By Pramod Mishra

"Give real power back to the people and see what happens."

Given his past reputation and present dealings, for many Nepalis, King Gyanendra’s effort to run the country by fiat is illegitimate and his aspiration for heard-and-seen monarchy suspect. His insistence on having elected representatives, however corrupt, at his beck and call is futile. The slogan of patriotism has bled itself dry for many in Nepal—they want their sovereignty back.

This has not stripped the legitimacy of the monarchy yet, but how long can the king continue to be intransigent while being violently challenged by the Maoists, impatiently sloganised by republican youths and stiffly opposed by the parties? Doesn’t he need to prevent irrevocable damage to the institution that has made him who he is?

In the short term, he may inflict some broken bones in the streets but this way he and his dynasty stand to lose big time in the longterm. All his speeches about the Shah dynasty following the people’s wishes may not be enough to rescue the monarchy if he waits too long.

But the agitating party leaders also have a responsibility to find a way out of this deadlock. The willingness to clash with the police may show moral courage, but it is not enough to rescue a failing state with vision, clarity and fortitude. Nor is it enough to convince the common Nepali, disillusioned by a 12-year political circus, to join the struggle for democratic revival.

Even if their head wounds allow some politicos to atone for their past sins, it will not convince skeptics that they have turned a new leaf. What guarantee is there that they will not engage in the same corruption, willful misconduct and constant, shameless backstabbing of those in power by those outside the circuit, relentless factional strife and intrigue? The way, for example, that tainted figures have been coddled and sheltered even after CIAA indictments does not bode well.

If the parties have a blueprint for a reformed democracy, they haven’t told us what it is yet. Now that the Surya Bahadur Thapa government has resigned, and they are jostling for berths in a future government, we see the beginnings of the same intrigue and fractiousness that characterised their years in power.

Do they, especially the faction-ridden Congress, have the courage to own up to their lapses and show us that this time it is going to be different? The public doesn’t seem convinced that the past won’t be repeated.

True, as some columnists in this paper have argued, lots of good things happened since 1990. People became sovereign, their enthusiasm rose and democracy created a grassroot demand for elected representatives who performed. Partly fueled by global tendencies, Nepalis with their limited skills are now more than willing to risk journeys abroad for betterment. But the political leadership lacked the vision and training to channel that optimism to cleanse and uplift Nepal. They became engrossed, and ultimately lost, in their own petty rituals of power.

That said, no matter how much we hate them, the reinstitution and future of democracy lies with these very parties and their untainted leaders. The conscientious and courageous among them need to step out with specific, detailed and concrete manifesto about the future. For starters: how about throwing out the rotten apples? If the people had a forum, this is what they would be asking the leaders: why should we trust you now?

Nothing is more important than a reaffirmation among the Nepali people of their right to rule themselves through their own elected representatives and the right to throw them out in the next election if they don’t like them.

(Dr. Mishra is an advisor to TND. This article was also published by Nepali Times at http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue196/guest_column.htm)