Saw this article in Bangladesh Daily News web-site. Very interesting and thought provoking. Makes you think current situation in Nepal with different angle.... What is really important now? Democracy/Freedom or Security/ Peace?????? Time will tell but read it and enjoy..... http://www.bangladesh-web.com/news/view.php?hidDate=2005-05- ************************************* ON Nepal -Let's Give Peace A Chance Thursday May 12, 2005 14:58:20 PM BDT Pralhad KC For thirty years, I have been in the USA as a fully engaged Nepali. I am not a Diaspora Nepali, someone from a fine family who returns to the Kingdom occasionally, and speaks only to relatives. As a businessperson, importing Nepali goods to the US, I must visit Nepal multiple times each year. My travels allow me access to a broad spectrum of Nepali voices, city and village, rich and poor. After canvassing and interviewing hundreds of hard working business leaders and common people within Nepal, as well as those living in the USA and abroad, and also reading articles and taking views of various personalities, I have presented this paper. Hence I feel it holds the view of large spectrum of Nepali people and friends of Nepal regarding the present situation of Nepal. King Gyanendra , dismissed the Deuba-led coalition government on February 1, 2005, and formed a ten-member government under his own chairmanship. He has proclaimed that this step was taken in accordance to the Article 115, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1990, and he asserts that it will serve the interests of the Nepali people, end the Maoist insurgency, and bring on the reinstatement the democratic system within 3 years. Was this a bad move? I don't know. Was this good move? I don't know that either yet. Only time will tell. But I am sure that if the King can bring peace back to the people of Nepal, and clean up the corrupt leaders, Nepal could become heaven on this earth once again and King will be remembered as one of the greatest monarchs in world history. Many of you may not agree with me. You might say that the present move of the king can only backpedal the process of development and democracy in the country. But friends, let us wake up and face reality, The Maoists have cast Nepal backwards by decades by their destruction of infrastructure, roads, schools, health posts, bridges, etc. What did our so called democratically elected leaders do to protect the innocent population from the Maoist terrorization that has been going on for the last ten plus years by brutally murdering dissenters, kidnapping students, perpetrating atrocities against teachers, and destroying basic infrastructure and development projects? Aren't these crimes against country and people? Isn't this something to think about? Let us examine the performance and activities of the past democratically elected governments over the last 15 years. Whether we reside in Nepal or abroad, the widespread corruption and abuse of authority by the power hungry politicians, (not by a single party but by all the parties in the government), is evident. Political leaders forget the basic norms of democracy and put themselves and their families' welfare above the law. They began to view our country as a Babu ko Birta/ Ama ko pewa, as a result of (God gifts) their past sacrifices they made for the cause of democracy. Honesty and Respect, time-honored basic norms of Nepali society were eroded by widespread corruption. And with no discipline enforced, government offices became the karyakarta bharti kendra (Job center for party members). The social fabric and communal harmony historically prevalent in Nepali society collapsed, allowing the situation to deteriorate further. When well wishers and supporters of various political parties of the people's movement of B.S. 2046, began to compare the pre and post people's movement era unfavorably, It became clear to me that the situation was untenable. Through my interactions over the last 25 years of doing business throughout Nepal, I began to hear a refrain: many saying in the past, "There were few leeches, but now, there are leeches everywhere." I have heard hundreds of stories of potential political leaders--general genuine qualified people-- who were deprived from employment because of their different political party affiliation or because they had no direct way to approach the political leaders in power. Foreign donors became confused as to whom to deal with to finalize the development project/programs, fearful of getting on the wrong side of various, vested powerhouses in the country. Given the constant jockeying for political advantage, many common citizens did anticipate some sort of political maneuvering. While the present move by the King is not surprising to many, it is astonishing to others. It is said, "Democracy and progress complement each other." But do our bitter experiences of the past few years show this to be true? It can be argued that in Nepal, the concept of multiparty democracy became a joke, as instances after instance of obstruction and corruption were catalogued in Parliament. Consider this: Not a single House of Representatives member was allowed to complete his tenure. I blame this short-circuiting of the democratic process on our power-hungry, greedy elected leaders. The King asked the parties to come forward with a consensus government. He met with all the political leaders and requested that they put the nation and the people first, hoping that the leaders would come to him with a government that included all major parties. But apparently, resolving Nepal's political crisis wasn't in their agenda, and they refused to cooperate.