The appointment of Sher
Bahadur Deuba as Prime minister by King Gyanendra three weeks after the resignation of
Surya Bahadur Thapa in the morning of Wednesday has necessitated the change in our Editor’s
Note. It was well known that a powerful section in the Palace was always in favor of
“Jwain Saheb”. But many knowledgeable persons were equally cocksure that King
Gyanendra would not change his opinion about Deuba so soon. Since politics can take
unbelievable twists and turns, nothing must be taken as impossible. As we have already
seen two stints of Sher Bahadur Deuba as Prime minister, we think it totally redundant to
comment on his appointment right now. We will reserve that prerogative for sometime later.
Anyway, our congratulations to Deuba are due on his appointment and we wish him success
because we want that the anarchy and lawlessness that has been gripping the nation for the
last few years must come to an early end. The spate of bandhs, chakka jams and what not
does not seem to abate, only exacerbating the miseries and hardship of the people,
specially the overwhelming poor. If Deuba can bring the Maoists to dialogue and persuade
them to give up their anti-state violence, he would, indeed, render a remarkable service
to the nation. But he will be able to conduct a free and fair elections in the stipulated
time beggars our belief. And it is reported that it was mainly on this plank he was
rewarded the prestigious post by the King. To be very frank, we are quite curious to know
how Deuba could convince King Gyanendra that he has acquired the requisite qualification
in such a short time. Be that as it may, it is very gratifying to see that King Gyanendra’s
unachievable search for a person with clean image has ended. How clean an image Deuba has
is, however, a different context. It was being rumored that King Gyanendra wanted a
regular government installed before the new Indian foreign minister landed in Kathmandu on
Friday 4 June. Else, the Indian statesman might, once again, get the credit of solving the
cabinet making impasse in Nepal, even though the hectic activities of Indian envoy Shyam
Saran have not left the knowledgeable Nepalis in any doubt. We are very happy to know that
Natwar Singh, the Indian foreign minister decided to take his maiden foreign trip to
Nepal. Singh, who is a seasoned diplomat, is not a stranger to the state of Nepal-India
relations. He must also be fully aware of the stance Indian media always take while
reporting on Nepali affairs and policies. We do hope Singh will, in no way, be swayed by
the churlish comments of his country's media and come with an open mind with the sole
purpose of strengthening bilateral relations. Our country is plagued with back breaking
insurgency that has almost ruined our economy and is gradually pushing the country towards
the precipice. India is very solicitous to help us. And we sincerely believe that we do
need India's unstinted cooperation to restore peace and normalcy in our troubled nation.
And this necessitates a change in Indian thinking and attitude. We do trust Singh will
bring fresh air that will sweep away all misgivings from our minds. Although there are
some apprehensions in some patriotic Nepali minds that the perilous uncertain political
situation in Nepal might force her to give in to pressures to concede damaging
concessions, we are fully reassured that King Gyanendra would never let that happen and
use this opportunity to eke out India's sincere cooperation to solve the vexing Maoist
problem. |
