New Delhi – Nepal, the small Hindu kingdom, tucked away in the Himalayas, has never faced any crisis as it is facing today. Ever since, king Gyanendra, the only Hindu monarch in the world, dissolved the parliament in February 1, 2005 and seized full and complete power in his own hands, civil war has broken out and human rights violation is at its worst. The king (backed by the Royal Nepalese Army), the political parties, the Maoist rebels (disillusioned members of the Communist Party of Nepal) and the civilians are all involved in a bloody struggle in their search for the elusive word – Democracy.
In an exclusive interview with Surojit Chatterjee of Christian Today India, Dr. K.B. Rokaya, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Nepal and the coordinator, Christian Efforts for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation (CEPJAR) gives his frank opinion about the present political situation in Nepal and expresses his concerns for the people. This is Part 1 of a 2 Part Series.
Christian Today: Dr. Rokaya, can you tell us how the political crisis started developing in Nepal?
Dr. K.B. Rokaya: Nepal, for centuries, was under the absolute rule of the king till the 1990s. It was the king who gave the Constitution to the people. He was above the law, the Constitution. In 1990, there was a people’s uprising and the king was persuaded to introduce a multi-party system of government. It had the semblance of democracy but was far from it. Religious freedom was absent and basic individual freedom and rights were limited.
Discontent with the political development, some leaders and members of the Communist Party of Nepal (the third largest majority party in the parliament at that time) broke away and came to the conclusion that the multi-party parliament was not doing enough for the people. From 1996, they started their armed struggle against the government and against the king. Caught up in this armed struggle, till date, over 12000 innocent civilian Nepalis have died.
In 2000, there was palace massacre in which one member of the royal family killed everyone including the king and queen and himself. Miraculously, however, one of the king’s sons, Gyanendra, survived and he assumed the throne.
In 2002, dissatisfied with the parliament’s efforts in subduing the Maoist rebels, King Gyanendra dissolved the parliament and removed the elected Prime Minister (Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba) and assumed total control of the government. From a select group pf people, the king appointed the Prime Minister and ministers of the cabinet. During the same time, a number of articles in the Constitution, including some fundamental rights were suspended. Emergency was declared next. This continued till February 1, 2005. On February 1, the king once again removed his appointed men and took absolute control and started ruling directly by forming a government under a system of “chairmanship.” He appointed two vice-chairmen and some handpicked ministers.
Christian Today: Let me interrupt here...was this act constitutional?
