Nepal: Change for the better

His Majesty the King has constituted a cabinet under His own chairmanship to resolve the Maoist problem, bring peace, root out corruption, provide clean administration, strengthen democracy, and promote development. This is in line with the aspirations of the Nepalese people and consistent with the urge the international community has long been making on Nepal.

Democracy calls for discipline and order; sacrifice and sincerity; and responsibility and accountability. Our experience has been otherwise. Elected governments, rather than taking the high road, went down the path of misrule, corruption, and selfishness over the last 14 years. The situation got so bad that His Majesty the King, in keeping with the long tradition of the Shah dynasty, had to stand for the people and the country and act to set things right.

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Political leaders, some more than others, are solely responsible for the descent of the country into the present predicament. For instance, the dismissed prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, rather than managing the growing dissent within his party and resolving the Maoist problem, recommended the dissolution of the House of Representatives and fresh elections in 2001, and under the Constitution, His Majesty had to comply. As it turned out later, it was Deuba's ploy to stick to his chair longer because he knew that free and fair elections could not be held without resolving the insurgency problem.

The Maoists want to impose a totalitarian system on Nepal. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) waited to mount its violent armed conflict until the country's situation turned worse. Successive party governments created such a situation by putting person above party and party above people; they left people's sufferings unaddressed; and distribution of development resources was not equitable. This engendered popular disaffection among people with the government and the Maoists declared people's war in 1996 in six far-western districts.

The rebels unfolded terrorism by first extorting money and killing people who did not agree with them, and by disrupting local administration and attacking police posts. Then they began to attack communications facilities, other infrastructures as well as army barracks and arms and ammunition. They started their violence in rural areas and moved gradually to towns and cities.

The parties should have come together and forged a national consensus to deal with the Maoist conflict, but they did not. Instead, they tried to use the chaos to their own parochial advantage. The ruling party used the terrorism as a trump card to hang onto power, and opposition parties used it to pull down the government.

As the country got closer to the elections, the rebels stepped up violence and destruction. Prime Minister Deuba found a pretext to postpone the parliamentary elections by more than a year. At that point, the King dismissed Deuba on grounds of his inability to hold the elections on time and asked political parties to name a consensus candidate who could form an all-party government, hold talks with the Maoists, and conduct the elections within a year.

Despite the King's sincere efforts, the parties failed to come up with a consensus candidate. As the country could not function without government, the King, under compelling circumstances, appointed a new prime minister. Political leaders, rather than helping the government to address national problems and save the nation from failing, called a series of strikes and disrupted people's life on a regular basis, aggravating the national woes. The King within a year gave the parties the opportunity to nominate their candidate once again, in which parties failed, and the King had to appoint a prime minister.

For the third time, His Majesty asked for a candidate for prime minister and the protesting parties failed to agree on any. The King then appointed Mr. Deuba as Prime Minister and three other parties joined the government. Failing to deliver good government and bring the Maoists to the table, Mr. Deuba wanted to take the country into an uncertain election amidst opposition from parties and heightened violence by the Maoists. It was a blatant case of extreme political selfishness, in which the party leading the government was trying to promote its own narrow interest at the cost of the people and country.

Meanwhile, deeply frustrated with the incompetence of the successive party governments, the Nepalese people from all over the country were long petitioning to the King to free the country from the clutches of violence, bloodshed and anarchy. Throughout history, the Shah dynasty has salvaged the country in times of national crises and the Nepalese people expected, out of their deep faith in the monarchy, for the King to pull out the country from the present mire of crisis and set it on the right course.

Evidently, His Majesty the King was faced with an unpalatable choice: either let the country slide down the shaft of devastation and bloodshed or administer a bitter medicine to stamp out terrorism and create conditions to hold elections. Democracy cannot flourish in a situation of anarchy and terror. The King could not remain a silent spectator when the people suffered; He had to take the drastic step to protect people and safeguard democracy.

His Majesty the King only wishes to create conditions where true democracy can take root and flourish and people can enjoy their human rights and fundamental freedom. No one should doubt the solemn commitment of His Majesty to democratic values and institutions and His pledge to hand over power to people within three years, as He has promised.

The new government needs that time to resolve the Maoist problem, to stabilize the country, prepare for the elections and properly restore multiparty democracy. It is committed to honour and uphold the principles of human rights. The Royal Nepalese Army is dedicated to bring peace in the country and respect human rights in its operations. Those restrictions that are still in place will be temporary in nature and are meant to curb the untoward situation in an anticipation that could be waged by the insurgents. Elections could not be held when people feared for their lives; and polls held in the midst of insecurity will not offer an exit to the country from the woes of chaos and disturbances.

Evidence already indicates that the King means what he said. So soon after the political change, the government has released most political leaders and human rights activists and political parties have resumed their activities. One can walk and carry on one's work freely and confidently, without the fear of being killed by the Maoists or disrupted by political agitations. The media is back in its business of freely providing information to people, and communications facilities have been fully restored. Some politicians remain under house arrest only for their own safety and security.

His Majesty the King has been motivated to act not because he wants more power but because he feels obligation to the people to give them peace and security and to work for their progress and prosperity. To Him, democracy is a way of life and democratic values and institutions a vehicle for the overall development and well being of the people and the nation. The recent change is for the good of Nepal, Nepalese people, and democratic values and institutions. There is no ground whatsoever to doubt the King's intention and commitment.

The author is the Royal Nepal Ambassador to Bangladesh.