Diamond Jubilee Part of the Grand Design Gimmicks

Gyanendra, sidelined by people, is planning to organize a lavish party and a procession to mark his birthday that the nation celebrates no more in the next few days (23rd of Ashad) in Soaltee Hotel and in Narayanhitti Palace. No EPA leaders and any sensible person should attend that cursed party and procession.

By Prakash Bom

It would be utter humiliation of EPA leaderships if they even think to attend this diamond jubilee of a king who had freshly attempted to murder the democracy to become an absolute monarchy against the aspiration of people of Nepal. It would be disgraceful if an individual of the organization such as civil society’s or human rights’ or journalists’ or lawyers’ or teachers’ or workers’ or students’ who played active rule in people’s movement II participate in this jubilee that is nothing but the part of the grand design gimmicks. The gimmicks are intended to down play the democratic achievements of people’s movement II. Those political leaderships and professionals who will attend this jubilee their intellectual and political integrity for democracy will be shattered.

We have to understand a monarchy is an institution not an individual. But the feudal monarchy of Nepal has deliberately exercised the personality cult as easy gimmicks to subdue the people of Nepal. Monarchy’s practice of personality cult began most dominantly since the autocratic Panchayat regime. The oligarchic rule of Ranas did not make any fuss about the king’s birthday jubilees. Rather kings were confined in the palace. On the contrary, the palace was inspired by the communist dictatorship era to exercise personality cult to induce the people of Nepal with the politics of fear of the almighty king. As a matter of fact, people were frightened to death to speak against the king until just before the people’s movement I (1990). As a result, people’s movement II has been successful to transcend people of Nepal from this personality-cult-fear of the almighty king.

At this juncture where we have reach the pick with the mandate of people’s movement II to terminate the personality cult from our political culture, we can no more afford to get excited with this jubilee. Any personal trill to attempt this party will be disaster of the individual integrity of a person who is committed to the democracy that needs arduous journey to accomplish for creating a new democratic Nepal.

As a matter of fact, people were frightened to death to speak against the king until just before the people’s movement I (1990). As a result, people’s movement II has been successful to transcend people of Nepal from this personality-cult-fear of the almighty king.

Let those who are in the black list of the CA elections indulge the jubilee. Let those who are corrupt pamper the king. Let those who are hostile to the people of Nepal mollycoddle the king. Let those who despise the democracy treat the king with the gifts of antagonism. Let those who fear Republic bestow lavish care on the king. But the rest of us who have faith in creating a new democratic Nepal with Republic setups and federal structures of governance must refrain from this gimmick. Rather we should at this moment be in retrospect giving our condolence to the martyrs whose lives were callously trashed with this king’s atrocities committed during people’s movement II.

We have to be able to remember that it is the diamond jubilee of a king who justified his attempt to murder the democracy. It has been always a painful insult to people of Nepal on the face of the earth to have an extravagant rather wasteful king in our nation of one of the poorest countries of the world. This fact has been deliberately ignored by the ruling elites of Nepal from the government high-ranking positions to the diplomats. We know how poorly crude is our self-interest. It is shame how quickly we give in to the temptation of power and position. But this is the time for us to stand firm with our commitments to democracy and guard our individual integrity not getting swept by the temptation of diamond jubilee.

Political leadership, headships of civil society, advocates of democracy and human rights, professionals, and media leaderships have greater responsibility before them to create a new democratic Nepal that is republic and that has federal structures for people to participate in nation building process than get mesmerized by this diamond jubilee. The principle of political reconciliation applies to all except for those who had deliberately took part in the kings maneuver to suppress people’s movement II with ruthless atrocities. Those individuals that are listed in the report of the Rayamajhi commission must have been brought to justice by now. Had the interim government made such attempts, would palace throw diamond jubilee party? It is a thing to think over carefully that we might be sliding down to the hill with the status quo of feudal oligarchic establishments. We might be reconciling with the forbidden fruit that will for sure kill the people’s aspiration for democracy that is aspired by Republic setups and the Federal governance structures.

Let those who are in the black list of the CA elections indulge the jubilee. Let those who are corrupt pamper the king. …. Rest of us who have faith in creating a new democratic Nepal with Republic setups and federal structures of governance must refrain from this gimmick.

This is an appeal to all advocates of democracy and human rights, to all professionals and ruling elites who believe in electoral (competitive) democracy, to all socialists who honestly fight for the equal rights of people, and to all federalists who advocate people participation in nation building process, to refrain from this diamond jubilee for sake of our nation. We all know the monarchy has been a wasteful institution since last five decades particularly. It has rampantly inflated its expenditures with no consideration of the conditions of people who have been living under the poverty. Unless we want to continue with the same inconsiderate state of minds as responsible figures of the nation for the same extravagant indulgence then this appeal is inappropriate to the Excellencies of Nepal.