If The King Himself Were To Take Initiative For The Constituent Assembly.
I mean, he could go on national television and say something like this. That way Nepal will be spared the humiliation of India, on its own, arranging mediation between the "rebels" and the king. Even if he fails to bring the Maoists around, he will at least bring the democrats together. I have a strong feeling the Maoists will come around. Peace making is a skill, like playing soccer. You can't just wish it. You have to work it. Coalition building requires a certain relentlessness.
The king's two biggest enemies are: (1) the ex-Panches, and (2) the top brass of the army. Neither care if the monarchy stays or goes. All they care is in terms of their short term career advancements. And neither can deliver. The army can not deliver a military victory over the Maoists. And the Panchayati ghosts like Giri and Bishta can not deliver law and order or peace talks.
Beloved Countrymen and women.
I come back to you today to make an announcement that I hope will bring together the various political factions in the country. I had to dismiss the previous government since it had failed in its mandate to hold talks with the Maoists. The subsequent emergency that was imposed was a choice of last resort on my part. It was not something that made me happy. But it was a compulsion under the circumstances.
The political parties that participated in the multi-party framework of the 1990s, for all their deficiencies, are our vanguards for democracy, as they themselves will evolve and perfect the democratic experiment over time, as long as periodic free and fair elections can be ensured.
The Maoists come from an entirely different ideological background, but there are many from the communist movement, like our own late Madan Bhandari, who have managed to make room for the multi-party framework without giving up on their ultimate socialist utopian dream. Ideological purity is not a precondition for participation in a democracy, a commitment to peaceful co-existence is.
I must say the Maoists have raised some valid social issues. But it is not my place to get involved in those details. It is for the democratic process to deal with all political and social issues.
Diversity in viewpoints, opinions, and ideology is possible within the democratic framework. The western free marketeers themselves have been perfecting the market economy forever. There is no one fix-all, either in politics or economics.
There were many patriotic Nepalis who made valuable contributions to the country during the Panchayat era as well. Diversity of opinion should make room for that as well.
I love my late father King Mahendra, and take great pride in my ancestors, like the founder of the dynasty, late King Prithvi, as I think all of you should in terms of your own individual families. I think it would be wrong to judge those from times past with our perspectives available today. And I greatly miss my late brothers and their families and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. Kings have sentiments also.
Today we live in a different world. As I have said before, the monarchy in the 21st century can only stand for democracy. This is a different time we live in compared to where the world was 50 or 250 years ago. The history of other countries carry the same message. The oldest continuous democracy America itself was a very imperfect democracy as little as 50 years ago.
The first thing I did after taking over was to extend an open invitation to the Maoists. It was made very clear we were willing to seek all options including that of the Constituent Assembly.
As the heir to the throne, I consider it my duty to seek the continuation of the monarchy. And I am confident that if the Nepali people are given a chance to vote in a free and fair manner, they will express their support to keep the monarchy around. And I can live with the opinions of those who might disagree.
With this proclamation, I hereby restore all fundamental rights. And I invite all political parties represented in the last parliament as well as the Maoists to form an all-party government to which I will also make a maximum of two nominations. That government will have a two-point agenda. One, to restore peace in the country. And, two, to hold elections within a year of taking over for a Constituent Assembly. People will vote for parties and coalitions. And the percentage of votes each might get will determine the number of seats each gets in the subsequent 205-member Assembly.
That Assemlby will elect a government and draft a Constitution, to be put to a referendum within a year. If passed, that document will become the fundamental law of the land.
To participate in the all-party government and the subsequent elections, the Maoists will have to agree to lay down their arms. We can not have them continue with the insurgency so as to pressure the government in ways they might see fit, or to disagree with the outcome of the Constituent Assembly, should they find it not in their favor. That possibility can not be allowed. It might be possible to integrate the Maoist fighters into the army, but not as separate battalions. Their cadres will have to go through the same screening process that any other Nepali might have gone through before. And the subsequent expansion of the army will have to make budgetary sense.
If the Maoists can not come around to the Constituent Assembly then, I am afraid, we will have only the military option left to bring the insurgency to an end. I hope we do not have to fall for that last resort.
For now I invite all political parties to come together and join hands and form an all-party government that will have the executive powers.
On my part, as heir to the throne, I hope to reform the monarchy. Future generations will marry individuals of their choice and not necessarily within a few select families, or even within the country. The first born, son or daughter, should ascend to the throne. The royal budget should go back to the level it was at in 2001. I hope to keep an active interest in the affairs of the country, and keep in touch with political leaders of all persuasions. But that will still be a
Constitutional Monarch. The parliament will be running the country. And I hope to open up variuos holdings of my family for public viewing so as to generate enough tourist revenue for the state that it might offset the state expenditures on the monarchy. We are a Hindu family that hundreds of millions of Hindus all over the world relate to. That will continue to be so. But it will be just fine if in the new constitution the country is declared a secular state.
Of course, the political parties will be free to campaign for a republic, or for a Constitutional Monarchy, as they might please. But I hope many will campaign for a reformed Constitutional Monarchy. The monarchy is the most deeply rooted institution in the country that adds to the country's uniqueness in the eyes of our neighbors and the world.
I have always thought in terms of the best of the country and its beloved peoples. I hope we can all come together and unleash the potential of this great country and put it on the path of rapid economic growth. I personally take great pride in the rapid economic growth and promise of our two great neighbors, India and China. I hope we can benefit from their advances as that of the rest of the world. We may disagree on the particulars, but I hope we will do so peacefully,
and within the democratic framework.
May Lord Pashupatinath bless us all.
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