Tea is a constitutional monarchy, one that does not command the army, one that has no role in politics whatsoever.
Coffee is a constituent assembly. The monarchy might or might not stay in any form or fashion. Even if it stays, it does only because there are political parties that support a constitutional monarchy, one that does not command the army, one that has no role in politics whatsoever.
Soda is a democratic republic. Even if there is a constituent assembly, the question of the monarchy is moot. The monarchy has been overthrown before the country goes through a constituent assembly.
I get the impression the king has rejected both tea and coffee. He rejected tea not long after he ascended to the throne. "The days of the king being seen and not heard are over." And he rejected coffee when he split up the RPP.
It is time the seven party alliance moved beyond their past agreement and came around to the idea of a democratic republic. It makes no sense to stick to a constituent assembly when the king clearly is not interested in the idea.
But some political actors including Girija Koirala still sound like they are trying to force-feed the king tea. As late as the Janakpur rally, (Janakpur Rally, Biggest In Nepal Since 1990) Girija Koirala came out for a ceremonial monarchy. That man has mental inertia, he does not have much political logic.
Girija Koirala's party is maybe half the size of the UML by now. His arrogant, undemocratic ways split the party in the first place. It is that same attitude that has Gagan Thapa sidelined in the Nepal Students Union. That hurts the Nepali Congress. I don't care about that too much, if at all. I am no Congressi. But that hurts the movement also. And that I care about.
Gagan's ouster has been opposed by 62 of the 75 district presidents of the NSU, by a large majority of the NSU central committee, and by more than 80% of the senior leaders in the Nepali Congress. But that ouster still holds. Why? Because the Nepali Congress and its leader do not practice internal democracy. The NC and its leader may do what it wants to do, but the people are watching, and both have been shrinking fast.
Those in the seven party alliance who talk about a ceremonial monarchy talk as if it is this vague, abstract political concept, that the talk is nothing to do with this one particular man, Gyanendra Shaha, about who is, what he wants, and does not want, what his public words and actions are. I don't claim to know Gyanendra Shaha. But I do judge him for his public words and actions ever since he ascended to the throne. And I get a very clear impression he has rejected both tea and coffee. If you can not see that, you are politically blind.
If you want Gyanendra Shaha as a monarch, you are going to have him in some kind of an activist role, or he claims he gets bored. If you are not willing to give him that role, you are a republican. That is what it boils down to.
His idea of democracy is one where he has managed to crush the Maoists militarily, and he organizes elections, and the Prime Minister is elected indirectly by the people, but then so did the Prime Ministers during the Panchayat. He probably envisions a weekly working lunch with the Prime Minister. This guy wants to be seen actively discussing policy. Heck, I would not mind him running the country itself, but he has to win elections first.
The seven party alliance has to come around to a two word slogan: democratic republic. That clarity is wont.
Girija Koirala personally told me he would not have any problems if the movement turned the country into a republic itself. Obviously this is not a guy trying to lead the movement. He wants the movement to lead him.
गणतन्त्र एजेन्डा बनाउने तयारी
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