Ok Haddock, you said "What the parties represent is the aspirations of people in Nepal, especially outside of Kathmandu, to have more power in their hands. It is foremost the Monarchy's failure - not to mention it's contempt for the parties, which sounds pretty similar to yours, that it could not share and balance power correctly in the country. Had we had a far sighted, progressive and benelovent Monarchy the Congress, UML and Maoist would probably have been nowhere in sight. " Your statement makes me think that you're still living in an imaginery perfect world where everyone follows the law, people open doors for the next passer-by or even pick up and hand you the change that fell outta your pocket. This is the most naive statement I've ever heard so far. You're assuming the realms of Western democracy here which is a far cry from what we have in Nepal. Here polls are manipulated through terror and local goons (brought into the village where the polls are being held in busloads) who can sway the voting public with their presence around the poll booths. Yes, the damn cops are there but they've either been paid off before-hand or are too friggin scared coz their jaagir is at risk. How do I know this? I have seen BS like this take place firsthand as my very cousin (no names here) was among the hired political pawns for a certain party where every election period (back in the days), he took busloads of local hoodlums to the areas outside Ktm...I'm stating facts of Nepali elections here. Anyone from the villages here in sajha would coorborate fo sure. I'd suggest you and most of our sajha democrazy enthusiasts to find out what happens in the village polls this election period (if you have anyone who lives there). The parties as you said do not "represent the aspirations of the people" but rather, forces its aspirations as a yoke on the people. And power transfer to the public? When has this ever taken place? This, my friend will never ever happen as long as the same netas continue with their tight grasp over Nepali politics. And power moving out of Ktm you say? The exact opposite happened during the 17 years of democracy. I still remember back during the late 80s (before democracy)when the govt begain a process of decentralization. Pokhara, Biratnagar and the whole Nepalgunj area were being developed as other industrial towns (industires outside Ktm sprung up in Hetauda, Lumbini, etc.). After democroacy came about, where else did this branch out? Instead all these village netas moved into Ktm and brought their cronies and other villagers there too (and these cronies brought others too). Note that in Nepal, a minister wins the election from his district but ironically lives his term in Ktm instead (my neighbor was the minister of Labor and he hailed from a certain village where he visited only during election time). How on earth is this minister supposed to know what ails his village? If the kids are going to school? If they have enough security? If there's enough to eat there? It ain't like the US where the governor of a particular state resides in his own state. Imagine if they lived 24/7 in DC instead? A public outrage. Please note that I'm blaming the netas for all the destruction we've faced so far. The royals did impediment years of development but they in my view have done more than these chor netas have for the past 17 years of negative development: both monetary and social (If we factor in the fall in the currency exchange rate/the polulation discplaced by the maoist violence/the total dead or missing/subsistence farmers losing the lil they have to feed the rebel militia/etc). Now where on earth are these farmers and villagers on the brink of starvation and nothing to their name gonna go to? The city where though overcrowded polluted and a hotbed of crime, there is a better chance for survival. This has made towns that were once on the path to industrialization and filled with job opportunities (the lil industrialisation today we have started back in the 1970/80s) become places that are today diseconomies of scale. The whole rebel movement brought about by this 17 year fiasco has crippled life outside Ktm as the netas never thought of giving importance outside Ktm (and not the King) during their entire 17 years of governance. I still claim that democracy under the netas we had/still have was the biggest mistake ever. We need people who will lead us rather than those looking to loot us. I and we all know that for the past 17 years the public are the ones who suffered most. And you still say we have aspirations in the parties?? Never have, never will. Give me an army rule anyday rather than these friggin netas or worse, the fuggin commies!!