By Padam Prasad Sharma, Ph. D.

Nepal never had a “people are the sovereign” rule of democracy. Throughout its modern history under both absolute and constitutional monarchy, the monarch retained the command of the Royal Nepalese Army. The governance system continued to empower the khaoists – a Nepali word for the unscrupulous bunch amongst the ruling elites. The continued social injustice and economic malaise, corruption by the ruling class, rampant human rights abuses by the King’s army and police, and the resulting socio-political chaos created and emboldened the Maoists.

By manipulating the elected Prime Minister to dissolve the parliament, and by accusing him of inept leadership unable to hold elections and solve the Maoist problem, King Gyanendra took administrative control of the government on February 1, 2005. His rhetorical explanation of the takeover was for re-establishing ‘peace’, ‘security’ and ‘democracy’. Like his father King Mahendra’s dissolution of elected parliament and civilian government in 1960, King Gyanendra’s actions of the past year demonstrated his autocratic character. With unquestioned authority and the state coffers of a poor country at its disposal, the royal regime seems in no mood to end the civil war.

Current US policy of crisis intervention in Nepal is based on the twin pillar theory: the King and the mainstream parliamentary parties should compromise and present a united front against the Maoists. The US policy is based not on the “people are the sovereign” principle of democracy but on the US administration’s Maoist-phobia – a psychological barrier to accept the hard-core communists as legitimate political force in Nepal. The phobia is built up by the Maoists’ continued anti-US rhetoric, the US’s own paranoid perception of Nepal being a potential future haven for international terrorists, and the ghost of its bitter war against South-East Asian communists.

Because of King Gyanendra’s intransigence, the dominating political consensus of the day in Nepal is to achieve peace and stability by bringing the Maoists into mainstream politics. The recent 12-point understanding between the Maoists and the seven political parties to coordinate their struggle against the autocratic King is a natural political confluence towards a democratic goal. This political alliance, “however unholy” it may be, has isolated the monarch, thus demolishing the very foundation of the twin pillar theory.

The seven political parties have taken up the challenge of the Maoists’ demand for an election of a constituent assembly to rewrite a multi-party democratic constitutional system in Nepal. In a recent interview with international media, the Maoists have indicated their willingness to accept such a constitution with or without the King. By agreeing to the Maoists’ constituent assembly demand, the political parties have nullified Maoist’s mission. By taking up the Maoists’ challenge head-on, they have provided a political conduit to solve the root cause of Maoist insurgency.

The American policy reflected by the current shuttle-diplomatic efforts of US ambassador James F. Moriarty is imprudent and inopportune. It seems to prod the king and the mainstream political parties to ally against the Maoists. Instead of supporting the evolving mainstream political effort to re-establish democracy, the US – the greatest democratic country in the world – seems to be hanging on to the autocratic King’s coattails. The US is missing this opportunity to politically empower the people of Nepal.

For violence to end and democracy to take root, the warring factions in Nepal must be persuaded to recommit on the ‘people are the sovereign’ foundation of democracy. The course of action should include support for the election of a constituent assembly resulting in the amendment of the current (now defunct) constitution. The amended constitution should reemphasize that no institution (regal or otherwise) can be above the people.

The United States should revise its current Maoist-phobia policy and work with the mainstream political parties to help them rebuild this foundation of democracy. The US should leverage its financial and political capital to directly persuade the King and his administration and indirectly influence the political parties and the Maoists to agree to work towards this goal. The US should continue to pressure the King –not to compromise with political parties and sideline the Maoists – but to take steps to reinstall a multi-party government and put the constitution amendment process in gear.

The current socio-political crisis in Nepal is a classic power struggle between an autocratic monarch’s intentions to hold on to his “God given” regal power and Nepali people’s desire to reassert their sovereignty of the country. Despite their ‘terrorist’ approaches, the Maoist movement is a political struggle by deprived people against ruling elites who continue to exploit state resources for their own selfish use. In a historical context of time and scale, the goal of the political and insurgent opposition to the autocratic king’s rule is no different from those of the American and the French revolutionaries.

Without peace, and without civilized discourse to the current conflict, the Nepali nation will continue to disintegrate, and her citizens continue to suffer. For its own security and the stated goals of promoting democracy around the world, US should support the Nepali people’s struggle to re-establish democracy – a democracy that would not be held hostage at the whims of an autocratic king or a totalitarian Maoist junta.

Dr. Sharma is currently based at Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA, and is the coordinator of Empower Nepal Foundation. Please send your comments to [email protected] or [email protected]

(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected])