02-25-2005, 08:33 AM
All-out offensive against Maoists?
Gyanendra's royal gambit
By Arabinda Ghose
Putting an end to the virtual farce that was being enacted in the name of
democracy in his kindgom, His Majesty King Gyanendra dismissed the government
headed by Shri Sher Bahadur Deuba on February 1, and declared an Emergency in
his kingdom, placed most political leaders under house arrest and declared, in a
message over Nepal television, that there would be no elections in the country
for three years.
In the message, he stressed that the action taken by him was aimed at
strengthening both multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy in the
time-honoured tradition of the monarch and his subjects working together for
strengthening Nepal and ensuring the welfare of its people.
Somewhat surprisingly, there was no mention of the Maoist factor in the royal
message, but political observers feel that the King's step to establish a de
facto monarchy is aimed at launching an all-out military offensive against the
Maoists.
There is no possibility of any dialogue with the Maoists because talks have
failed in the past and the Maoists are firmly in favour of establishing a
republic in Nepal, which in other words, means abolition of monarchy.
His statement about failure of the Deuba government to make preparations for the
General Elections is, however, not a very convincing argument in favour of
declaring an Emergency and dismissing the Prime Minister. In no case can General
Elections be held in the forseeable future because of Maoist depredations all
over the country, attacks on police and the army, kidnapping of schoolchildren
and even traders in recent days, and writing off of the present political system
in Nepal as the âold regimeâ.
King Gyanendra has declared he would set up a government under his leadership.
How soon, he has not said. He, however, has announced his intention to attend
the SAARC summit in Dhaka on February 6 and 7.
Deja vu over Royal Takeover
It appears that the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, or
rather the political leadership of this country, will stick to its guns in
respect of the rhetorics employed to describe the events in Nepal on February 1,
2005.
The External Affairs Ministry spokesman told mediapersons on the afternoon of
February 1 that the steps taken by King Gyanendra were a ââsetback to the
democratic processââ in Nepal.
This reporter cannot but recall that on December 15, 1960, when his father, the
late King Mahendra, had dismissed the Nepali Congress government led by B.P.
Koirala, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said, at a place some distance away
from New Delhi (probably Ambala) that this was a âsetback to democracy in
Nepalâ.
This reporter, who was then functioning as the Bureau Chief of the Kathmandu
office of the Hindusthan Samachar, had observed thereafter that Nehru's remark
had resulted in Nepal undertaking an increasingly anti-Indian stance thereafter.
Incidentally, while doing away with parliamentary democracy in Nepal, King
Mahendra had described the system as an implant from the West and had introduced
the non-party Panchayat system, which however had turned into actually making
the system an absolute monarchy.
The Nepali Congress and the other parties, besides the people, who are craving
for a parliamentary system, had ultimately got King Birendra to scrap the
Panchayat system on April 8, 1990, resulting in re-establishment of the
multi-party system after 29 long years of the Panchayat system.
Most governments and people across the world had described the King's action as
a setback to democracy. However, the fact is that democracy had already received
a setback on October 4, 2002 when the same Sher Bahadur Deuba ministry was
dismissed by the King on grounds of âincompetenceâ on the part of the Prime
Minsiter to make preparations for holding General Elections by November 13, that
year.
After that event, the country continued to be ruled under the King's direct
supervision, as it were, and as many as three governments were appointed by him
and dismissed or the Prime Ministers resigned on their own. The first to be
appointed was Shri Lokendra Bahadur Chand who stayed on the post from October
2002 to May 2003. Then ruled the senior Surya Bahadur Thapa from June 2003 to
May 2004, and subsequently, Sher Bahadur Deuba from June 2004 to January 2005.
According to Constitution
It may be a travesty, but the action of King Gyanendra on February 1, 2005
cannot strictly be called âun-constitutionalâ.
First, the King is empowered to take action under Article 127 of the
Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1990 (the official name of the present
Constitution) to remove âobstaclesâ in the path of implementing the provisions
of the Constitution.
More importantly, Article 27(3) of the Constitution empowers the monarch to
âabide by and conserve the provisions of the Constitution for the greatest
benefit and development of the people of Nepalâ.
These two provisions in the Constitution will always be quoted by him for
justifying the action taken on February 1 and those which are to follow in the
coming days.
King Gyanendra, in his address to the nation, has also referred to his âbounden
duty to preserve multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchyâ. These are
the basic features of the Constitution which, according to Article 115, cannot
be amended.
Gyanendra's royal gambit
By Arabinda Ghose
Putting an end to the virtual farce that was being enacted in the name of
democracy in his kindgom, His Majesty King Gyanendra dismissed the government
headed by Shri Sher Bahadur Deuba on February 1, and declared an Emergency in
his kingdom, placed most political leaders under house arrest and declared, in a
message over Nepal television, that there would be no elections in the country
for three years.
In the message, he stressed that the action taken by him was aimed at
strengthening both multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy in the
time-honoured tradition of the monarch and his subjects working together for
strengthening Nepal and ensuring the welfare of its people.
Somewhat surprisingly, there was no mention of the Maoist factor in the royal
message, but political observers feel that the King's step to establish a de
facto monarchy is aimed at launching an all-out military offensive against the
Maoists.
There is no possibility of any dialogue with the Maoists because talks have
failed in the past and the Maoists are firmly in favour of establishing a
republic in Nepal, which in other words, means abolition of monarchy.
His statement about failure of the Deuba government to make preparations for the
General Elections is, however, not a very convincing argument in favour of
declaring an Emergency and dismissing the Prime Minister. In no case can General
Elections be held in the forseeable future because of Maoist depredations all
over the country, attacks on police and the army, kidnapping of schoolchildren
and even traders in recent days, and writing off of the present political system
in Nepal as the âold regimeâ.
King Gyanendra has declared he would set up a government under his leadership.
How soon, he has not said. He, however, has announced his intention to attend
the SAARC summit in Dhaka on February 6 and 7.
Deja vu over Royal Takeover
It appears that the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India, or
rather the political leadership of this country, will stick to its guns in
respect of the rhetorics employed to describe the events in Nepal on February 1,
2005.
The External Affairs Ministry spokesman told mediapersons on the afternoon of
February 1 that the steps taken by King Gyanendra were a ââsetback to the
democratic processââ in Nepal.
This reporter cannot but recall that on December 15, 1960, when his father, the
late King Mahendra, had dismissed the Nepali Congress government led by B.P.
Koirala, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had said, at a place some distance away
from New Delhi (probably Ambala) that this was a âsetback to democracy in
Nepalâ.
This reporter, who was then functioning as the Bureau Chief of the Kathmandu
office of the Hindusthan Samachar, had observed thereafter that Nehru's remark
had resulted in Nepal undertaking an increasingly anti-Indian stance thereafter.
Incidentally, while doing away with parliamentary democracy in Nepal, King
Mahendra had described the system as an implant from the West and had introduced
the non-party Panchayat system, which however had turned into actually making
the system an absolute monarchy.
The Nepali Congress and the other parties, besides the people, who are craving
for a parliamentary system, had ultimately got King Birendra to scrap the
Panchayat system on April 8, 1990, resulting in re-establishment of the
multi-party system after 29 long years of the Panchayat system.
Most governments and people across the world had described the King's action as
a setback to democracy. However, the fact is that democracy had already received
a setback on October 4, 2002 when the same Sher Bahadur Deuba ministry was
dismissed by the King on grounds of âincompetenceâ on the part of the Prime
Minsiter to make preparations for holding General Elections by November 13, that
year.
After that event, the country continued to be ruled under the King's direct
supervision, as it were, and as many as three governments were appointed by him
and dismissed or the Prime Ministers resigned on their own. The first to be
appointed was Shri Lokendra Bahadur Chand who stayed on the post from October
2002 to May 2003. Then ruled the senior Surya Bahadur Thapa from June 2003 to
May 2004, and subsequently, Sher Bahadur Deuba from June 2004 to January 2005.
According to Constitution
It may be a travesty, but the action of King Gyanendra on February 1, 2005
cannot strictly be called âun-constitutionalâ.
First, the King is empowered to take action under Article 127 of the
Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1990 (the official name of the present
Constitution) to remove âobstaclesâ in the path of implementing the provisions
of the Constitution.
More importantly, Article 27(3) of the Constitution empowers the monarch to
âabide by and conserve the provisions of the Constitution for the greatest
benefit and development of the people of Nepalâ.
These two provisions in the Constitution will always be quoted by him for
justifying the action taken on February 1 and those which are to follow in the
coming days.
King Gyanendra, in his address to the nation, has also referred to his âbounden
duty to preserve multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchyâ. These are
the basic features of the Constitution which, according to Article 115, cannot
be amended.