Thursday, October 27, 2005

Girija: A Closet Republican


Girija's House revival stance is really in the way of a negotiated solution to the crisis. But then his unwillingness to go straight for a democratic republic is also frustrating a lot of the youth. He is like a dam waiting to burst.

His lack of clarity is raising the stakes.

He wants the House revived before anything else can happen. And the House is not going to be revived. And so there will be no resolution. The dictator king will keep turning up the heat. People are going to lose their patience. And the dam will burst.

Maybe Girija is a closet republican after all.

Peace Making: Emotionally Complex

I got to meet about a half dozen members of the Nepali delegation passing through town. I am not making a whole lot of headway. People will not come outright and say they are for a republic, they will not come forth and say they are for a negotiated settlement. There is too much eagerness to instead express ethnically prejudiced remarks. It is a hodgepodge.

It is like water at five degrees celsius, and water at 95 degrees celsius. Molecules move differently at different temperatures. I might be dealing with the five degrees molecules. The forces at work are so very different. The speed is so slow. There is little or no emphasis on logic.

They are the ones on the ground facing the reality. So of course they have final say. That is only fair. But there is this defensiveness. There are these overt and covert suggestions as to why you don't come to Nepal, but there is not much willingness to exchange ideas with the same person to whom the invitation is extended.

The forces at play that are deciding what Girija, Gyanendra and Prachanda say and do are very real for each of them. And I can listen to explanations as to why they say and do what they do. But all three could admit the big picture is ugly. It is a mess.

But I am going to keep trying. You counter the "m" word with the "p" word, and then you ask the next question.

Could The Chinese And The Russians Be Reading This Blog?

I made this blog entry: Dean 2008, China, Pakistan, Russia, North Korea, Cuba And Nepal. And the next I knew the Russian Duma passed a resolution supporting the king's call for his two elections and the Chinese extended monetary aid to the Nepal army. Russia has this superpower hangover. It will oppose America in ways that are insignificant as if to feel like it is still a bipolar world. And the Chinese did not give lethal military aid, but it gave some money as if to say no they are not scared.

Perhaps it was all just a coincidence.

Attacks On Kantipur FM

The king is cementing the republican sentiment. There is increased bipolarization. He is raising the stakes. The veneer is coming off if it ever existed.

Wild Maoists

These people are so out of the whack. They are almost begging for foreign military intervention. They have been singing their anti-imperialism tune for so long, they need a foreign military intervention to justify their propaganda.

Now they are out and about talking of a Greater Nepal. They want to expand Nepali territory.

Looks like Prachanda has been on the run for so long, he has lost touch with reality.

Looks like they took a huge risk internally to declare the ceasefire, and since the regime did not respond as it should have, the hardliners among the Maoists organized a backlash against those who took the risk of the ceasefire.

All three camps just keep digging their heels, the king more than most.

There is this unstoppable momentum to the bottom.

Countdown To A Republic

I don't think the seven party leaders are against the idea of a republic. It is just that they do not want to get too ahead of the general population. Once a critical mass gets out in the streets, I don't believe they will be eager to preach against the republican agenda.

The king was not a democrat to start with. Now the smoke is fast clearing up. His true face is getting seen. He is not even attempting a facade.

Democrats: A Colorful Crowd

There are all kinds. There are many who still fantasize the 1990 constitution can be saved. They are the ones scared of the social progressive agenda. They are the ones who get scared of words like Dalit, Madhesi, Janajati, Mahila.

The Endgame

What will it be like?

In The News

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