| Username |
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| paramendra |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 12:22 PM
http://www.geocities.com/paramendra/2002/king2.html
The Best Option For The Five Parties
Paramendra Bhagat
October 6, 2002
What Deuba did six months back has been done. The parliament got dissolved. Likewise, the king has taken his step. There is no going back on either count.
The best option the five political parties, the UML, the Koirala Congress, the Deuba Congress, the RPP, and the Sadbhavana, have is to take the king on his offer, and return executive powers back to the Prime Minister's Office from the Royal Palace. The king has said he will not retain powers for more than five days. Don't let him.
The king has asked that each party submit two names. That puts the size of the cabinet at 10. And I think the UML, by virtue of being the largest party, ought to get the Prime Ministership. And a cabient of 11 members is large enough for a country the size of Nepal.
The king has said each such person should have "clean" images, and ought not be contesting the forthcoming elections. There is no going back there either. So the political parties should be able to present people who will pass the CIAA-test for cleanliness. The second condition is not that arbitrary either. These people could be nominated by the political parties into the upper house down the line.
So I say, take it. Take the offer.
If the political parties hesitate, the king is going to look beyond the five parties, perhaps to monarchists whose careers took roots in the heydays of the Panchayat, and that would be a bad sign. What if such an interim government is not able to hold elections? Then the possibility of the king taking total control, aka his villain father King Mahendra, will loom large.
At least, if the five parties take the offer, they keep the king away from executive powers. That is important.
And an interim government in which all five parties participate and which is headed by the UML will be the one in the best position to find a political solution to the Maoist problem. Once it bags the Prime Ministership, the UML will probably go back to its idea of offering a referendum to the Maoists. And if the Maoists don't take that offer - I feel they will - then they will create grounds for an all-out attempt at a military defeat by the police and the army.
A parallel here can be drawn with Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers started out wanting a separate country altogether, now they are willing to settle for a state.
The Maoists might have started out by wanting a communist dictatorship, but they might settle for a republic that continues to have a multi-party framework. Such options have to be kept at the table.
But much political skill is required to get the Maoists to come to the table. Deuba lacked them. His approach was to announce that the current constitution can not be changed, and the Maoists need to lay down their arms, and then talks might be possible. That did not sound like an invitation to dialogue. The UML is in a better position to understand where the Maoists are coming from.
Any other option sounds like a recipe for further instability because if the Maoists remain entrenched as they are, forget organzing peaceful also six months from now. And an UML-led government is less likely to harass the CIAA as it continues its commendable anti-corruption drive against the Congressias, the Panches, the corrupt among civil servants, and, possibly, the Darbariyas.
So, I say, take the offer, take it, and let the king go back to being a figurehead. The worst the five parties can do right now is to choose to not stay engaged.
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| ? |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 01:11 PM
The best advice:
Shut up and listen to your constituents. Its now or never since they've screwed up big this time due to their inadequacy. Power to the people, not to the parties.
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| paramendra |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 01:36 PM
True. But what about for the next two or three days. I think it is super important to get the executive powers back to the PMO.
Your point is perennial. They did screw up.
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| ? |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 02:24 PM
Right, the king has promised to form a cabinet as soon as possible. Election and other stuff really depends on how well the interim government performs, the maoist situation and of course, pressure from our anna dattas, the donor countries. The way one can see it is, how capable Gyanendra can be? Given the way he came to 'shashan' and all other headaches that surround, chiefly his son, paras, one can rest assured that people wont discrimate on his decisions and ruling ability. Lets give him a chance. Democracy is byfar the only practical system of political system, especially, due to the pressure from the west. I am confident that we wont be having a dictator to rule us. If Gyanendra is in any way sensible and contemplating his long term interests, he will do what the masses demand, make a name for himself, and go back to his leisurely interests. Operating a country is no joke and is a not one man show, given this age and time.
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| Parijat phul |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 07:26 PM
?ji,
I won't be so confident about the King G's motives. "Power" is a very addictive thing, worse than many of those so called illicit drugs. Once you have tasted it, you want more and at any cost. How many leaders do you know who have voluntarily given up absolute power? And why would you, unless you are out of your mind, of course.
And I won't count much on our "anna dattas" either for making sure democracy is not usurped in Nepal. Was it not the same United States of American who decried Musharaff when he first came to power, but later called him the friend of United States of America? Talk about double standards!
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| ? |
Posted
on 07-Oct-02 07:45 PM
I dont consider US to be much of a believer in freedom and democracy. Their foreign policy is not what one would expect from a country based on life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. You need not look at Pakistan, the middle east crisis is enough. Today 14 innocent palestinians died of a suicidal attack by the Israeli Army. I hope bush utterly fails in garnering support for his vengeful attack on Iraq. How dare he play with people's lives like that? Now thats that, since the last coup on 2017 BS, people have been educated and are aware of the misgivings of the palace. Heck, he may enjoy power but he wont enjoy with such recklessness as his predessors did.
I am still counting on foreign donors like Japan, Denmark, France and even India, who will hopefully curtail all the development money if the king turns his regime to tyranny. Yes there will be suffering bestowed on Nepali people but it will be they who wont forgive the misrule of the king again. I never want to see that but my assumption is what we call 'worst case scenario'.
If the irresposibility continues from the palace, the reaction will come on the worst possible way. We need not look at other people's help, I am for sure of the belief that Nepali will themselves usurp and overturn this wasteful establishment. If we choose that, I hope we do it on the path of ahimsa or civil disobedience, as Gandhi said 'freedom gained through blood is not a true freedom.' Mass of Nepal pitted against the durbar and his petty army. Hopefully, Media will be our friend too. Once again, all that I have said here is my mere speculation. Optimistic as most of the time, I hope the king will be responsible this time. Its upto him to make it or break it. If he chooses to break again, we'll always be there to fix it :) but that time there will be no monarchy in Nepal.
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