The Fallacies of Two Men - Girija & Gyanendra

(Courtesy: Siddharth Thapa)

Girija in pursuit of becoming contemporary Nepal's political hero is now on the path of being labeled as the country's most unsuccessful prime minister. Although he had been largely discredited, the king's takeover undoubtedly provided him with a hero's halo to champion the cause of democracy.

Unfortunately, as in the past GP Koirala has failed to deliver and his only motive to root the king out of power now becomes obvious – his undying passion for power. It is indeed tragic to note that Koirala's ego matches the king's and both have enormously contributed to the political crisis prevailing in the country today. Neither of them wanted the other to succeed. Both want to seal their immortality in Nepali history by being seen the solution to Nepal's key problems, through politics of one up-manship.

A prominent Congress leader on the condition of anonymity revealed that GP Koirala had met the Maoists at the Jain Temple in Naxal, just before the state of emergency was announced; while his colleague Sher Bahadur Deuba was the prime minister in 2001. At the time, Koirala was point blank in conveying to the Maoists that, "ultimately you people would have to talk me;" during his secret parley with the Maoists. That only shows what mattered to him the most in his power-driven politics. Unseating prime ministers and his attempt on the monarchy at any cost only reconfirm he has not changed.

The Monarchy today is the unifying element or best serves as the punching bag for our politicians and civil society members. Therefore, if abruptly removed, there would be no thread to keep them united.

The real issues that plague Nepal today is poverty, social exclusion, corruption and the consistent absence of a responsive government. Monarchy or a republic, in that sense is a non-issue. But Gyanendra helped propel this dogmatic propaganda of the Maoists by seizing absolute power in an attempt to sideline the democratic forces in the country.

The Maoists and the political parties have maintained that the monarchy is solely responsible for the deplorable condition of the people. However, these accusations are ill founded and any sociologists or a historian would conclude that it is the priestly clan who were responsible for enforcing caste laws and orthodox protocols that segregate a larger portion of the society, a fact ignored by all political parties so far.

Therefore, what Nepal really needs is a social, cultural and an economic revolution. Or better a new political revolution with a socio-economic and cultural reform package. The declaration of a republic from a nominated parliament will hold no relevance to that need.

Over the last year, adherence to the constitution has been ignored, therefore, should the Maoists run into confrontation at any time with the six parties, it is almost certain that monarchy will be brought back to life by six parties as buffer against the Maoists.

The key really is the balance of power. The political parties want to retain power at any cost and for that reason, they can swing like a pendulum on either side of the political spectrum to forge alliances to stay in power.

Gyanendra as a commoner went to visit the Kumari, and that caused a sensation in the political circle. Girija's objection to that now begs the question, should the entire Nepali population seek permission from the prime minister to visit the Kumari? And does the move to downsize the number of armed forces in the palace help the peace process or did it better the prospect of elections happening? The real irony is that the parties who boast of minimizing the king to a political non-entity continue to fear him. This fear and vulnerability goes to demonstrates how badly the parties have failed to materialize their promised dreams into reality.

In every sense it is embarrassing for us Nepalis to observe this grand spectacle where our leaders have shed their dignity and pride by making absurd political statements and comical observations to delude the people. Girija's decision to go to republic is not based on reasoning or political principles but merely on tactical moves to cling to power. Should the political equation change, so will his decision. Therefore, how long are we to suffer from politics of hatred, prejudice and vengeance? The continued tussle between the monarch and the democrats will only result in each eliminating the other out of the political equation.

Related Posts:

Nepali Maoists Prepare for their Final Assault
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/08/nepali-maoists-prepare-for-their-final.html

Girija's Grand Design
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/08/girijas-grand-design.html

Apples, Oranges and the Maoist Victory in Nepal
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/06/apples-oranges-and-maoist-victory-in.html

Defining the Mainstream
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/06/defining-mainstream.html