No Need to Reinstate The Monarch in Nepal

Letter to the Editor

This is in response to an article titled "irresponsible political leaders in Nepal" by Digha Raj Prasai which I do not agree with the writer's statement for the need to reinstate the monarch in Nepal.

Nepal has been ruled by abolute rule of Shah dynasty for the past 240 yeares with some punctuation here and there of their own making.

What is this country proud of with the monarch at the helm for more than two centuries? Abject poverty, sickness and disease ridden society with the lowest life expectancy, illiterate and disoriented society still practising untouchable and vodoo practices, leave alone rampant corruption and nepotism as power was concentrated in a handful of the so called elite caste.

In the fight for true democracy, Nepalese people have lost their dear lives in great numbers; but each time people were close to securing true democracy. The so called leader traded democracy for the post of Prime Minister. Thus the feudal system survived for centuries in this way. All Nepalese knew in their hearts that democracy and absolute monarchy can not go hand in hand. As long as the monarch is there, democracy remains always overshadowed.

Now we have the Prime Minister who truly is responsible for the people, not for the king, as in the past. Unlike previous Prime Ministers, this is the most powerful post the country has ever seen or experienced so far. For the first time in history, we have a Prime Minister who truly seems to talk and work for the interest of the nation. He is seen cajoling industrialists and foreigners to come and invest in Nepal in various potential areas like hydro electricity which no prime minister in the past was seen emphasising. This is yet to be proved in practice; the good thing about this is that there is something happening.

There are a few out of touch leaders who do not represent any people at all but wield quite a power by virtue of their name and fame; which has become a big hindrance for the smooth process of Governmental work.

For example Nepali Congress, the oldest party in Nepalese politics, is being led by an unelecteced incompetent, and most importantly physically frail leader for some strange reason. He knows nothing but power. As long as incompetent and inefficient people like him remain in and lead the parties, it is the party and the country that suffer worst.

What political parties should come to terms with is to be able to accept the leader with quality, competency and charisma rather than name, caste or region. The later part is widely seen practised in Nepalese politics I am afraid.

Dirgha Raj Prasai
Hum B. Gurung

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