Beggars have little choice!

Much is being said of the foreign intervention or for that matter meddling in the internal affairs of this Himalayan Kingdom by some envoys posted in Kathmandu. It is being alleged that the foreign diplomats have simply been poking their nose into Nepal’s affairs, which the leaders apparently can solve them on their own. It is also suggested that the diplomats don’t exceed their diplomatic limits henceforth or else their continued meddling in the Nepali affair might further damage the prospects of bringing back to the rails the already derailed system and the constitution.

This much is clear that some countries have begun taking interest in our affairs. What is also obvious is that they have started their subtle diplomatic moves when they considered that it was time that they should act and that too collectively.

Question now arises on how to interpret their gestures: is it positive one and that will it yield positive results if allowed to continue or is it that their involvement in our affairs simply were aimed at degenerating the already deteriorated situation further making the chances for the restoration of peace remote if not impossible.

Clearly, the interpretation could be made on so many ways than one. Different brains will definitely have different and completely diametrically opposed views. If the spectacle or the looking glass is itself a faulty one then understandably the views would be matching to the glass itself. It is altogether a different matter that the one having a faulty glass could interpret that his glass were not that as considered by his opponents and might push his views strongly.

To this newspaper, the sudden and subtle activities initiated by the diplomats of the countries, albeit democratic ones that very dangerously excludes the members of the Nordic countries plus Japan, is a timely move. We would wish to put it on record that the moves thus initiated by the democratic West was long overdue for so many explained and unexplained reasons. We don’t see in their activities any sort of dangerous ploys to weaken this Himalayan Kingdom. Instead, we see in their political maneuvers a sort of desire, a sort of penchant and the likes so that the beleaguered country takes a sigh of relief from the opposing and arrogant posture that the three diametrically opposing forces have acquired of late against each other. In effect, it is these three forces or say power centers which have brought the country to this state. Here again it would be a matter of debate as to which of the three should be blamed to what extent for the present chaos. The fact is that all the three forces must share the responsibility for having spoiled the country. The King, the parliamentary parties of the bygone days and the Maoist rebels must take the present efforts of a selected few Ambassadors posted in Kathmandu as positive gesture. Their moves appear more to have been guided by a pious motive than what is being given to understand.

For example, The United States, the United Kingdom, China and Pakistan have nothing to exploit from us. These countries have ever supported Nepal and that too unconditionally. However, there are some who wish the absence of the above mentioned countries for their own unjustifiable explanations. The US, the UK and the rest of the countries involved in the act of the supposed mediation efforts will in no way support the King forever. This they will do in the case of the parliamentary parties as well. Add to this that the Western democracies have repeatedly told the Nepali people that they wished the rebels coming to the main political stream. We are happy that China and Pakistan, better late than never, began taking interest in this country. Their presence would definitely come as a deterrent for so many explainable and unexplainable reasons. A word to the wise should be enough, we suppose.

Fear is being expressed that the powerful countries have all converged to support the King and that they will continue to extend their tacit support to the monarch at the cost of the rest of the political forces of the country. This imagination is simply a big joke. The fact is that the Ambassadors wish that the King limits his role as stipulated in the 1990 constitution. They wish that the country proceeded once again in the path of parliamentary system as usual. They wish the rebels to abandon violence and be a part of the system now in force. When this is the reality, then why is the hullabaloo?

What has been deliberately not made public by the leaders of the political parties opposing the Ambassadorial activities is that it is not the foreign dignitaries who have been visiting the Nepali leaders. The fact is that most of the leaders have themselves been inviting the foreign envoys to ventilate their feelings and in the process appear to have been convincing the diplomats that they push their personal wishes to the perusal of the monarch so that the Sing Durbar is theirs time permitting.

All said and done, Nepal as a nation-state is more or less like a beggar. It is widely believed that the beggars have little choice other than to accept what ever is poured into their begging bowls. The leaders now opposing the diplomatic gestures must clearly understand that it is they who have made this nation a beggar state among the comity of the nations. If one fine morning, albeit unfortunately, the country is declared a failed state then it is these political creatures who would be the ones to face the wrath of an already agitated and frustrated people.

There is nothing to panic. If peace is restored, if the rebels come to the mainstream and if the political parties join hands with the King and proceed to accomplish the tasks of development, we see no harm in inviting the “democratic West” to act as mediators. However, the Ambassadors too must not exceed their stipulated limits which perhaps they understand better than those who have been crying foul against them.

Happy Bijaya Dashami to you, dear valued readers.

Headline | National | Letter  | 2nd Impression | International | Past