The atmosphere of uncertainty that is
shrouding the country is making life for an ordinary Nepali man or woman more miserable
every passing day. The ambience of a lasting peace generated by the ceasefire seems
receding like a shadow. What is keeping the feuding parties from coming together for peace
talks is getting more mysterious. The Thapa government appointed more than six weeks back
had only one mandate - to bring the Maoists to the negotiating table as soon as possible.
Prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, who had been selected to do the job against stiff odds
is finding it difficult to rise to the occasion despite his reputation as an astute
manipulator. Neither has he been able to expand his smaller cabinet to accommodate all
shades of opinions. All these have started generating certain misgivings in Nepalese minds
whether Thapa still retains his old cunning credibility. Since it is still too early to
come to any kind of judgment we have to bear with Thapa and give him more time to perform
some kind of a miracle. We presume Thapa does realize he has no time to waste on frivolous
issues and girds up his loins to tackle the problem that is slowly eating away the
nation's victuals. If it is Thapa's responsibility to expedite the peace process, the
Maoists too must share the onus equally and stop dilly dallying. They must not permit the
hopes they have raised in the minds of the trouble stricken Nepalese to dissipate and
evaporate in thin air. And they must not fail to realize, too, that uncalled for
stubbornness may only lead to disaster. And, it might not be irrelevant to exhort all good
friends of Nepal to put in their share in the noble task of establishing a lasting peace
in the country in whatever form it might be necessary. And in the absence of an
accountable representative government, it is the Palace that has to shoulder the ultimate
responsibility. Since King Gyanendra is committed to bring peace and abide by the rule of
law, the whole nation is looking up to him. In a little over two months the poor and
hungry people of Nepal will be confronted with their festive season - the Dashain that
always brings a week or two's sunshine in their miserable life. Will they have peaceful
Dashain this year?
Even though the vindictive agitation of the
frustrated political parties has lost all of its sting and has fizzled out into an
exercise of corrupt, greedy and power hungry politicians to grab power, they do seem to
fire the imagination of the poor masses of the country with their fanciful ideas. One of
the latest frivolities of the demented minds is to declare Nepal a secular state. The
nation would have been prepared to take the suggestion had it come from patriotic and well
meaning people. But coming from those whose loyalty to the nation is grave suspect, it
does not even deserve a place in our waste paper basket. Nepal, as a hindu Kingdom, is
more secular than a constitutionally secular India. Even the smallest minorities, the
Jews, the Christians and the Muslims have always enjoyed fullest security and never faced
fundamentalist intolerance in Nepal. And for millenniums - Hinduism and Buddhism - the two
leading religions of the world have existed in Nepal in perfect harmony. Where in the
world can any one cite such a perfect fusion and synthesis of two religions except in
Nepal? Why do we need a secular state? Those who want a more secular state than our
beloved Nepal are free to go and live there. They will be a good riddance for the country.
As a matter of fact, these disturbers of social peace and harmony should have been put
behind the bar for the innumerable crimes they have committed against the nation. If the
government in power cannot pluck the courage to send them to the place they lawfully
belong to the next best place would be the lunatic asylum. These social and political
vermins should not be permitted to roam about freely lest they infect the whole nation. |
