The zero-sum game of Nepali politics

February 10, 2006
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By Surendra R Devkota

While US president George W Bush was urging for global liberty during his State of the Union address on January 31st 2006, the royal government in Nepal was cracking down upon political leaders and activists. As King Gyanendra was delivering his speech on the completion of the first year of his direct rule, security forces continued to arrest hundreds of people from their houses who protested against the king’s rule. Not only opposition parties, professional organisations also observed February 1 as the “Black day.” As Nepal remains engulfed by black clouds over the past decade, the friction between different clouds has severely hampered the civilian lives.

As of now, people are not simply a silent spectator of the king’s arrogance. People of all walks of life in Nepal and abroad have now realized that the monarchy is the major obstruction for the intensification of democracy in Nepal since the royal takeover not only violated the 1990 Constitution of Nepal, but subsequent activities of the King proved that a reconciliatory approach for coexistence of both parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy has failed. Further, one year after the takeover, the king is still trying to consolidate his power. The general mass is asking whether the monarchy is relevant in Nepal.

Rulers of Pakistan, Burma (Myanmar), Bhutan, Maldives and now Nepal have a common and unique character that they do not like multiparty polity in their land but they shamelessly commit for democracy many times in a day. To strengthen the dictatorial hands, roles of army is very important as dictators and army complement each other under the disguise of democracy. Nepal’s royal ceremonial army has lost its credibility and accountability as it happens in many autocratic regimes. When the Royal Nepalese Army defied the orders of the civilian government during the early days of the Maoists insurgency after 1996, people raised their eyebrows about their loyalty. The Amnesty International in 2005 reported that Nepal has the highest disappearance of individuals under army custody. Resource inappropriateness, lack of complete fiscal discipline, unaccountability of killings, impunity, and intimidation are the very significant parameters of a total autocratic regime. Human right groups estimated that in the year 2005, more than 1,600 people were killed out of which nearly 60 percent were allegedly killed by the government forces.

The country is deadlocked due to the king’s arrogance and absolute political command. A spurring crisis of confidence among the king, the international community, and the political parties is an unfortunate indicator for the people of Nepal. International communities are finding difficult to entrust royal words and deeds, which are in opposite direction. Political parties have also realized that the king gained by playing a zero sum game. Of late, seven major political parties and the Maoists reached into a twelve-point understanding to end the autocratic monarchy. This political development, which seems unholy to royalists and diplomats, is leading to a political confrontation between the king and parties. People are now concluding that the means of democracy and peace would begin by the election of a constitutional assembly.

Nepali communities are undergoing the great economic hardship, and psychological stress, and strain. People living in rural areas are being severely affected. The king simply has overlooked these rural masses (85 percent of total population of 25 million) as if they don’t play any role in his power equation. Many donors who are working in many remote regions had already left the area due to constant threat of the Maoists. A politically independent country, Nepal is economically heavily dependent on many friendly countries and donor agencies. Though Nepal followed a modernization path five decades ago, nearly two thirds of annual budget of about one billion dollars of the country has to be supplemented by international aid– donations and loans, and country in engulfed into a persistent poverty in spite of the huge national and international funds funneled in. Average per capita income of the Nepalis is less than $250, while annual remuneration of the monarchy is more than one million dollar – making Nepali royalty perhaps one of the highest paid head of the state and governments in the world. Further, the latest sample survey of household indicates a very disturbing picture between “haves” and “haves not”. The bottom 40 percent of population accounts only 9 percent of total consumption where as top 20 percent gobble up nearly 53 percent. The country is primarily surviving by the remittance of about one billion dollar each year.

King Gyanendra seems determined to retain his traditional exclusive authority, while people are in favor of a new constitution that guarantees rights, resources, and responsibility, accountability at different levels, and empowers people at local level rather than a simple politico-administrative makeover at the central level. Nepal will further suffer by the ad-hoc royal rule as the king is trying to find right answer by solving wrong problems. Its time Nepal learnt from the history of deported kings of Italy, Greece and many European countries where people simply voted against the monarchy as unwanted.

(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])