Editorial (Spotlight Weekly)

The brutal killings of Inspector General of Armed Police Krishna Mohan Shrestha, his wife and bodyguard have made it imperative for all patriotic Nepalese to sit up and take notice of the utter urgency of bringing the insurgency to a total end as early as possible. Shrestha was not only the chief of the Armed Police but a man par excellence. In his death not only the country has lost an honest and capable officer but many have lost a valued friend and benefactor. That he should have been gunned down in the heart of the capital has clearly exposed the inefficiency of the security forces and the severe lacunae the intelligence system of the government is suffering from. Although it is being regarded as the heinous job of the Maoists, a high source in the security force confided to this scribe on condition of anonymity that any foreign hand could not be totally ruled out at the moment. Since the whole campaign of the Maoists have been carried out from the sanctuary of foreign land and the Maoist leaders have been enjoying safe haven there, a thorough investigation is sure to bring out the complete facts. And as one of the perpetrators of the crime is already in the police custody, we must be pretty sure of arriving at the truth soon. But, it is indeed a great pity that the Maoists have still not been able to realize the sinister significance of playing into the hands of the enemies of the state. It is time we took up this issue firmly with our friend in the South. A traditionally good friend who claims to be not only wholly solicitous but has been even contributing materially for our over all development should not have hesitated to cooperate with us to bring this vexing issue to a speedy end. But their persisting refusal of any knowledge of the use the Maoist leaders are making of their territory has lent a certain skepticism on their vociferous protestations of cooperation and friendship. It is, indeed, true that the porous open border poses a big problem. But their lack of sincerity and obduracy not to come to our rescue is only aggravating our difficulty. Consequently, it has been immensely urgent for us to start assessing the pros and cons of closing the open border. We cannot keep on following a wobbly policy when our very existence is being threatened. However, we certainly must not lessen our endeavors of impressing upon our friend and neighbor in the south the prime necessity of quitting their indifferent attitude and seriously joining hands to bring the insurgency in Nepal to a quick end.

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The spate of anti-monarchy statements by the self-oriented politicians and columnists has left no doubt, whatsoever, in the mind of average Nepali as to where in lies their real loyalty and what is inspiring them to resort to such heinous behavior. There has been not even an iota of doubt all over the world that these very politicians and their cronies have been wholly responsible in bringing the poor country to this disastrous situation by their bad governance and blatant corruption. These are the politicians that left no option to the King to take the steps he did when the nation and the democratic process had to be saved. It has been just less than four months the caretaker government appointed by the King under clause 127 of the constitution has been functioning. Despite the unambiguous commitment of the King to democracy and constitutional monarchy the sinister attempts these unscrupulous men are making to poison the minds of the people against the monarchy is indeed despicable. Why such people who have looted the country have not been booked and punished for their crimes is becoming a mystery. At a time when the country is fighting a bloody insurgency, the only priority before the nation is to end this senseless killings and restore peace and normalcy as soon as possible. This is not a time to nurse one's selfish interests. All Nepalese have to work unitedly to bring law and order in regular play. And this needs a strong and dedicated government. A government afraid to use its authority with power and muscle in the interest of the people cannot work satisfactorily. And the other priority before the government is to hold the general elections without undue delay. And that the elections must be free and fair, as never before, is the non-negotiable need of the hour. And this can be possible only when the government is totally free of all the defamed corrupt politicians who must be send to the place they lawfully belong to. As such, the only course open to the country, at the moment, is to get all possible help from real and sincere friends of the country, bring the insurgency to a quick end, the Maoists to the mainstream of national politics and generate an atmosphere so that a free and fair general elections can take place at the earliest possible time. The overwhelming response of the people in the recent civic reception at Biratnagar has early demonstrated how the people respect and love their monarchs. Consequently, the King must have no qualms and exercise his authority with a strong hand in the best interests of the country and the people. The overwhelming people of Nepal are sick of the depraved politicians and are longing for a clean and performing administration which only an elected government of dedicated, patriotic and honest politicians can give. And this only King Gyanendra can guarantee.