By Kunda Dixit and - -
KATMANDU, Mar 31 2006 (IPS)

Nepal these days feels like it is in a double time warp. A medieval king who wants to be an absolute monarch is battling it out with guerrillas inspired by Mao Zedong\’s 1960s China, writes Kunda Dixit, editor and publisher of the Nepali Times newspaper in Kathmandu. This week, an alliance of seven political parties has been leading a nationwide street agitation to pressure King Gyanendra to restore democracy and roll back his February 1, 2005 military-backed coup. Protesters have fought pitched battles with riot police for five straight days. Four people had been killed and dozens wounded. Hundreds of activists and journalists have been arrested all over the country. This week is critical in resolving Nepal\’s three-way power struggle between the king, the democratic parties and the Maoists. The king has a chance to offer an olive branch during his traditional Nepali new year address to the nation on Friday. If he doesn\’t, it will only be a question of time before Nepal becomes a republic.

Nepal these days feels like it is in a double time warp. A medieval king who wants to be an absolute monarch is battling it out with guerrillas inspired by Mao Zedong’s 1960s China.

Squeezed in between is the moderate, modern face of Nepal promoted by pro-democracy political parties, civil society and media. But they are being hounded and are struggling to survive.

This week, an alliance of seven political parties has been leading a nationwide street agitation to pressure King Gyanendra to restore democracy and roll back his February 1, 2005 military-backed coup. Protesters have fought pitched battles with riot police for five straight days. Four people had been killed and dozens wounded. Hundreds of activists and journalists have been arrested all over the country.

For the past year, most Nepalis had shied away from anti-king protests. They didn’t trust the political parties whom they blamed for mismanagement and corruption after a people power uprising in 1990. Disillusioned with democracy, the Maoists launched their armed struggle in 1996 to turn Nepal into a people’s republic.

King Gyanendra took over last year saying the parties were making a mess of things and he needed to “tame” the Maoists and restore peace. But instead of going after the rebels, he has systematically dismantled democratic institutions and put political leaders behind bars. This has pushed the political parties to reluctantly forge an alliance with the Maoists. The rebels back the parties’ agitation to pressure the king to restore democracy.

In the past week, Nepal has crossed a threshold. Ordinary people who till a month ago were watching from the sidewalks are pouring out into the streets to support the party-led pro-democracy rallies. Doctors, academics, journalists, civil servants and ordinary citizens have defied curfews and threats to join rallies.

A public opinion poll last month showed that Nepalis overwhelmingly want the Maoists to renounce violence. They reject both an absolute monarchy and a republic, and most prefer a ceremonial monarchy even if they don’t like the present king.

But the king isn’t listening. Despite this week’s street uprising he appears determined to stick to his plan of being an interventionist monarch with direct control over the country.

The Maoist leadership, under pressure from the political parties and some arm-twisting from big neighbour India, appear now to be willing to join the political mainstream. The comrades seem to have been persuaded that since an outright military victory over the army is not possible after ten years of fighting and 13,000 deaths, they have a better chance to get to power by forging an alliance with the political parties.

The king and his army regard the party-Maoist alliance as a threat and have warned the parties that they will be treated like “terrorists” if they don’t ditch the armed rebels. There are misgivings, most vocally from the US ambassador in Nepal, over the Maoist-parties pact which is seen as a rebel trick to march into Kathmandu.

Party leaders say they are convinced the rebels want a face-saving way out and accuse the king of trying to sabotage a possible ceasefire and peace process. Indeed, under the king Nepal is firmly on a militaristic path and has become notorious for human rights violations topping the international list of countries with the most disappearances.

This week is critical in resolving Nepal’s three-way power struggle between the king, the democratic parties and the Maoists. The king has a chance to offer an olive branch during his traditional Nepali new year address to the nation on Friday. If he doesn’t, it will only be a question of time before Nepal becomes a republic. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)

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