Published: September 12, 2005
Op-Ed Contributor
US Support for the King of Nepal is Important
Dr. Khagendra Thapa
Nepal has been fighting violent communist insurgents for the last nine years. After two failed attempts for a negotiated settlement of the dispute between the government and the insurgents, insurgent violence against the innocent citizens of Nepal has escalated.
More than 11,500 lives have been lost as a direct result of the conflict and another 23,000 have committed suicide because they could not bear the pain of loss of relatives and the property owing to the conflict.
The supposedly democratically elected government was highly ineffective in fighting the insurgents because the politicians including the prime ministers were extremely corrupt. According to Jana Dharana, a weekly Nepali language newspaper, in the course of the last fifteen years, the elected criminal politicians stole Rs.92,000,000,000 - that is equivalent to US $1.5 billion.
It is believed that the money donated by friendly countries to fight the terrorists was also siphoned away by the elected government. As a result, the countryside is almost completely controlled by the insurgents.
The elected criminals were only interested in fattening their bank accounts. They had absolutely no interest in the welfare of the poor people. The per capita income of Nepalese people has actually reduced since 1990 (was $265 and now it is $213) when democracy was introduced in Nepal.
The elected government not only failed to control the violence from terrorists but they also refused to hold general elections. The government was ineffective, corrupt, and failed to maintain law and order. There was anarchy in Nepal instead of the rule of law.
The newspapers and other news media had become the mouthpiece of the terrorists. The terrorists use cell phones, the internet, telephones, and FM radios as a means of communications. They were using the media to issue threats against the people. Insurgents were about to take control of the whole country including the capital.
Under these circumstances, King Gyanendra of Nepal had two alternatives: one to give up power to the insurgents and let Nepal become like Cambodia or dismiss the corrupt government and make a last ditch attempt to save the thousand year old monarchy and protect the fundamental rights of the people to live freely without the atrocities of terrorists.
Had he chosen the first track and given up power to the insurgents, the country and the people would have been at the mercy of the terrorists. The insurgents would have killed millions of innocent Nepalese people including the corrupt politicians.
Fortunately, King Gyanendra decided to stay in the country and fight back both the insurgents and the corrupt elected criminals who were indirectly supporting the terrorists.
One of the coalition partners of the dismissed government was the communist party (Marxist, Leninist).
I believe the King is attempting to save the country and people of Nepal from the violent takeover by the insurgents. It is a very risky attempt. If he fails, a third of the people of Nepal (that is, 8,000,000) could be killed.
Therefore, it is extremely critical that the US and the Western countries support the King. The Nepalese King has put both his life and his throne at stake. He has no choice but to succeed.
The takeover by the King was widely supported by all sections of Nepalese society. There were huge celebrations throughout the nation in support of the King's takeover.
It would be unwise and unhelpful to withdraw support and military assistance to Nepal. If military assistance is stopped for Nepal, it is extremely likely that the ruthless terrorists will take control and turn it into an international terrorist hub.
I understand that a group of Nepali Diaspora living in the USA and Western Europe are against the King of Nepal. They are indirectly lobbying for the insurgents. Nevertheless, it is wrong for the US government to listen to a select few individuals who are looking for the best interests of their power hungry corrupt friends and relatives instead of the destitute people of Nepal.
It has been observed that huge peace rallies supporting the actions of His Majesty the King of Nepal have taken place in Washington DC, New York, Sydney, Australia, and even in New Delhi, India. It is estimated that over 73% of the people of Nepal support the Feb.1, 2005 actions of the King.
According to the information received from Nepal, the security situation there improved significantly after Feb. 1, 2005. The insurgents lost badly in the battle fields. In western Nepal, over 200 insurgents were killed in a major battle. Various newspapers in Nepal have reported that the insurgents have started fighting amongst themselves. It could indicate that the time for a peaceful Nepal is not far away.
His Majesty the King has already proclaimed that he will ensure that the local government elections are held within a year, in all municipalities. This is another proof that the King means what he says and he will restore democracy within the next three years as promised if not before.
If the security situation improves, it is in the best interest of both the king and the country to hold the general elections and form an elected government. One can bet with certainty that the political leaders will oppose any kind of election.
It is because they will loose the election. Having looted the people for the last fifteen years they do not have the guts to go to the people. Therefore, they want to revive the dead parliament so that they can be members of parliament for life.
Dr. Khagendra Thapa is an award winning and distinguished professor at Ferris State University. He was elected to the Academic Senate of the University seven times, serving for 14 years.
He earned five degrees in four different countries.
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
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