The crisis of confidence between the monarch and agitating major political parties seems to be further widening.

By Pratibedan Baidya

Reports say senior opposition leader and CPN (UML) general secretary, Madhav Kumar Nepal, — who is in detention for the last three months– was being taken to the district court of Kathmandu from Kakani of Nuwakot district on Tuesday afternoon to formalize his release. Media crew and UML workers were at the gates of the district court at Babarmahal past 5:00 p.m. They later came to know that following orders from the “higher authorities” the police vehicle carrying Mr. Nepal returned mid-way. It was not immediately known where he is being kept.

So, is there still room for dialogue between the monarch and agitating major political parties?

Talking to Nepalnews, politician and ideologue Nilambar Acharya said that the King has closed all doors of reconciliation, so there was no sense of talking with the King.

His Majesty King Gyanendra

His Majesty King Gyanendra (File Photo)
“The King knows all the agenda and demands of political parties but he has not addressed any of the demands of the political parties and is only asking them to follow his roadmap. So, the phase of dialogue and reconciliation is over,” he added.

Stating that the government and all the work of the government is unconstitutional, Acharya said, “Detaining political leaders and obstructing their activities and at the same time and calling them for talks carries no meaning.”

“People’s movement has reached to new heights and the King should accept the verdict of people if he wants to secure his position,” said Acharya.

According to Acharya, the first step the monarch needs to take – if he is really willing for reconciliation– is to immediately dissolve the incumbent government and return people’s power back to the people’s representatives. “The King should accept the agenda of political parties and should respect the initiative of the seven political parties to bring Maoists into the mainstream of politics,” he added.

The King should ask the political parties — that received legitimacy through people’s vote to present their agendas — and approve it if he wants reconciliation among constitutional forces, said Acharya.

In his message on the occasion of Nepali New Year, King Gyanendra called upon parties for dialogue to give outlet to the present political problems but parties refused his call saying that the King should first restore civil and political rights and create conducive environment for talks.

Not even opposition activists, even the well known royalists are at their wit’s end looking at “self-destructive” activities of the royal government.

Dirgha Raj Prasain, a royalist, alleges that those, who were involved to give monarchy a bad name during the popular movement of 1990 were now active to stop the King from initiating the process of dialogue and find solution to the current problem.

“The constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1990, could still be the meeting point between the two. The monarch and the political parties should initiate dialogue on the basis of the preamble of the constitution.” — Dirgha Raj Prasain
Prasai did not name anybody but pointed towards usual suspects. “These people are defaming the monarchy for their personal interest. The royal government has failed in every front since the royal takeover of last year. So, His Majesty the King should immediately reach out to the political parties to resolve the problems facing the country,” he added.

“If the King had taken his step due to the wrongdoing of the democratic governments, he should had taken steps to correct them. But the King failed to do so leading to discontent among the masses against the government and the direct rule of the King. Now, there is no option rather than returning the state power to the people,” he added.

When asked what could be the meeting point between the king and agitating parties, Prasain said the constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1990, could still be the meeting point between the two. “The monarch and the political parties should initiate dialogue on the basis of the preamble of the constitution,” he added.

“The government should call the political parties for talks in a formal way to resolve present political problem,” said Prasain.

CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal (File photo)
A leading analyst on Nepal affairs, Rhoderick Chalmers, warned early this year that palace hardliners were the greatest threat to the future of the monarchy in the Himalayan kingdom. In his commentary on the long-drawn political impasse in Nepal on January 23, Chalmers—who is associated with the International Crisis Group– said, “At the moment, as thinking royalists have long realised, palace hardliners are the greatest threat to the future of the monarchy.”

In his commentary that was written before the controversial municipal polls, Chalmers wrote: “If King Gyanendra is willing to take a risk for peace he can recover respect for the monarchy by canceling the flawed and misconceived elections and working towards the settlement Nepalis long for. Of course, this will not be easy. But the easy options will lead only to continued bloodshed and political collapse.”

The King assumed direct power and assumed chairmanship of the incumbent government on February 1, 2005 but there have been no improvement in the overall situation of the country since then.

The royal roadmap included restoration of peace in the country, containing Maoist insurgency, checking rampant corruption and holding parliamentary polls by mid April 2007, but analysts say the King has failed in almost all fronts.

Now, opening dialogue with the parties for a fresh initiative would be in the best interests of the monarch and the nation.

But the question remains: Will the people with “vested interests” allow the king to do the right thing?