Editorial | The New York Times | April 26, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/26/opinion/26weds3.html?th&emc=th
In the confusion coming out of Nepal right now, one thing seems
crystal clear: the Nepalese royal family is responsible for the dire
straits in which it finds itself. Now the question is whether this
remote mountain kingdom should remain a kingdom or become a
republic. It seems that the best possible course would be a
referendum, as soon as possible, on the future of the monarchy.
With King Gyanendra's 14-month takeover of power now apparently
over, it's not surprising that the unified front of politicians,
rebels and pro-democracy protesters who brought Nepal to a
standstill in recent weeks appeared to disintegrate. The Maoist
rebels who have mounted a decade-long insurgency denounced the
king's offer of a restoration of Parliament, and said they planned
to continue their blockade of roads into Katmandu. The demonstrators
said they would keep up the protests, lest the politicians and the
monarchy renege on the agreement. Apparently trust doesn't come
easily at the top of the world.
And why should it? For decades, the Nepalese have lived in crushing
poverty while the royal family, the Maoist insurgents and the
politicians have bickered, fought and killed. In 1996, the Maoist
rebels began a brutal insurgency, in which more than 12,000 people
have been killed. In 2001, the heir to the throne went berserk and
killed himself and most of his family. That left the Nepalese with
his uncle, Gyanendra, who used the insurgency as an excuse to assume
absolute powers. Last month opposition parties called for strikes in
support of demands for a restoration of democracy; the strikes
swelled into a wave of protests in which Nepalese soldiers fired at
and killed demonstrators.
King Gyanendra's apparent capitulation does offer a glimmer of hope,
but it is really no wonder that people are still angry, and that
demonstrators are calling for his abdication. That may be an extreme
demand, but it is time for the Nepalese to decide for themselves,
once and for all, whether they are getting what they need from their
royals.
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