#401 23 - 29 May 2008 16 pages Rs 30 Weekly Internet Poll # 401 Q. What should king Gyanendra now do? Total votes: 6,921 Changing of the guard MALLIKA ARYAL parliament that had no may be “too little too late”. Acharya and others say the legitimacy,” deputy royal high Jurist Nilamber Acharya end of the monarchy can be hen the newly- priest Madhav Bhattarai told dismisses speculation that the marked by a ceremony in which Weekly Internet Poll # 402. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. How confident are you that a republic elected constituent Nepali Times. king has something up his sleeve. the royal standard within the will be declared on 28 May? W assembly sits for its The RPP (Nepal) has been a “The king is powerless, he has no palace is lowered and replaced first meeting at the BICC on vocal champion of monarchy and support from the political symbolically by the national flag. 28 May, it will ratify the its leader Kamal Thapa has been parties, the international He adds: “Most countries have a abolition of the monarchy trying to buy time for the king. community, the Nepali people or republic day, ours could be 15 before it even starts drafting a “This country will plunge into even the Nepal Army,” says Jestha.” z new constitution. crisis if the monarchy is removed Acharya. To make things easy, king in haste,” he says. Some monarchists advise king Gyanendra could vacate the The election was an Gyanendra to negotiate a deal Eviction day palace on 27 May itself. If he overwhelming win for with the prime minister and the wants to make it difficult, he republicanism, with the royalist Maoists on his security and a nears at could try to stick it out and forces seeing a rout, so it can be privy purse, and to keep Queen face protests at the gates, expected that a referendum Mother Ratna in her present Narayanhiti which could turn ugly. wouldn’t save the monarchy even cottage in the palace, a place she “When Nepal was declared if it was tried. Even palace has not left since her marriage to a federal republic last year, the insiders say the king should see King Mahendra. He can then king was given a grace period the writing on the wall and exit make a proclamation and step to leave the palace and he has gracefully while there is still down on the day the new had ample time to plan how he time. But they fear his decision parliament sits. was going to go,” says political analyst Krishna Hachhethu. But the king has tried to cling on till the last. Right-wing Hindu groups and royalists haven’t given up, and say only a referendum can abolish the 240-year-old institution. “The decision to remove the king came from a reinstated unelected DISTANT THUNDER: Storm clouds brew over the palace on Wednesday evening. SAM KANG LI 2 EDITORIAL 23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda Dixit CEO: Ashutosh Tiwari Design: Kiran Maharjan Director Sales and Marketing: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Marketing Manager: Sambhu Guragain Asst Managers: Deepak Sangraula, Subhash Kumar, Tanka Sitaula Subscriptions: Nawaraj Guragain Tel: 5542535/5542525 Hatiban, Godavari Road, Lalitpur [email protected] GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5250333/845, Fax: 5251013 Sore losers www.nepalitimes.com Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 5250017-19 Democracy seems to work differently in Nepal f democratic values are to be persons, landowners and not willing. ROCRASTI NATION respected, the Maoists businessmen by the With the approval of India P I should lead the next Maoist YCL. and America, the NC has Depending on whether you see the glass as half full or half empty, government. The established Explanations provided by secretly conveyed to the Maoists some of us are waiting for Nepal to enter a brave new era of practice of parliamentary the leadership don’t convince that it will support them in the democracy and progress, while others are convinced that we are democracy all over the world is most newspaper readers of the formation of an interim headed towards a totalitarian abyss. The argument is well made that the Maoists won the elections, that the government of the day, Maoists’ innocence. On government provided they agree and they should be allowed to lead a government. The NC and UML when defeated in the election, occasion exaggerated reporting to the creation of a position of should get over their self-obsessed misery and deep suspicion of must resign. by the media and NGOs, and head of state who would be the each other, and look at the nationís future instead of their partisan misreporting of Maoist commander in chief and have ambitions. And in a vestige of the Old Nepal they take to the streets statements have also emerged. power to dismiss the prime GUEST COLUMN and declare a shutdown, punishing the people to get back at the The Maoists secured 30.52 minister, and that they give the Maoists. So set are they in their ways, that to change seems to be Tapan Kumar Bose percent of the votes in the position to GP Koirala. asking too much of them. But itís not entirely fecklessness at the helms of the NC and FPTP segment of the elections, Apparently this is a pressure UML. There is deep-set paranoia and distrust about true Maoist But this not how democracy giving them 120 seats. In the PR tactic to force the Maoists to intentions. The comrades, it must be said, have done nothing to functions in Nepal. The political they got 29.28 percent of the disband the YCL and surrender allay these fears. They have kept up their tactics of violence by parties who were trounced in the votes which translated into all the arms in their possession beating up those they beat in elections. They have even taken a election, particularly the NC and another 100 seats, making a to the government. victimised businessman to a UN-supervised camp to torture and UML, have together formed a total of 220 out of the 575 seats The UML has demanded kill. We gave Pushpa Kamal Dahal the benefit of doubt, but it is no cartel to hold on to office. They so far declared in the that the Maoists disband the longer believable that terrorising opponents is not a part of his strategy. are arguing that the Maoists must constituent assembly. They are YCL as a price for their support Why is it so difficult for Pushpa Kamal Dahal to say sorry? He first prove their ‘democratic 48 short of an absolute majority. in the government making. The owns up to the killing, says there will be an investigation, the guilty credentials’. The NC got 37 seats in the Madhesi parties have agreed to will be punished and the victimís family will be compensated. But The Maoists are continuing FPTP segment and 73 in the PR be a part of a Maoist-led not a word of remorse or contrition. And it is the same with all other with their efforts to form an with a total of 110, exactly half government if they agree to acts of YCL brutality. The standard operating procedure is first to go interim government, but the NC of the Maoists. The UML got 33 a single Madhes spanning into denial, and when the evidence becomes too glaring, dismiss it and the UML have put forward in FPTP and 70 in PR, with 103 the Tarai. as the work of a few rogue elements. And if public outrage mounts, a statement is released promising compensation and blaming rather tough conditions for their in total. What these two parties India doesn’t want the ìreactionariesî and ìcounter-revolutionariesî for a ìconspiracyî. support. Meanwhile, the media lost since the previous elections Maoists to form a government Revolutions devour their own children. If the Maoists arenít carries daily reports about went to the Maoists. The two till they have disbanded the careful this is what will happen to them. The Nepali people in their abduction, illegal confinement, Madhesi parties, the MJF and YCL and surrendered all their wisdom voted for the Maoists, but didnít give them the majority to torture, extortion and murder of the TMLP together polled 9.5 arms. All the major political run things on their own. In a democracy, they have to learn to work political opponents, media percent of the total votes in parties secretly support the together with the other parties in a coalition. the FPTP. army in their opposition to the The other parties have some understandable concerns and have set pre-conditions to In the political hothouse of proposal of integrating the joining the government. Kathmandu rumours grow every Nepal Army with the Maoist Ultimately there is no way but to give up minute, with a mix of fact and PLA. the culture of violence and cooperate. That fiction. And in Nepal things Tailpiece: a friend of mine, can start with the Maoists leading the always seem to come full circle. who plays tennis with colonels government, making the NC a ceremonial In 2003 when GP Koirala met and majors, said that a section head of state and giving the speakerís post to the Maoists in a secret venue in the UML. After that, who gets what ministry of the army brass has become isnít that important. India, they offered him the first well skilled in political presidency in exchange for the negotiations. NC’s support for the Maoist ACCOUNTABILITY: Residents of the demand for a constituent Tapan Kumar Bose is the Koteswor area have been protesting against the Maoist murder of Ram Hari Shrestha assembly and republic.