Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives, Taranath Ranabhat, has said His Majesty’s experiment has failed for the fourth consecutive time.

Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat

Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat
(File Photo)
He was referring to the February 1, 2005 takeover that came after successive appointments of three prime ministers in a row since October 2002.

In an interview with Samay, a weekly newsmagazine, Ranabhat termed the current government chaired by the king as party-less. The ministerial council comprises mostly of people having ‘party-less’ background. There are some other things on the basis of which the king’s rule can be called an exercise of party-less system, he added.

The situation right now is such that the responsibility for all the things that have gone wrong would go to the king. This is an extremely dangerous situation. The king should have been an impartial head of state through and through; but if he decides to move ahead sticking to his ‘partyless authoritarian character’ then the institution of monarchy itself would be in jeopardy, it would fail. With it the general notion that ‘the king doesn’t commit mistakes’ would also be proven wrong. In fact, the king shouldn’t have let himself mired in controversy. This is why it is my wish that the king shouldn’t mire himself in any controversy, said Ranabhat.

When asked if he hadn’t furnished any suggestion to the King, Ranabhat said for the past one year he hadn’t had an opportunity to get royal audience.

Ranabhat further said at a time when the country has reached to this difficult situation because of the vicious armed conflict raging inside the country, the king’s direct rule has worked to open new doors of conflict. Rather than addressing the Maoist insurgency, the political parties have been compelled to take to the streets. As all know the civil society groups, journalists and employees have taken to the streets in large numbers.

If we are to save this country from a bleak future then we need the king. But the kind of king the country needs is not the tyrannical or authoritarian one. The institution of monarchy that is desirable to us is a constitutional monarch – meaning the king who doesn’t commit mistakes or any wrongs. The king should return to his place and should stay there until the need arises for him to take up an active role. The pro democratic forces – i.e. political parties who are committed towards the king and the current constitution – should flock together in the same place. Likewise, the sovereignty should be returned to its rightful owners – the people – and they should be involved in every decision the state makes, he said.

Ranabhat said the king clearly has two options right now. The first one is temporary and might be extremely dangerous: moving ahead with the army on his side. On the other hand, another option is to submit what belongs to the people back to the people and return to the previous situation. I think the second option is clearly in the long-term interest of the king and institution of monarchy. And though it might sound a bit unbelievable, but there is no third option.

Ranabhat urged that (major) political parties should play a crucial role in saving the present constitution. Should we fail to save this constitution then another constitution can be more detrimental to the country, he warned.