Twelve years after a royal massacre, the now republican state of Nepal is struggling to put a constitution together.
ON June 1, 2001, a horrifying royal massacre stunned the landlocked nation of Nepal.
Popular monarch King Birendra and many members of his family were slain, officially by his son Crown Prince Dipendra, who died three days after the killings.
Since that time, the country’s fortunes have fluctuated wildly, with few moments of hope interspersed with a bloody guerrila war that claimed an estimated 17,800 lives.
The Maoist insurgency led by feared revolutionary leader Prachanda ended in December 2006 and Birendra’s much-maligned sibling Gyanendra was ousted from the throne in May 2008 as the country became a republic, but Nepal has still been in a state of semi-paralysis for much of the last few years.
Two days ago, Nepalis took to the polls to elect a new Constituent Assembly. This would normally be like a parliamentary election, except that the nation has yet to agree on a constitution!
Over the last five years, the premiership has been traded back and forth between traditional powerhouses the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and Prachanda’s Maoist faction which was the largest single grouping but not big enough to dominate proceedings.
In fact, the only thing the Constituent Assembly seemed to agree on was the decision to get rid of Gyanendra.
I first visited Nepal in 2009 to see Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini. One abiding memory is the border crossing in Sunauli, which frankly was more of a moving marketplace than anything else.
There were crowded buses, bullock carts, and I even saw a soldier waving a cane at some rascally children who raced across the border from one country to the next!
In Lumbini, I was struck by the beauty and simplicity of the country with its vast but little-known history.
Ultimately, it is another memory that strikes deepest ... the similarity in the sense of humour between Malaysians and Nepalis.
We have much in common, but there is a deep sense of frustration with the political gridlock and uncertainty that the country faces.
Tuesday’s elections seem to have passed peacefully, despite one bombing incident and threats from yet another Maoist group that accuses Prachanda of betraying his struggle.
We can’t expect results to come in as fast as they do in Malaysia. This is a country with many nooks and crannys, and many of the world’s most imposing peaks.
I spoke to a number of Nepalis about their future, but it is a security guard based in Bandar Utama (who wanted to be known just as Ram) who summed up the feelings of the Nepali community in Malaysia.
“There is no hope. People are tired of the political parties. There are hundreds of parties and all want power, but nobody helping the people.
“Why are there so many Nepalis coming to Malaysia? Because there are not enough proper jobs in Nepal!” said Ram.
Having said that, Ram did say that the move to be a republic was popular.
“The people loved Birendra, but nobody liked the last King Gyanendra and his son. They were proud and treated the people badly. Many Nepalis still don’t believe that Dipendra did the killings. But that is 12 years ago, what is our future now?”
Still, there is some cause for optimism. My friend Dinesh Rai is an editor/musician based in Kathmandu and he was glad that the elections seem to have gotten off peacefully.
“From the reports and the fact that there weren’t too many disruptions, the polls went well and about 70% voted.
“Kathmandu was very peaceful except for one unfortunate incident where a bomb went off, injuring some kids,” he said in an FB message.
“We’ll have to wait for further reports to know how it was around the country.
“So far it’s been good but the polls are only the beginning; the bigger task is for the elected to write the constitution.
“Parties can’t agree on anything, which is why they chose someone from outside the parties to head the government for the polls.”
Indeed Khil Raj Regmi, the current caretaker, is a former Chief Justice, who should know more than anyone else the importance of a good constitution.
> Star Online News Editor Martin Vengadesan will be visiting Nepal in 2014 and is looking forward to experiencing its vibrant, bustling democracy.
http://www.thestar.com.my/Opinion/Columnists/Watching-The-World/Profile/Articles/2013/11/21/Ending-the-chaos.aspx