Nepal Urgently Needs A Benevolent (Democratic) Dictatorship

It was definitely a wonderful afternoon- gathering which saw the attendance of a galaxy of acclaimed intellectuals that included, veteran diplomats, senior legal eagles ( some practicing even), former Nepal Rastra Bank Governor, old-timer senior Nepali Congress leader, some former security officials and a few noted journalists.

The celebrities mentioned above had assembled to listen to a half-day long conversation organized by the “Nepal Policy Study Center”, August 12, 2023, in Kathmandu.

The exchange of ideas centered on how to get the country out from the current political muddle so that the already exhausted and the frustrated Nepali population since the very calculated ouster of the Nepali monarchy could feel that they were in the safe hands and that the country once again restored its lost glory.

The academic convergence tentatively agreed that the country’s political and economic shape was in ruins.

It is this process, the intense political rivalry between the three big powers has made the former sovereign and independent country hopeless and the national population is feeling the negative impact of the aforementioned competition.

The fact is that after the dismissal of the Nepali Monarchy the country is reeling under the shackles of the Nepali leaders who apparently were indoctrinated by the aliens more so by the Southern neighbor and had centered their collective rule on how to loot and exploit the nation for their personal benefits.

In a way, the country has become custodian-less which is why the politics has already derailed from its original track visibly.

In addition, super power rivalry, for example, in between the US, China and India, and their intense antagonism in Kathmandu’s fluid politics and their one point objective being on how to influence the political course of the “non-aligned” Nepal in their country’s favor, is the root cause of the entire evils that has plagued the nation since a decade or so.

The three power contest petition could already be seen and felt in Kathmandu’s politics.

It is this process, the intense political rivalry between the three big powers has made the former sovereign and independent country hopeless and the national population is feeling the negative impact of the aforementioned competition.

The triangular push and pull is a non-stop affair at the moment.

The highly academic panelists seated at the podium offered their proposals in their modest way.

Some participants undoubtedly offered solutions to the national disorder.

However, what was strikingly common in their avowal was that they all converged in saying that the “country was being ruled by political criminals a la monsters” and that the realm ought to remain free from the forced bondage of the looters, exploiters, political criminals and some even hinted that the country must get out from the clutches of the “traitors”.

In a way, politics has been criminalized and that these political criminals of sorts must be rejected out rightly, sooner the better.

Initiating the discussion, the former Nepal’s Central Bank Governor Dr. Tilak Rawal admitted that the country is being ruled by political mafia.

Dr. Rawal is a senior Nepali economist.

“A few men rule the nation cruelly in cyclic order. And the cycle goes on and on which apparently has no end”, Dr. Rawal continued.

As a senior economist, Dr. Rawal painted a very gloomy picture of the national economy which, as per Rawal, is near to collapse.

“The nation state is reeling under the commands/dictates of some four political leaders who rule the nation in rotation and that it is this dishonorable set of the political privileged ones who have criminalized the national politics after the introduction of the imposed Republican order”, opined Dr. Tilak Rawal.

Dr. Rawal without chopping-up words bluntly said that “politics has become an effective tool to accumulate wealth through corrupt practices.”

Dr. Rawal also said some notorious political brains in implicit partnership with alien forces managed the designed expulsion of the sitting King which is why the country is in a political/social and economic hodgepodge.

By implication he sounded that the Monarchy had to be restored in order to save the country from the continued assault of the political leaders.

The submissive acts of the present day leaders forces one to question whether our leaders were slaves of the neighboring country?

The most vocal speaker in the said program was senior advocate Shri Dhruba Lal Shrestha who gave a detailed account on how on a regular basis the Nepal-India international border pillars are being pushed deep inside Nepal and yet the ruling political elites possess no guts even to send a note of resentment to the Southern neighbor-India?

The senior advocate said that the ruling elites appear frightened to talk even with the Indian leadership on the shrinking border issue.

Advocate Shrestha recalling the Mahakali River Ratification Treaty in the mid-nineties said that in effect Mahakali River was sold out to India at a dirt cheap price and thus it was a calculated treason against mother Nepal.

The submissive acts of the present day leaders forces one to question whether our leaders were slaves of the neighboring country?

As a personality engaged in the legal domain over decades and decades, Mr. Shrestha opined that the country’s Apex Court too appears to be in a continued disarray which has thus hit the independence of the Judiciary even.

“It is really inopportune”, claimed advocate Mr. Shrestha.

Later Bipin Koirala, a senior Nepali Congress leader making a acerbic account on the decline of the country’s political/social, economic stamina since the political change of 2005-6 said that “it is not the Singhdurbar” that has approached down in the villages across the country but instead it is the “corruption” that has trickled down to the village level.

The seasoned Nepali Congress leader said in no uncertain terms that the country’s present weaknesses could only be sorted out for the better if and when we scrap the constitution now in force summarily.

“The 1990 Constitution must substitute the present constitution in order to bring the country back to its original track”, said Nepali Congress veteran Mr. Koirala.

Koirala appeared sure that only the 1990 Constitution can bring peace and stability in the country for all time to come.

In other words, Koirala said that the present constitution needs to be scrapped, sooner the better.

“We need to bring back the monarchy for a variety of political considerations”, forcefully added the senior Congress leader.

Mr. Koirala’s million dollar advice to the attending participants and through them to the nation was that “the Nepali monarchy must be reinstated at least for the benefit of the coming generations”.

And yet another important suggestion from Bipin Koirala was that the country now urgently needs a benevolent-democratic dictator.

He however, did not elaborate on such a benevolent-democratic dictator for some mysterious political reasons.

But yet Koirala’s hint was for sure the restoration of the dismissed monarchy.

“We need to bring back the monarchy for a variety of political considerations”, forcefully added the senior Congress leader.

From the Chair Pyar Jung Thapa-the former Nepal Army Chief reiterated that for the development of the nation, peace and stability was a must.

During the course of his short speech, the former Army Chief Thapa and concurrently who is the President of the “Policy and Studies Center” lauded the immense contributions of late King Mahendra rendered for the development of the nation.

“During late King Mahendra’s rule, Nepal’s international prestige and popularity had taken an unprecedented height”, opined the former Nepal Army Chief Thapa.

“A prosperous Nepal is our ultimate goal”, concluded Mr. Thapa.

Welcoming the attending participants, the Vice President of the “Nepal Policy and Study Center” Ambassador Ram Bhakta Thakur said that the country’s political health is not in a good shape and that the country has already lost the ‘power balance’ which is really unfortunate.

He meant to say, as much as I could understand, that Nepal has drifted from the long adhered policy of Non Alignment.

The country’s non-aligned policy appears to have lost its relevance which is too dangerous, lamented Ambassador Thakur.

Dr. Thakur hinted that the big power tussle in Nepal has in effect visibly put a severe stress on Nepal’s long practiced non-aligned Policy.

“We need political stability for peace and development”, Dr. Thakur concluded.

The discussion organized by the Nepal Policy Study Center went well.