Editorial (Spotlight Weekly)

The disastrous steps of deaths and destructions adopted by the Maoists have made every patriotic Nepali sit up and ponder. What, at this juncture, is the top priority for the country? Is it reinstatement of the House of Representatives, appointment of an all party government, proclamation for a constituent assembly or suppression of the insurgency and bring back peace and normalcy to the nation. Since we do not have any personal axe to grind, we think and believe every sane Nepali would vote for peace and normalcy. But the million dollar question is how? The answer at this juncture, of course, rests with the King. King Gyanendra who had left for medical check up before the ceasefire was broken must have been greatly concerned by the developments in his country during his absence. Since he is back now, the whole country is waiting with bated breath for him to act to stop this senseless killings and vandalism. And he is, indeed, facing a very grim situation that demands precipitate action. In the absence of working parliament and a representative government, the onus of taking decisions that are sure to affect the future of the country has fallen on his shoulders. If the unscrupulous politicians are clamoring for the restoration of the Deuba government or the House of Representatives or the formation of five party government, it is needless to emphasize that they are only hankering for authority to satisfy their lust for power and pelf. These politicians have lost the support and confidence of the common people who do not want to see them back holding the reins of the government. Giving in to their pressure would not only expose the timidity of the Palace but also demonstrate as betrayal of the people, which is definite to erode the image of the monarchy. The mayhem generated by the Maoists before King Gyanendra returned to the Kingdom is another pressure built by them to influence his decision. King Gyanendra is indeed, at a crossroad. Any wrong decision might jeopardize the institution itself. These corrupt politicians have no stake whatsoever in the future of the country. It is the King and the people whose existence is at stake. Consequently, they have to come together at this critical hour. The agitation, even though peaceful, by the five political parties is nothing more than attempts cornering the King to come to their terms. King Gyanendra is known as having a strong and resolute mind. The situation in the country expects him not to be swayed by any pressure and influence but to come to the rescue of the people and the country. And this necessitates that he immediately started meeting honest and patriotic people who would proffer him their unloaded and unbiased advice. Talking to a local journalist a few weeks back he had told him that the doors of the Palace are open for all Nepalis and he would welcome all shades of opinion. At this juncture when the nation is faced with serious threats of insecurity, chaos and lawlessness, instead of meeting the corrupt politicians King Gyanendra should meet non-politicals. He also must not delay in giving a clear message to the Maoists that unless they stop their acts of deaths and destructions, there can be no truck whatsoever with them. Since their message has been quite clear now, they must not continue their acts of senseless killings, which, if not stopped, might result in greater loss of innocent peoples, which could not be in anybody’s interests. We are quite aware that a large section of the people want King Gyanendra to assume a tough posture. Since that could prove to be counter productive in the long run, it may not be advisable at all. It is during such times that we need the goodwill and cooperation of good friends. There is no dearth of good and sincere friends for Nepal. We have, time and again, exhorted our neighbor India to give up their dual policy and prove their bona fide of being a good friend. The overwhelming majority of Nepali intelligentsia strongly believe that India could play a very significant role, if she likes, in resolving this vexing problem. It is high time for the Indians to clear the air of mistrusts and misgivings that has been fouling the friendly atmosphere for quite some time. They also must not overlook the fact that their equivocation during such stressful days will not help them win Nepal’s confidence and goodwill. Besides, Nepal will be forced to seek the help and cooperation from quarters which might not be very palatable to them. It is, indeed, very gratifying to see that Nepal’s traditional friends like China, the U.K. and the U.S.A seem very concerned at the existing situation and would not hesitate to help Nepal overcome her distressing problem. Nepal can also ask her good friends like Israel and Pakistan to come to her rescue. And Nepali army is quite capable of tackling the problem by themselves. Of course, they might need modern techniques and equipment for better performance. As such, we would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the Maoist leaders not to pursue their destructive ways anymore. They must lay down their arms to have a dialogue with the King so that they can pave the way for coming to the mainstream of Nepali politics. Any continuation of violence will only take Nepal to the brink of economic precipice and might even endanger her political stability, which no patriotic Nepali should want to happen.

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The keen interest the United States government has manifested to support anti-corruption efforts by providing a grant of U.S.$ 250,000 to HMG of Nepal is a very welcome news. It may be needless to emphasize that as long the corrupt politicians are not taken to task for their criminal activities are permitted to assume power and authority, it is not possible to check corruption in the country. Since political corruption is one of the main factors of giving birth to Maoist insurgency, it has to be dealt ruthlessly if Nepal wants to have a cleaner and more effective government. If the United States is so solicitous to mitigate corruption in Nepal, it must take a few steps forward to make sincere endeavors not to recognize, support or patronize corrupt politicians and corrupt political parties. The country cannot move ahead if political corruption is not eradicated. As such, the poor and deprived people of Nepal will not take it as any interference in the internal affairs of Nepal but will feel highly grateful for helping in ridding the country of such undesirable politicians.