hahahha....ImI. if i were a girl i would propose you right away...hahahahaha don't get me wrong here. i dont have any gay vibes ....damn you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahahahhaa i promised i would never input on political issues in sajha. but you are dragging me to break my promise hehehahaha. so here i am breaking my promise albeit for short span, hahahaa...for ya..just for ya....saturday night so could not help hehe... okay jokes apart, let's see this. my involvement in discussions on political issues by nepali diaspora here in US and a bit in sajha have given me following observations. 1) some people are for full-fledged democratic republic (with maoists as a mere party) 2) some people are for democratic republic (without maoists) 3) some are for ceremonial monarchy with full-fledged democracy (with maoists) 4) some are for ceremonial monarchy with democracy (but without maoists) 5) few are for constitutional monarchy (still, hehe), hence no maoists or its cadres at all. 6) very few are for absolute monarchy (we know what kind of persons are in this group hehe) 7) very few are for all maoists. I, for one, welcome all views. but personally speaking i don't have anything to speak for or against 5) , 6) and 7) because they are obsolete. even with a biased and violent CA, its not gonna happen, that's what i feel. hence first four is what we are looking into. now although there is a significant difference between 2 and 4 or 1 and 3, i think there is a thin line of difference beween them. it all boils down to how far you can afford to be democratic in present context of nepal i am not advocating or speaking against any of those first four groups. but yes, when it comes to republic and ceremonial monarchy, my views are quite straightforward. let me clarify first of all. I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST THE KING. when i was in high school, my father, being a worker under HMG, went to take "tika" from the then King Birendra during dashain. When i saw the tika on his forehead, i could literally make out the shape of KB's right thumb. i felt blessed and so did my dad. that came out of sheer respect-- the respect that we had for the institution. we all know what happened post 1996 and 2001 massacre. so i dont need to reiterate. the reason why i don't see monarchy's longevity in nepal is: 1) the unjust society that we have is the CRUX of our problem. until and unless we can create an environment for an unjust society nothing's gonna happen. forget about the political changes of any magnitude. 2) monarchy is the VERY FIRST REPRESENTATION of our unjust society. why should one need to stoop in front of the royals? because their forefathers united nepal some 250 years back????????????? 3) if you go to a village (30 km away from ktm), you will see a dalit getting suppressed by the so called "thula bada". if a dalit stoops in front of a zamindar (or whatever), it is just like a normal person stooping in front of a royal. there u go--the unjust society. the solution to get rid of that kind of society is what i call the "top-down approach" . start from the highest person in the hierarchy --THE KING. 4) is cermonial monarchy not possible? why not. of course it is. if it is like in great britain. but is it posible to have that kind of monarchy in nepal---NO. Reason: 1) be it ceremonial or constitutional, the influence of king in the nation WILL STILL BE THERE. its a 250 old instituion we are talking about. its branches have extended all over nepal's soil from Mechi to Mahakali or even beyond. so the influence and grip of monarchy and its cadres over the political structure will remain albeit in different forms, if monarchy in nepal prevails be it in any form. 2) where is the respect factor? i mean a cermonial king is one, whom a people should respect. does king G and Prince P deserve it? forget about deserving. will nepali people give them the respect they deserve as a ceremonial figure? food for thought.. 3) with the likes of King G in the palace, monarchy will always have a chance to grow. he will not restrain himself as a cermonial figure. he will try his best to get into the business of politics. do you think he will be satisfied with a cermonial figure alone? no... so depending upon the situation and mentalilty of we people (remember nepalese are smart but not always. we have a habit of going hibernation for 10 freaking years),. he will try to dictate terms. Having said it all, i believe in democratic practice so i am happy to take what the unconditional, unbiased and violence free CA's verdict. Loote