Posted by: Captain Haddock May 29, 2008
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Mr Truth
I can empathize with your concerns about the threat to national sovereignty from, as far as I can infer, India. However, what is the alternative to not moving forward with political reform, however risky it might seem at this time? The Kamal Thapa -Tulsi Giri line of trashing the parties and invoking India to justify a royal/military power grab in the name of sovereignty has been politically and electorally discredited and defeated. To try and resurrect that argument would be like Gyandendra resurrecting Tulsi Giri from his political grave. Look where that landed the country - neither did the argument work with the voters nor was it able to stop the process of progressive political reform. You can't tell people they have had a lousy deal from the parties and then next minute offer them something worse.
The food and fuel scarcity and continuing issues with law and order pose the gravest threat to the Nepalese sovereignty today. The parties have not proved themselves very capable in this regard. However, there is only one other person besides GPK, MKN and PKD who has proved himself more incapable in handling these issues - and that is Gyanendra. Even if we take Gyanendra out of the picture for a moment, why would the Army, without any experience in these matters, be any better? At best they are a stop-gap solution that can only last a short while, at worst, they could turn out to be an unaccountable killing machine that could invite international (read Indian) intervention. There is no viable alternative at this point in time to the political process we have. That could change with time but as of now the existing combination of political parties will be charting the country's course for the next 2-3 years at the very least.
To your other point, I have not seen Ganatantra at work but after seeing Gyanetantra at work, I am willing to give it a chance. I sure have concerns about the kind of federal structure that might be adopted but last I checked it was for the CA members and not me to agree on what sort of structure that should be. I will speak up, as should everyone else, when the structure starts to take shape as it will in the next couple of weeks and months. Compared to the absolute centralization of power in the hands of a few elitists, decentralization, however imperfect, is far a better option in my opinion.
Haven't you learn anything from american politics after being here so long?
What I have learnt is politics on the whole is dynamic, forward moving and lends itself to progressive change. You can't fight change, you embrace it, try to influence it and adapt your arguments and policies to it. If only Gyanendra had learnt that, he might have saved his throne and saved the country some precious time. Besides, I have lived and worked in Nepal much longer than I have in America and these facts hold true even more in Nepal because our collective grievances weigh much more on our politics in Nepal than they do in the US.
Nepaali
Long time! I agree with everything you said. I remain a guarded optimist when it comes to democracy (as I see it) and the idea of a republic but I am skeptical about the ability of the current crowd to deliver anything of lasting value. With the changing of the guard at Naryanhiti, I think it's time to change guards at the NC and UML. How's law school these days? (if I recall correctly from another thread a long time ago)
I can empathize with your concerns about the threat to national sovereignty from, as far as I can infer, India. However, what is the alternative to not moving forward with political reform, however risky it might seem at this time? The Kamal Thapa -Tulsi Giri line of trashing the parties and invoking India to justify a royal/military power grab in the name of sovereignty has been politically and electorally discredited and defeated. To try and resurrect that argument would be like Gyandendra resurrecting Tulsi Giri from his political grave. Look where that landed the country - neither did the argument work with the voters nor was it able to stop the process of progressive political reform. You can't tell people they have had a lousy deal from the parties and then next minute offer them something worse.
The food and fuel scarcity and continuing issues with law and order pose the gravest threat to the Nepalese sovereignty today. The parties have not proved themselves very capable in this regard. However, there is only one other person besides GPK, MKN and PKD who has proved himself more incapable in handling these issues - and that is Gyanendra. Even if we take Gyanendra out of the picture for a moment, why would the Army, without any experience in these matters, be any better? At best they are a stop-gap solution that can only last a short while, at worst, they could turn out to be an unaccountable killing machine that could invite international (read Indian) intervention. There is no viable alternative at this point in time to the political process we have. That could change with time but as of now the existing combination of political parties will be charting the country's course for the next 2-3 years at the very least.
To your other point, I have not seen Ganatantra at work but after seeing Gyanetantra at work, I am willing to give it a chance. I sure have concerns about the kind of federal structure that might be adopted but last I checked it was for the CA members and not me to agree on what sort of structure that should be. I will speak up, as should everyone else, when the structure starts to take shape as it will in the next couple of weeks and months. Compared to the absolute centralization of power in the hands of a few elitists, decentralization, however imperfect, is far a better option in my opinion.
Haven't you learn anything from american politics after being here so long?
What I have learnt is politics on the whole is dynamic, forward moving and lends itself to progressive change. You can't fight change, you embrace it, try to influence it and adapt your arguments and policies to it. If only Gyanendra had learnt that, he might have saved his throne and saved the country some precious time. Besides, I have lived and worked in Nepal much longer than I have in America and these facts hold true even more in Nepal because our collective grievances weigh much more on our politics in Nepal than they do in the US.
Nepaali
Long time! I agree with everything you said. I remain a guarded optimist when it comes to democracy (as I see it) and the idea of a republic but I am skeptical about the ability of the current crowd to deliver anything of lasting value. With the changing of the guard at Naryanhiti, I think it's time to change guards at the NC and UML. How's law school these days? (if I recall correctly from another thread a long time ago)
Last edited: 29-May-08 10:20 AM