I read on the DC Rally report that someone was holding a sign that compared King G with Saddam. Comparison of Gyanendra to Saddam Hussain is quite laughable. Had G really been like the Iraqi dictator, he would have located the families of the people who attended the rally and killed them in Nepal.
An appropriate comparison would have been to link Prachanda with Saddam Hussain. I am pretty sure nobody went around carrying that sign at the rally.
King G may not be the optimal choice in the long run, but I think lot of Nepali are willing to give him a chance for now. It seems to me that we all so desperately want peace and stability that lot of us are willing to give anyone a chance who has not already failed us in the past.
I believe establishing a working democratic government is trial and error. It takes time to get things right. We have to learn from mistakes and try to correct them. We have witnessed developments in many sectors in the last 15 years. The idea of democracy itself is not to be blamed. We should not be so quick to say that democracy in Nepal does not work. It is the politicians that failed us. That being said, we should not put the same people back in power who have failed us repeatedly in the past. Restoring the pre. Feb 1 government would be to put these failed politicians back in power.
The most important problem at hand is the Maoists insurgency. Given that peace talks between the Maoists and then Girija and Deuba government have repeatedly failed in the past, I don?t believe Maoists are serious about coming to the table and working things out. They want things to happen according to their terms only. And putting the same politicians back in power does not do anything to solve the problem at hand.
This being the situation, I think lot of us are willing to give king G a chance. I am not claiming that he will most definitely be able make peace with Maoists and end the crisis. But I am willing to give him the chance to succeed, or fail. I think in a way it is a win win situation. If he succeeds, then it is good for the country. If he fails then he will not have the support of the people like myself who are willing to give him a chance. We will have all the more reasons to do away with monarchy altogether.
Instead of jumping so quick to conclusions about his intentions and declaring him a dictator, let us put pressure on him to succeed. Demand results from him. Demand him to restore freedom of press. Make sure he is true to his words and does not abuse his power. Whether he succeeds or fails, after three years he has given his words to have an election. Until then, let?s keep him in check and make him work for the betterment of the country.