From Hindu kingdom to secular republic

Nepal's democracy will need strong foundations
Editorial
http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=16508

NEPAL'S monarchy is finally set to make an exit. The decision by the country's major political parties to do away with it, in line with the long-standing demand of the people, most vigorously articulated by Maoists, is a development that cannot but satisfy the Nepalese population and people of the Saarc region as a whole. That sense of satisfaction of course has to do with some recent actions of King Gyanendra himself. Since taking charge of the throne following the murder of his brother, King Birendra and his family, in 2001, Gyanendra has not exactly endeared himself to the people of Nepal. But it was his seizure of absolute power, through which he sought to impose grave restrictions on politics, that proved to be the last straw. In the end, popular discontent made the monarch eat humble pie.

The latest development should bode well for Nepal's democracy which, in many ways, is still a fledgling one. But one of the brighter aspects of all this effort to transform the Hindu kingdom into a republic is the willingness with which the Maoists have joined hands with the traditional parties. For all the hiccups of the past few months, when the Maoists quit the coalition government to demand that a clear decision be taken about abolishing the monarchy, there was hardly any doubt in the popular mind about the fate of King Gyanendra and his family. Now that a consensus has finally developed on the state of Nepal's future politics and Maoist leader Prachanda prepares to lead his party back into the government, it is a new, stable order that has become the priority in the country. Nepal's break with the past will be all the more remarkable considering that it will move headlong from being a Hindu kingdom to a secular republic. It will be to the credit of the politicians in Kathmandu, including the Maoists, if they finally succeed in laying the foundations of such a new order.

And yet there cannot be any illusions about the future. The Maoists, having waged a long, often terrifying guerrilla war in the mountains, must convince Nepal's people that they have repudiated the path of revolution in favour of a modern democracy. For the other parties, their internecine squabbles will need to end if democracy is not to descend into chaos.

However, we conclude by expressing our deep sense of satisfaction that when religious extremism is causing such havoc in many parts of the Saarc region. Nepal becomes a secular country from a religious one.