Nepal's Democratic Revolution

After three weeks of popular agitation against King Gyanendra's authoritarian rule, the Nepalese people have won their fundamental rights that would be the envy of people in South Asia. Within weeks of the takeover by the Seven-Party Alliance (SPA), the restored House of Representatives has now declared itself sovereign and the king stands with his wings clipped. What Nepal could not achieve in the realm of politics in centuries has been achieved in days and weeks due to just one factor, i.e., the people's power. This is not, however, the first time that the people have made a difference. Previous mass upsurges have achieved partial goals, including the 1990 constitution. But Nepal fell short of becoming a republic. Will it now overcome all odds and become a republic?

The struggle of the Nepalese people for a republic is spread over decades. After a brief period of multiparty democracy in 1959, King Mahendra seized power and imposed the “panchayat raj”, which alienated people from the monarchy. In 1990, the people again rose in rebellion and forced the king to agree to a new constitution. A whole decade passed with nothing but musical chairs played by politicians. They lost the people's confidence. Yet again the people rose after they saw a ray of hope in the twelve-point agreement reached between the SPA and the Maoists, which promised both a constituent assembly and a durable peace.

The 238-year-old Shah Dynasty is on the verge of being consigned to the dustbin of history. It is not an impotent constitutional prerogative, but the people's mandate (Janadolan-II) that has empowered the restored House of Representatives (otherwise legally defunct under the 1990 constitution) to assert its sovereignty. The 18 May proclamation ends the world's only Hindu kingdom by declaring it secular, and strips King Gyanendra of all his powers. The king's Privy Council stands dissolved and with the dissolution of the military commission and the military secretariat, the king is no longer commander-in-chief of the now renamed Nepal Army. He is not even the ceremonial head of government, one that is no longer “His Majesty's Government” but the Nepal government. His income and assets have been made taxable and even the security of his palace is no longer in his hands. Such is the miracle of people's power--when unleashed, it can accomplish the seemingly impossible. No less interesting is the fact that the proclamation was read by a prime minister who is not a republican. But the Proclamation that Prime Minister G P Koirala read before the House of Representatives has even divested the king of his right to name an heir. The 1990 constitution is there but the proclamations being issued by the SPA government contravene it on many counts. The law of necessity now serves the people and not authoritarianism.

The king assumed absolute powers on 1 February 2005 on the pretext of fighting the Maoists who had come to control most of Nepal's rural areas. The king not only failed to quell the Maoist insurgency but also alienated almost all segments of civil society. This created a historic opportunity for the SPA and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist to join hands against the authoritarian rule of King Gyanendra. They agreed on a twelve-point charter that promised a constituent assembly to decide the fate of the monarchy. The Maoists and SPA agreed that arms and armies (both the Nepalese Army and the People's Liberation Army) would be placed under the tutelage of the UN or a credible international monitoring mechanism. Together, they created enough public pressure to force the king to retreat, even though he enjoyed the loyalty of the Royal Nepalese Army. The way is now being paved for the creation of an interim government to hold free and fair elections to the constituent assembly. But before this happens, the thorniest issue is that of the Maoists that are under arms. So far, the Maoists have welcomed the changes with caution and a ceasefire is being respected by both sides. They signed an eight-point agreement in June to create an interim government and replace the House of Representatives with an interim council representing various sections of society, besides agreeing to a 25-point ceasefire code of conduct.  But the Maoists are complaining about certain regressive elements that are bent upon spoiling the situation.

The most divisive issue is that of the arms under PLA, which the Maoist leadership refuses to relinquish unless the arms held by the Nepalese Army are also managed on similar terms by an international agency and both armies are merged into a national army under the prime minister. The fact of the matter is that the SPA and the Maoists deeply suspect each other, yet they have shown enough maturity in sidelining the king. Although the differences within the SPA, between republicans and royalists, and with the Maoists are becoming narrower, they still persist on most important issues. The two sides will soon start their second round of negotiations to iron out their differences on management of arms, an interim constitution and government, and  election to the constituent assembly that is to decide the destiny of Nepal.

The 24 April revolution showed not only the power of the people but also the bankruptcy of the authoritarian forces. It also showed how the fear of the Maoists' advance on the capital forced the king to partially abdicate and the SPA to call off the agitation. Most interestingly, before the Maoists could even think of moving into the capital, the people threw cold water on their ambitions by celebrating a half-way revolution on the streets of Kathmandu on 25 April. Had the people not displayed such a marvelous sense of history and timing, the history of Nepal would have been different. For the peoples of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Bhutan, there are great lessons to be learnt from the valiant struggle of the Nepalese people. They cannot be kept under authoritarian rule for long. A wind of change is blowing in the region, which nobody can stop. Hopefully, the Nepalese people will finally prevail and Nepal will become a republic.