By Dinesh Wagle
Wagle’s Web Log (Inside: Prime Minister’s Vijaya Dashami Message)
Did Parliament forget to ban Gyanendra Shah from issuing statements every now and then? The white elephant that was seriously wounded in April has started moaning again. That too on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami! Gyanendra today issued a statement saying that the need and desire of the nation was to make the peace process and the ongoing efforts to guarantee security to the people successful. Good words, we know he is a “poet/lyricist.” But Gyanendra is not supposed to blabber. He is supposed to keep quiet and celebrate Dashain. If he really wants to communicate to the people and make his desires heard, he should abandon the inherited post of king, open up a political party and go for campaigning. He talks about “national unity and reconciliation.” It really seems strange why he is talking about national unity especially after the grand success of April Revolution. That was the biggest example of national unity in the history of Nepal.
By including the word reconciliation, is Gyanendra seeking help from political parties to continue his status as the chief of monarchy in Nepal? Any sane person in place of Gyanendra would have been ashamed uttering words like “making the peace process successful.” Who killed democracy and declared all out war against the civil society? Who blatantly ignored the cease fires declared by the Maoists? Who jailed people speaking for freedom? Who declared emergency, cut off phone lines and internet, censored media? Now the same person, barely five months after people discarded him, raises his head and starts giving us lecture? That too on why peace process must be successful?
There were very few people queuing up to the royal palace today to receive Tika from the king. Some people might argue that the number shows there are still some who support the king. I don’t disagree considering the cruel fact that the monarchy in Nepal has exploited Nepali people for the last 237 years and there are fistfuls of people who have benefited from that exploitation for generations. And there are quite a few people with slave mentality who still feel happy to serve their master. They always seek an opportunity to please their master. Particularly discouraging was the presence of Rukmangat Katwal, the Chief of the Army Staff, in today’s tika ceremony. But hey, who is Katwal? Who raised him? Who sent him in the Army? Who is Mahendra? So, I was not surprised to see Katwal saluting Gyanendra and his wife in Durbar today. But I have taken positively a press statement issued by the army the day before yesterday that says there was no formal directive issued by the chief of the army staffs to the soldiers and officers of the Nepali Army to go to the king and receive tika.
Prime Minister and President of Nepali Congress, Girija Prasad Koirala has wished happiness, peace and prosperity to all Nepalis on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.
The prime minister has also requested all to celebrate the festival with simplicity and cordiality. Saying that the festival was being celebrated in a much peaceful atmosphere this time as compared to the previous years, PM Koirala added that everybody’s actions should be directed towards fulfilling the people’s aspiration for lasting peace.
In a message issued on the occasion of Bada Dashain, the PM has also appealed to all leaders and cadres of Nepali Congress- Democratic to return to the mother party, the Nepali Congress. Calling on everybody for party unity, the Nepali Congress strongman said all leaders and cadres of NC-D are welcome in the NC. (source)
And I am proud of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. He celebrated Dashain in his home in Briatnagar with his family and cadres and discarded the king at in taking tika. By the same standard, it would be really welcome move if Koirala stops advocating for the continuity of monarchy in Nepal. May Lord Ram and Goddess Durga empower him to take such a revolutionary decision. Shubha Vijaya!
Note: It’s now time for D Wagle for yet another trekking adventure. He will be away from computer and internet for about 20 days with effect from Tuesday afternoon (Oct 3rd). “It’s a 17-day-long camping trek,” he says. “I am already excited about seeing the upper parts of Manang! Enough fiddling with this keyboard; can’t wait to play with the snow!”
United We Blog 
Comments
141 responses to “Gyanendra Shah Speaks Again: Time To Keep Quiet, Maharaj!”
“Lets not bark back at the dogs”
Indeed, one of the more lucid comments of late.
Culture-my sincerest apologies. Maybe my memory is going bad but I thought sometime back your declared yourself a ‘royalist’ (and I actually respected your honesty.) Anyway sorry for causing offence.
Look this blog is for discussion so it will get a little heated now and then when we try to put our own point across. I try to be civilized with civilized posters like yourself but then there are idiots who say such stupid things that I cannot help calling them ‘idiots’.
Hahaha I understand that some people do bring the worst in us and I am just requesting restraint. Many try to do it in purpose so that we degrade our quality of debate and render our arguments useless just like theirs. I am neither a royalist or anti-royalist, I can be called a hypocrite or pragmatist depending upon the judge. I am more of a natiolist, whatever is the best long term and sustainable solution for the nation. Although I am an ardent fanatic when it comes to education, and unwilling to even consider the most rational arguments against it. Apology not required at all, I have lost it plenty of times. Happy Dashain.
” I am just requesting some rationality, and not stoop to the levels of harkee you yourself negatively critisize”
someone enlighten me ..
not stoop to the levels of ??
whats that supposed to mean ..
this blog is all filled with self proclaimed politikal pundits..esp maoist sympathisers
god save the king
Some say that the king should not speak because he is inder investigation. That might be all fair and square. However, Prachandra raves and rants and really should be under investigation! Typical maoist doublespeak!
“we are after all a little more civilized than that…”
i nearly spilled my drinks and choked on my food… 😀
Happy Dashain Culture! You too ‘fren’!
harkee!!!
raja timro chak hanla uttano farkee farkee!!!
kasto lago mero geet!!!
“we are after all a little more civilized than that…”
i nearly spilled my drinks and choked on my food… 😀
Well Harkee “I think” the reason you choked was not because of what I said, but you were quick on making assumptions and respond a defense. See I took time understanding you ineptness instead of assuming it.
Happy Dashain.
nepal doesnt need democracy.
it needs to be ruled by a one party system like in china. not exactly communism but we need another king mahendra with an iron first.
the same model of democracy doesnt work everywhere. look how US ruined afganistan and iraq by promising them “democracy”
nepal doesnt need a democracy..otherwise its gona be raped by ppl like wagle and company
Wagle’s comment should be moderated. His version must be published in news/views/articles/wagle streets and other catagories. This space is completely for readers and readers. comments means only comment not a supporting article, whatever it may be… a breaking news for a reporter is comments, that inspired a real reporter, may be,it is THE wagle.
I’ve gone through all the comments. Some are good and some are really bad. What I found is; instead of going towards the common consensus, people are having a dog fight over what has said in previous comment.
C’mon people, nepali pan choda ani talk something good.
Don’t blame each other before you looked at yourself.
God bless nepal.
Harka dai,
I don’t think Nepalis should be obsessing themselves with the ‘king’, as they have better things to deal with, but your ‘king’ is not going to rescue the country. Its going to be up to us ordinary folks in the end. Learn to live with that.
Hey KIRAT
why did the people not loose patience with the government when they sent the country down the drain
why did the people not loose patience with the mao when they started to kill and loot the people…. why?????
i told you…………. your are all just cattle…obey the farmer or he whips you……in the end the people got no one to blame…so they turned against the king…if they revolt against the mao they get killed…the mao played through the peoples fear and they succeded
Talking about the king is only a diversion and a lame excuse for those people who cannot seem to explain to the country what the outcome of the SPA and maoists talks will eventually be. Okay, let’s for a moment we have no monarchy starting now. Will that pave way for a better outcome for the SPA Maoist talks? Will the Maoists lay arms before the CA? Will the SPA correct their mistakes of thier past and be more answerable to the people? Will Nepal remain as one country and not be divided into pieces? Will people have as much rights, if not more, as they do now? These are not questions that the monarchy is anymore answerable to. Rather, it is the SPA and the Maoists that need to do all the explaining now for taking the country down the path that we are going right now. Can someone xplain what sort of set up the Maoists would want for the country– the mere rhetoric about end of feudalism and ruling class sounds fine but what are they coing to replace it with? Will both Prachanda and Baburam first hold an elections within thier parties to be elected to the party eladership positions? Will any kind of rebellion be tolerated within the Maoist party. If not, then sorry, but the Maoists too are no better than the fuedal society that they despise. We can sit and talk about the future of monarchy all day but the issue that is more important is where are the SPA and the Maoists leading this country to? Does Wagle know? Please help me out because I dont and I would certainly like to know!
Kirat,
A couple of questions:
1. Why do your answers have to be questions? Because you have no answers, it’s easier to question obviously. Not a good way to argue.
2. To your question – what did the King achieve – he achieved chaos to tell you frankly and not as you would think because his intentions were incorrect, it is because a King who was already painted as a bad guy by the political forces did not receive any support from the same corrupt, incompetent bunch of political players that he had given ample opportunity in the past to come together in unision. I consider the King a fool to fall for the trap of feb. 1, the date which shifted all the blame that should rightly be that of the political parties onto himself. If he did not make the Feb. 1 move, what do you think Kirat would have happened? Great things for the nation? People like yourselves who despise the monarchy should thank the King for the move instead of cursing him for it. It has cleared the way for your beloved parties and maoists to shun all the blame from themselves and place it wrongly on the King.
Also tell me Kirat what has our country achieved before the King stepped in? Would it have been such a burden for the parties to help the King instead of siding with maoists who have destroyed the nation? You are a boss of your company, how would you function if you had a mutiny of your incompetent staff in your hands and firing them would create more mutiny and not less. Then think how you would function if the incompetent staff you fired accepted that they were incompetent and assisted your management even from the sidelines or at least kept quiet instead of siding with your competition and bringing your company down along with themselves and placing all the blame on you to boot.
SL… u pretty much said the thing that i wanted to say… and lemme add more…..and the king was also foolish not to take in account that the shameless so called democratic forces would go so low down that they would shake the hands and kiss the @rses of the extreme left or bluntly the terrorists for the sake of power and vice-a-versa, the maoist shaked hands with the people who acutally had termed them terrorist in the first place. politics was always a dirty game but this dirty…only in nepal i guess…….
Kirat,
Lest you have not yet heard, militarily the army during the King’s rule had already pushed the maoists far west. Militarily they were a spent force without ammunition and without resource, if the SPA had at the least helped the process for a few months more by not aligning with the maoists and the Indians, the maoists would be at the talk table at the governments terms.
Sl,
Yes, how true the maoists have been given too many chances by these corrupt and incompetent politicans. Hence the sly snicker by Prachanda in his interviews when asked
“Did you think you would have come so far so fast?”
The answer with that same sly snicker, almost a girlish giggle “Even I was surprised the amount of mistakes the government made to make it so”.
Meanwhile our southern neighbour knows how to have our cake and eat it too:
“There are approximately 150 Nepali Maoist leaders including the real number two, CP Gajurel, being held as prisoners in India. Given the rationale for India to align the Maoists and the SPA, the compulsion to
keep selective Maoists as Indian prisoners (while Red Corner nomineeslike Bhattarai were chauffeured around Delhi) seems out of synch….”
“Cantoning civilians is probably going to be against human rights norms. Demobilizing Maoist party workers is going to be against the
spirit of a democratic setup. The 100,000 strong Maoist militia is supposedly going to join forces with the Police and oversee elections- no point in keeping these people under watch. The UN’s military expert will get a good sample ‘walk” in the shoes of the Nepalese military before he realizes what he’s up against….”
Sl- a. Hey I never thought I answered questions with questions.
b. Sorry I am a democrat and by principle I do not like dictatorships of any form, even the benign Lee Kwan Yue type. But let me tell you that I am as sick as the next guy of the corrupt and inefficient SPA leadership. I have been for a long time and actually supported the King’s Feb 1 move despite my being a democrat. But what I saw after Feb 1 from the king was just a continuation of the messy SPA rule. He had no plan of action/strategy to quell the Maoists either via military methods or via talks. For God’s sake the Maoists rebellion had been raging for years and he had not devised a stragtegy to tackle them! Then why the heck did he take over like a fool? Instead of focusing on the Maoists problem he instituted the kangaroo court like RCC to hit back at his detractors, that stupid waste of money municipal elections natak, alientated all the foreign powers who have an influence in Nepal and meanwhile-despite your claims to the contrary-the army was totally ineffectual against the Maoists. They were even running out of ammunitions because of the arms embargo. Nepal was getting hopelessly bogged down in a dangerous stalemate with the country polarized between the monarchy and the Maoists. And confronted with these worsening problems what did the king do? Went on stupid PR exercises around the country, on some stupid money wasting IT jamboree and meetings with his tantric advisers all the while subjecting the country to idiots like Tulsi Giri and K. Thapa. It seemed he just did not care about finding a solution. What was the need to increase the palace budget so substantially? Why all those expensive cars paid for by the govt. when the countries ecomony was going broke? In the end the king was plain out of touch with reality and did not really care about the fate of his subjects. I can understand greedy thieving politicians trying to make money during their short time in power-they are thieves afterall. I can understand the brutality of the Maoists-they are detestable ‘power flows from the barrel of a gun’ believing rogues. But the king-the most priveleged person in the whole country-just caring about himself and his family? Man, when you are a king you are responsible for your kingdom and your subjects. This guy was just looking out for himself. Totally unacceptable.
Kirat,
a. Hey, Now you know you do.
b. like I said militarily – read my comment #118.
c. Even you supported the Feb 1 move. It failed. Now draw your own conclusions, because what I say regarding the many reasons for the failure (mainly the complete lack of support, infact the lack of responsibility and the forsight by joining with a dangerous group like the maoists and at the behest of a foreign nation (India) without regard for the nation and it’s citizens and it’s future by the SPA) seems to avoid you completely. And this is not just from Feb.1 as even you say the King rule was from 2002. I am afraid this whole turn of events has left me untrusting of the SPA even more, untrusting of the international community who completely misred the situation and now realise that the maoists had the SPA by their ball$ throughout, and the Indians – I don’t even have words to express my emotions regarding their conduct. As for the King, I do hope he realises he has been taken for a ride of his life by really pathetic,gutter shrewd and mother stabbing politicans, he should now just wait for the people to decide whether he remains a King or not. If I were him I would give up the position altogether to the son or grandson before the people decide the fate of monarchy, and retire.
So hey, ask questions as you do and draw your own conclusions.
sl-I really like the way you refuse to blame the king for anything at all. Very loyal to the royal!
Kirat,
Draw your own conclusions. No use blaming a gonner. Now you are left with the rest of the corrupt bunch, so why waste your time and effort on one individual who is gone and not on the remaining criminal, bottom feeding flock who are riding on a high horse sitting in our parliament, riding on our taxpayers money, extorting, killing and having a ball at our expense? The King has paid the price. It is time the SPA leaders and the murderous maoists paid the price as well – wishful thinking – slimy weasels who can bring down a monarchy will be pissing down our throats and leave us shouting for more.
Forgot to add – you don’t have to look far to find people shouting for more – We are in it – can anyone say UWB!
Sl,
I could be considered a moderate monarchist, and with enough family members in the army to know if the army was really pushing the maoists were being pushed west. You can push a guerilla force anywhere, you can wipe them out. The very essence of a guerilla force is their fluidity, like water. if you push it it moves somewhere else but it is still there, and the only way to solve the problem is the wipe it clean. That did not happen, they might have pushed them but no one knows weather they were pushed east, west, north, or south. The only thing the army was able to do was keep them relatively out of the economic hubs at daytime.
Although the term monarchist is not my self classification, rather it I was classified into it, the moderate is of my own adding.
If I am getting easily a lot of money by doing pit pattrakarita or false reporting and giving gali to others why I could not do that.
so I am nepali I am proud of that. Haina Walgle Jee
Can we leave Gyanendra behind? He’s a has been. Its best for everybody if we simply ignore him and focus on the issues at hand.
manan-you are correct that we should focus on the issues at hand but I don’t think the king is out, he is down but not out and the loyalty of the army to a civilian govt. over the king has not been tested.
Kirat, you said so well. the King is down but not out. The way SPAs are giving in to Maoists He could be back in the saddle with the support from general public and NA.
well the public being the public they could start screaming ‘Raja aau desh bachauu’ if the present situation deteriorates further. Even I was hopeful that the king would do something good sometime back. Man did he disappoint!
Anyway don’t you feel the Maoists are hurting themselves with all these extortions and bullying they are indulging in? I hope they self destruct soon!
What Maoists need to do is take over Communist Party from Madhab Kumar Nepal and democratized the process in choosing the leadership of the party. They need stronger voice to counter Congress Party. But first, Maoists need to dismantle PLA and stop extortions to gain the trust of the people.
s1, my both hands raised up to you. kirat questioning king’s responsibilty is legitimate too. he, as a king, should not have allowed his loyalty and responsibility to be questionable.
i myself still dont trust SPA(M) talks will lead us any where. i dont see elctions in near future, and till then he should not resign. a couple of years and nepalese might give him a second chance if they lose trust on spam, a second chance to prove his loyalty to the country and the people. but once the election is fixed, like s1 said, i think it would be respectable for him(unlike the politicians)to resign his throne to his heir.
Election has become laughing stuff to international analyst. Can anyone imagine where 40% people still don’t understand the CA in Nepal will represent the voice of the people within six months? Where the mode of CA or represntation is still confused there can possibility of CA election within 6 months? It will take minimum 2-3 years to compelet the CA election. Otherwise after 10 years again another group will come start to say the constitution draft by these CA candidates are not complete.
Mr. Wagle and fellows,
Don’t be mad. The King is there and this is reality. Wait, Nepal is heading to such future where the monarchy will emerge even more popular. Yes, the king did some mistakes and the great Janaandolan II has already punished him. But enough is enough. If you will continue to condemn the king, time will punish you. Don’t forget great contributions of Shah kings. Don’t put everything in a single baggage. Be “nir kshir vivekee.”
King has every right to issue message for the people. He is doing well these days. He has agreed with people’s agenda, though forcefully. He has every right to correct himself and continue as the head of the state.
Wagle, don’t be puppet of communists. Don’t be overwhelmed by Maoist terrorists’ propaganda. Long live our king.
Get a load of this- What are we in this mess for? is it curtailing of freedom of expression or speech? Damn right, that is it. Nothing else, democracy is for me, by me and from me- is the overbearing this syndrome that inflicts most of the commentators here, staring from Weasle called Wagle.
Speak not what you do not know or practice. God help Nepal.
Nepal has been declared a democratic state. In accordance with the declaration, every Nepali citizen regardless of age, race, religion, sex or status has been bestowed with a right to voice his/her opinion under the rule of law. That is the essence of liberal democracy. It is the notion of equality, liberty and freedom of all human beings that differentiates democracy from all other forms of governance. In congruence, any citizen has an inherent right to exercise those fundamental rights under the rule of law. Unless the King is considered non-living or a foreigner (which he is not), he too is bestowed with the same individual rights as any other Nepali. Maybe not as a head of state, since the constitution has mothballed monarchy for the time being, but as an individual, he possesses every right to voice his tale.
nepali keto (13:25:45) :
Long Live Our King, indeed!
Friends,
Please forgive a foreigner for barging in on this discussion.
I am a mountaineer from Europe who has spent much time in your beautiful country and climbed many of its majestic peaks.
While I agree that the monarchy has not done much for the upliftment of the poor I urge you to restore the king to full power
and let him rule for the time being. His son is another matter,I am not so sure if his eventual succession would be desirable.
But, if the monarchy goes, Nepal goes.
Cant you see that ? Do you really believe for one moment that Nepal with all its cultural diversity can rule itself ? Especially with those Maoists in the equation ? You must be kidding, the moment the king leaves the country the clock starts ticking.
India or China, take your pick. I hope it wont come to that but if it does you will be better off with India, you dont want to become a part of China , believe me.
Monarchy may not be the most fashionable form of government but for Nepal, at this point in time, it is the only viable one.
Monarchy is dictatorship but look at Iraq.
A lot of people would have Saddam back tomorrow if they could. Its all about the lesser evil. Democracy is only possible when a minimum standard of education and political maturity is achieved. Then the transition will be relatively painless. Many European countries who made that transition are examples of the process. Education is the key. It will happen in Nepal also, its only a matter of time. Until then, be patient. Watching the events of the last few years I sometimes get the impression Nepalis have a collective death wish. Remove this king and your country will cease to exist within a short span of time. It may already be too late. Maoists ?
What ? You might as well call them non-ethnic Chinese. Beware.
The lesser evil is always the better solution.
Best Wishes,
sc
The Swiss Climber would do well to stick to climbing mountains. This is a perfect example of the proverb ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’. Anyway I can’t believe this guy is a Swiss- a country which is a mixture of Austrians, Germans, French and Italians and which has the oldest democracy in the world. Probably a Nepali royalist in disguise.