Thapa as Nepal PM wont be restoration of democracy
If everything goes as planned, Nepal will see yet another royal nominated Prime Minister in the name of Surya Bahadur Thapa (pic by Wagle) within this week. For the last four days, rumors have been spreading like wildfire in Kathmandu about Thapa’s return to the top post for the record sixth time. The rumor started when, four days ago, Indian ambassador Shiva Shankar Mukharjee met this Chairman of Jana Shakti Party, a breakaway faction of Rastriya Prajantra Party announced after the royal takeover, while the stiff emergency was imposed in the country. It has been learned that Thapa has received the audience from king Gyanendra for at least three times in the past several days. It has been rumored that both vice chairperson of the council of ministers will be ousted. Thapa will be nominated as the PM and he will ‘form’ the council of ministers.
And suddenly Thapa threw a card yesterday in a program organized in Kathmandu. He predicted some kind of significant change to solve the current crisis of the country. Thapa, this clever Thapa, this veteran Thapa of Muga, Dhankuta does not blabs without any reasons and intentions. So, everyone in Kathmandu is thinking that the rumor might very well be true. Even today too Thapa repeated the theme and spoke of necessity of unity among political forces to join for solving political problems. He spoke as if he was the Prime Minister of Nepal. So, today again, people thought rumors might be true.
No doubt, Thapa is considered a trusted man by the Indian side. Also, no doubt, India is leading the international coalition of pressure group with the active support of US and Britain. And also, no doubt, king is under pressure from this group to return to ‘democratic’ process as the hundred days long honeymoon period of royal government ended this week. King asked for hundred to US ambassador and India is eagerly watching some kind change in Nepal so that it could quickly resume arms, not just vehicles, supply to the conflict-hit Himalayan kingdom.
So, what does the possible nomination of Thapa as the PM mean to the democratic movement in Nepal? Are we returning to the democratic process? NO. A big NO. Democracy in Nepal does not mean king fire the VCs, create a post of Prime Minister and nominate Surya Bahadur Thapa in that post. I have enough reasons.
Yes, Thapa is a liberal and political compared to that of Tulsi Giri, the first vice chairperson. Thapa has become the PM in the democratic era as well. As I already mentioned, he is the trusted person of India. Plus, Surya Bahadur Thapa is not just a man. He is a CARD. Card of the Kings. All three kings Mahendra, Birendra and Gyanendra, have used this CARD as per their requirement. This time too, king is poised to use this card and to kill two birds with one stone.
How? This 77 year old, who received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Allahabad University and an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from Kurukshetra University, is a political person and trusted to India, there by international community. He is a party guy (remember a name called Jana Shakti?), party is a democracy thing. So, making Thapa, a party man, the PM means returning to democratic process. How easy? In fact, there will be many birds to be killed by the stone called SB Thapa.
Now, here is the reality. Possible nomination of Thapa means nothing more than continuity of the royal takeover and suspension of democracy with different cover. The cover will be changed but the body will be same: Undemocratic and under the direct control of the king. Thapa and his party are not in the seven party alliance, United Front, formed by major political parties for the effective operation of Jana Andolan from May 21. And parties demand, mainly the restoration of House of Representatives will not be addressed in any way by Thapa’s nomination.
King will still be above the constitution and he will still be able to throw Thapa out as per his wish and nominate another Bahadur. (Lokendra Bahadur Chanda is his favorite choice after Thapa. You can also never rule out Sher Bahadur because they say politics make strange bedfellows. Remember, Surya Bahadur Thapa is the same man who famously spoke against the ‘Bhumigat Giroha’ and publicly blasted the ‘Lachar Chhaya of Bhumigat Giroha’ even in Panchayat days. Lets not talk about who the Lachar Chhaya is.)
Last time Thapa resigned from the post of PM was on May 7, 2004 (in about a year of assuming the post) when movement of same parties forced the king, according to Wikipedia, “to appoint a new government and begin relinquishing the control which he had imposed on the government by deposing Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. After a period for nominations for a successor, Thapa left office on June 2, 2004, and was succeeded by Deuba.”
It will be a real set back for Nepali democratic movement if the international community thinks that nomination of Thapa will herald the beginning of democratic movement in Nepal. This will be their worst short sightedness regarding Nepal policy.
Yes, I know, foreigners wont bring democracy in Nepal. It is we, the Nepali people, who have to struggle for our own rights. So, I think parties will continue their movement regardless of who becomes the PM because they are not demanding change in top post. They are demanding something more important than that. Restoration of parliament and there by democracy. And intellectuals are saying that restoration of parliament (house) is very much possible and necessary.
You cannot suppress voice of people for the long run. Instead of nominating Thapa as PM, king should restore the parliament. That will be a great leap forward for solving burning problems in Nepal.
12 Comments »
Nomiating Thapa as PM is better than restoration of parliament to into the democratic process. If parliament is reinstalled, the corrupt MPs and political leaders will get ample opportunity to raise their heads up. If we allow these corrupt people to wake up, they will certainly ruin the nation much more than before in the name of democracy. So, the king should think on it seriously.
Comment by sita — 5/16/2005 @ 2:16 am
yes, KG, darbarias and panchas have every right to loot the country. Keep on nominating and nominating….. at your whims.
Comment by janak — 5/16/2005 @ 2:31 am
We have already seen Thapa regime many times. Why not try Pashupati Sumsher one this time? He too has India connection, and much better educated in UK than Thapa. But, where will Tulsi Giri shelter after his ouster?
Comment by Chankhe — 5/16/2005 @ 3:00 am
I agree with you Sita and Chankhe you are also right why not try Pashupati shamsher once ,, he is also qulified person but the thing is who can hold talk with Maoiest,,,,we need that man as PM… but still it is hundred times better to make Thapa as PM then these leaders of Congress and UML or any other party…. lets see what tomarrrow will bring for us….
Comment by Sujit Sigdel — 5/16/2005 @ 4:43 pm
DOES COMMON MAN IN NEPAL REALLY HAS TIME FOR THIS KIND OF HORSE-SHIT? Only few of these so-called intellectuals and drafters of Constitution, sitting inside Kathmandu Valley, speaking at press-confrences in some star-hotels, sipping bottled water, shout hoarse and loud for so-called restoration and democracy. I have not seen common man marching out demanding for democracy or so. How come these high-sounding intellectuals have no-backers from the population?
Wake up to the reality….people need food to eat, and employment to feed their families. Democarcy has not given them any of these things. It has not given them even freedom from fear of insurgency and death. Democracy should be for the people, not for some political class like Congress or CPN-UML or so-called intellectuals. These people should go to Rolpa, Rukum and Siraha to hoist flag of democracy, not in Kathmandu.
Comment by Moonflower — 5/16/2005 @ 5:12 pm
SB Thapa is obsolete. He was/is never honest. He is not democratic. If king is really serious and would like to safe Monarchy. He should hold a round table conference of all the democratic forces including RPP and ask to form the government. Whatever they may be or said, political parties are the one who represent Nepalese people never the king. If Gyanendra and his cronies think that he is popular among the people and People and he love each other why cannot he renounce crown and lead a active political life.
Comment by Ghanendra — 5/16/2005 @ 6:01 pm
G is following is his father’s old tricks. he will pick one every six months and dump. thats only he would do untill people come to street and dump him once and for all. PS or SBT, or GPK or MKN: it doesn’t matter anything unless otherwise the main issue is solved. the issue is not who becomes next PM.
Comment by boby — 5/16/2005 @ 9:13 pm
wagle,
your title is ridiculous. you’re comparing appointment of thapa-paji to post of PM with the issue of house revival. you’re comparing guchcha with globe just because they are spherical? look at the diamenter first!!!
Comment by sanu — 5/16/2005 @ 9:17 pm
Whats this with reviving dead politicians- it’s time for a new generation to take over. But then again, young generation demands full democracy which would be really really bad for KG eh!
Comment by sameer — 5/17/2005 @ 9:55 am
Primeminister should be elected directly by the people of Nepal. This will be the true democracy. We can’t have any more Primeminister who leads the Party. Let us have an election not the revival of the dead parliament.
Comment by Shree Shrestha — 5/17/2005 @ 5:12 pm
Any thing is possible but I am surprised to read about possibilty of Surya Bahadur Thapa becoming Prime Minister very soon. And, indeed, I will be very surprised if it were the case.
Comment by Deepak Bista — 5/17/2005 @ 6:36 pm
Wagle go and be a congress political activist, you are no longer eligable to be an journalist. Be a true “Patraakaar” don’t sing a song of Grija and dirty Prajatantraaa, We had never been in Democracy, you better first study what is democracy and then only write about it. In congress girija don’t want to go out of his post he wants to be supremo always, he want’s his family members only to be in the high level of party, in UML madhav nepal want’s his man only to the top post, same thing in Deuba lead party, those who can pay the party office bill will not be asked about the corruption, how to expect democracy from them, shame on you wagle writing about them positvely,
Comment by Raj — 5/19/2005 @ 5:31 pm
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