, he said the impact of geopolitical competition among major global powers had also been felt in Nepal.
Pun said Nepal needed to maintain diplomatic balance to protect its sovereignty and national interests amid changing international power struggles.
He said growing competition among the United States, China and India had created additional challenges for small and medium-sized countries.
“The United States, China and India are competing with one another to expand their spheres of influence. The existence of small and medium-sized countries is facing serious challenges today,” Pun said.
He referred to conflicts and political developments in Iran, Venezuela, Ukraine and Palestine as examples of the impact of major-power rivalries, saying global politics was increasingly being driven by power rather than established rules.
Pun said Nepal should also work toward regional alliances for its security as such alliances were emerging around the world. He stressed that Nepal must protect its sovereignty by maintaining diplomatic balance and clearly defining its position.
“If the country remains, we can continue our internal political competition,” he said.
However, Pun cautioned against using geopolitical influence as an excuse to avoid addressing the country’s own weaknesses.
Pun acknowledged that established political parties had developed a weaker relationship with the younger generation and said the tendency to view young people merely as voters needed to change.
He said young people’s political awareness and understanding had changed rapidly alongside the expansion of information technology, and that political parties should use technology as a means of political education and organisational expansion.
He also said Nepalis living abroad should not be criticised or looked down upon, but their grievances should be understood and efforts made to train and organise them.
Pun said negative perceptions of established political parties had strengthened because they had failed to effectively communicate the achievements made in the country following the establishment of democracy and the republic.
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