this was posted on 31 dec 02 by midwestdude... i hope this is still relevant in present political scenario....... midwestdude Posted on 31-Dec-02 04:37 PM My doors are open for all: King Gyanendra DILEEP PADGAONKAR TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2002 06:32:51 PM ] KATHMANDU: Even as he waits "with a great deal of patience" for the political parties to get their act together, and indeed asserts that his "doors are open to them to come forward to tackle the awesome national challenges facing the nation", King Gyanendra appears to be perplexed by their conduct. He leaves no one in doubt that from the moment he fired the "incompetent" Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba he has throughout acted in the light of the letter and spirit of the constitution and that he intends to do so in the future. The parties were consulted at every step. However, instead of holding rallies against the Maoists, their sole preoccupation was to indulge in king-bashing. Instead of looking to him as a facilitator, as someone who believes in a constructive monarchy and not as an activist one, they have targeted the Palace. During a 70-minute audience with this writer, the monarch merely smiled when it was suggested to him that perhaps the reason why he cannot get his message across to the parties - why his actions continue to arouse suspicions - is that he speaks a language which the parties are not used to: a language which is shorn of platitudes and ambiguities, one which is upfront, transparent, modern. And he smiled yet again when it was hinted that the parties are not quite accustomed to his pace to get on with the job of crushing the Maoist insurgency, speeding up economic and social development and strengthening democratic practices at the grass-roots. King Gyanendra can well afford to smile. Recent opinion polls place him well above leaders of all political parties in public esteem. But he is too shrewd not to realize that this popularity can rapidly wane if he cannot restore peace and stability in the kingdom. And for this he needs to work with the parties. The Maoist insurgency cannot be curbed within a matter of months. The army has so far played a largely ceremonial role. It needs to be retrained and equipped with the latest weaponry. He knows too that Nepal's neighbours, especially India, are getting jittery over the situation in the country. The exodus of Nepalis fleeing Maoist-controlled zones is burgeoning by the week. Maoists can bring all activity in the kingdom to a standstill at will. All these are compelling reasons for him to bend over backwards to get the parties to cooperate with him. Ironically, across the political spectrum here, which is otherwise suspicious of New Delhi, the one hope that is expressed is that New Delhi can persuade the major players to sink their differences to bring peace back to Nepal and, by and by, give democracy another lease of life. The monarch himself appears to be very satisfied with the cooperation between Kathmandu and New Delhi to contain the Maoist insurgency and hopes that such a cooperation will be increased at all levels including at the border where there is so much trade and other activities undertaken by the people of the two countries.