| Username |
Post |
| Biswo |
Posted
on 06-Oct-02 02:47 PM
Reading Nepal's newspaper these days is like reading Setobaagh: supports for new move by incumbent, and loud detests for the outgoing one. As if we haven't changed a bit since the era of Bir Shamsher.
Suddenly, we find that the system that allowed a son of soil, a son of poor farmer, Mr Deuba of a poor district Dadeldhura unsuitable for us. Suddenly, king Gyanendra, who grew up in royal palace eating with the gold spoon, is in the position to choose 'clean' people to lead country.
Everyone knows that had elections been held on Nov, Deuba and his goons would have been gone. No royal intervention was needed. But the king who last year said he wouldn't watch 'tulutulu like my brother' plunged to get the spoils.
The irony continues. Big newspapers have supported this move. People like Yuva Raj Ghimire has become proponent of 'look forward policy'. Narayan Wagle, Guna Raj Luitel etc stopped expressing their words. And ironically, Pushkar Lal Shrestha's Nepal Samacharpatra and Dixit's Nepali Times have become the 'most' critical voices of the king's move.
Alas, we can't move forward. Because we have moved backward. How can we move forward now that the country is gonna be led by a monarch and his goons like Jagat Gauchan and Mohan Niraula.
Forget that the nation is gonna be stable. The Panchayat ruled for 30 years and couldn't give a single prime minister who ruled for five years. And Panchayat was under the king's direct rule. Mahendra Prakriti Samrakshyan Kosh was directly under present king, and we know how it fared, is faring.
I am saddened by our journalists whose cautious approval and whose biased reporting of approval of king's action is so sickening. I mean, come on, mobs in the roads couldn't be benchyard for king's approval. This is the time for the journalists to write, to caution people against further losing their right, to caution, to caution, rather than to encourage the king in his unbridled sinister move, otherwise our children would also grow up in the same 'kaalraatri' that we grew up, and that our children would also have to shed blood to regain what we regained in 2046. We cheered for Yuva Raj Ghimire when we was taken to jail last year. It is time he show some courage by 'leading' his readers. It is really sad to see so many king's men around preying on our democratic right.
|
| ? |
Posted
on 06-Oct-02 02:54 PM
Words they can be so strong but alas, reality is what you've got to deal with.
Down with all -archies...
|
| Madhav |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 12:02 AM
Biswo, my high school class mate,
it is nice to read your opinion about recent political development and your anguish against journalist who appeared king’s proponent. You are right. It is their responsibility to write and awake people for their rights but I do not agree with you that journalist like Luitel, Ghimere have become king’s man. I have very much close acquaintance with Luitel. We together had very nice trip to Japan just last year. Once when I asked him what did he get personally going to remote areas to report casualties? He replied me, if he did not write for people of remote village then who? He recalled very much pathetic life of people suppressed by both state security forces and Maoists. I think journalists who supported move are not supporting this development with optimism, neither they are perverted but might be drawing best alternative for the time beings.
Have you calculated how many Prime Minister did we have in this 12yrs. Non of them continue with their job for five yrs, neither any House of Representative completed full tenure. Did we suppose that Proponents of Panchyat regime be our Prime Minister so soon? They became. They became because GP Koirala, Manamohan, Ser Brd. Deuba, Krishna Prashad Bhatarai, all village men and sons of factory workers and village farmers failed to echoed mass people’s voice in their leadership. Placing so-called people’s leader resurrected from village in Singhadarbar cannot taper the distance between government and people.
We have to think from place of mass villagers not from middle class social stature. Did they find their government liable to them? Or any program they formulated made glib for their earning hand and mouth? Everybody feels pain when they know their leaders who once wear and eat in grace of village people are now possess villas in capital, ride shining Pajero and have withered life in the remote hill.
I am proponent of popular thought and literally think that what happened in the country is retrogressive – a backslash in democracy. But when you think that people should have their voice in government and probity people to take care business of the country I don’t think ousting Deuba and his cabinet is retrogressive. Mass people have hailed the move and it makes no different to them either their leader was born with sliver spoon in their mouth or plough in their hand.
|
| joCKer |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 08:12 AM
Dr. Baburam Bhattrai's article on current crisis.
http://www.nepalipost.com
|
| sparsha |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 10:12 AM
Biswo ji,
The country belongs to all Nepalis regardless whether they live in Narayanhiti or Narayan hiti bahira peti ma. "Only people from the village should be ruler" is not written anywhere. Yeah, not even in the constitution. Deuba was not sacked because he was a poor fellow from Dadeldhura.
It was Biswo ji who came down heavily on K Dixit for having doubt on RNA's ability to quell Moists insurgents. His logic was, how does Mr. Dixit know its(RNA) ability when RNA has not even started working? He wished Mr. Dixit did reserve his comments for later (after watching the performance of RNA). Now, Biswoji has no patience to wait before commenting on king's move. Biswoji would, probably, have supported the king had he gone with accepting the unconstitutional proposal of Deuba in recommendation of other opposition bhajan mandali to postpone the election for more than a year.
If Nepali people are sovereign then Nepali leaders should do what Nepali people want. The Constitution should be dynamic enough to accomodate the voice of the majority (citizens). Biswoji, who would you support if the constitution says one thing and the majority of the people say otherwise? (when there is not enough time to change the Constitution?).
Biswo ji, I am a sincere admirer of your writings and knowledge. I would hate to see you go down as the Bhisma of Mahabharat.
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 02:17 PM
Hi Madhav,
Glad to see you around. Please drop by my place when you have time.
Sparshaji and Madhav both have raised the same question. So let me reply here to both of you.
I haven't said 'only' people from village should be the ruler. I said the democracy inducted in 2046 is , despite its weaknesses, a representative system, and even without 'asim nigaahaa' one could be prime minister.Eg. the guy like Deuba.
I am not supporting Deuba/Girija/Madhav Nepal/Oli etc. etc. I am for a system where people are paramount. The system of people, by people and for people, not of people, by king and for people. Rule of law should be maintained, and it is so difficult to find in the current crisis any good lawyer who says the king acted constitutionally.That's why king's move should be condemned as unconstitutional.
Now , Sparshaji, about RNA and king. I don't have patience for king's next move because the king's first move was blatantly eggregious and WRONG. It sets a precedence where a king can dismiss a prime minister at his will. Even if King G does good this time, King P will always have this right to dismiss any popular prime minister in the future. Nepali people are sovereign, and they shouldn't be patronized by any Shah. King G, to remind you all, didn't even consult any supreme court justices before moving. He did this all at his will and that, my friends, is wrong.
Now, another truth is this: if the fair election had been held, Deuba would have been kicked out by people, no royal intervention was necessary, no TV acting was needed in the midnight, no military trucks were needed in the street. But , no, the king tried to gain from Deuba's unpopularity. And just to remind a historical fact, after the conclusion of 2015 election, King Mahendra, obviously upset of outcome, made BP wait for more than a month to form ministry and to be PM which was also a big issue then. If Shahs don't want a popular PM to be PM, if they can't wait for people to oust an unpopular PM, then what kind of democracy they are 'giving' to us? They are supposed to be 'constitutional monarchs', they are not supposed to be the film directors and do all 'cuts' themselves.
|
| SIWALIK |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 04:08 PM
Are you sure an election could have been held any time soon? If not, then why wait for Deuba to be ousted? Ensuring democracy's survival is also in the monarchy's interest. It might be a temporary interlude as stated. I sincerely hope it is. But without security, political stability and economic progress, democracy is not going to mean much to the downtrodden. The last twelve years speak to us abou the lack of democratic culture. But then what can we expect after 30 years of Panchayat? We must make sure that this intrusion does not last long. In fact, it cannot last long!
|
| Biswo |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 04:23 PM
Siwalikji,
Yes, I am sure the election was possible.
Why?
Because we are not looking for 100% participation. We are looking for a fair election where those who can vote will be voting.
Election also could have been the first time people would have been facing the rebels. Until now police and army are fighting the rebels, the long line of people in election day will be a direct slap on the face of rebels from people themselves. Only those unpopular rulers need to be afraid of election, not democratic ones. To say that people are afraid and won't vote is not totally true. In Kashmir, the election turn out was about 40% just a month ago. There are people who have lost their relatives , their kins one, and they are for election, they are going to vote anyway.
And is there any guarantee election can be hold in future ? Then what? Will king's Interim Express go on forever and forever? To remind you, in Brunei, in 1962, the king , endangered by communist rebels, dissolved constitution and parliament and it is still not reinstated. Dictators don't give power back easily.
|
| SIWALIK |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 04:32 PM
It was obvious that the election could not be held on Nov. 13--not even in six or seven phases. To hold an election, a safe environment is a prerequisite. I doubt Nepal Army could have provided same level of security as in Kashmir. There is a reason why Deuba asked for a year's extention. That was a pure blunder! I rest my case.
|
| hyaterica |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 04:58 PM
I agree with Siwalik.
40% turnout in kashmir seems to be pretty appealing but i don't think kashmir-like security can be expected to be provided in the remote villages of nepal. As far as i know, maoists would do anything to not let the polls happen, whereas kashmir terrorists were cool with the polls.
Correct me if i am wrong.
|
| Parijat phul |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 06:59 PM
Biswoji,
I am as anguished as you are with the silence (in few cases, cautious reaction)
the press has shown towards the king's move. I agree with you that the role of
the press is not just to report on the popular sentiment observed on the
streets, but to voice critical analysis of the situation based on objectivity.
"mobs on the street cannot be the benchmark for king's approval." VERY WELL
SAID!
Mob mentality is a very fickle thing. When Musharaff came into power in
Pakistan a few years ago by staging a successful coup again Nawaz Sharif who
Mob mentality is a very fickle thing. When Musharaff came into power in
Pakistan a few years ago by staging a successful coup again Nawaz Sharif who
was known for his excessively corrupt and inept government, there were
demonstrations on the streets of karachi and Islamabad heralding Musharaff as
the savior of Pakistani people....there were massive celebrations with sweets
being distributed on the streets for ousting a corrupt head of state. At the
time, didn't most lay people interviewed on the streets of Pakistan comment
that Musharaff took such a dramatic action because he was sick and tired of
seeing all these so called leaders of people looting the country and could no
longer bear to see his beloved Pakistan plunge into further chaos??????
We all know where Pakistan is today as a result of Musharaff coming into power
in the name of saving the country. At the time, soon after that coup I had
asked a Pakistani friend of mine what he thought of the coup and the public
support for it. His words still haunts me today "People's memory are very
short." I am afraid Nepali public is making the same mistake. And it is
alarming that even the press seem to be taken for a ride by the King, willingly
or unwillingly.
|
