aba SRR pani heated..

Please forgive my intrusive way of replying; I shall be commenting over WOBBLYWORM's "feelings" where ever appropriate. Please read through.

On 18/05/06, WOBBLYWORM wrote:
> Dear all,
>
> Continuing with my previous argument that the so called Andolan II
> will cause greater disparity among the masses because only the king
> has been victimized when in fact the politicians and the mauists
> should also have been controlled by an "aware" people.

True.

> Girija and his team have done a good job with taking the powers of
> the King.

I can see happiness in your heart, finally, out of your so called "pessimistic" views. Your heart feels lighter, perhaps you see a slimmer of hope in this act, a promise, however small but a promise after all.


> … Does it really represent the people's voice? is the
> question now. And the answer to this question will determine the
> degree to which the people will be segregated into hard-lined
> factions.


We have always had questions. And we should never stop questioning. The act of questioning is more important than ever because we have had a "krantee" here in this place, something, nobody thought would arrive so soon.

The views WILL be polemic in nature, for sure. The happiness and the sense of "victory" in people here is so great that they will not listen to anything. (Even the engineering schools here in RANIBAN {alias} are doing a "hartal" for the past few days. They say, "if they threw away the king, why can't we get our demands fulfilled"!!) But I think, in time, they will understand because I believe, with every single day, people, ordinary, mundane people are growing, developing and getting
more knowledgeable by the day.

Thus we should take the arising polemical views in the Neplis of today to be a natural phenomenon.

>
> With a pessimistic outlook, I hope that the "people" will realize the
> deeper chaos they are in. The current HoR proclamations have stripped
> of the power from the King, but as we all know, power cannot just
> disappear.. it has to belong to somebody and who is that somebody?

Now, this is a beautiful statement in its purity. Yes, very true. Power has to "belong" to somebody and as I was watching the feed on TV while the historic proclamation was being read out, I was thinking exactly the same. "Who on earth is accountable to this country now that sole power rests with a bunch of (203?) MPs?" Well, I too felt vacant for a moment but then on hind sight, if we do not allow power to HoR then WHO else? Its a choice Sau, I think. It's a choice and
they have decided well.

Also, perhaps true accountability rests with no one in times like these that these times are called, "periods of transition".. Hmm.. I am now getting to learn and see for myself, what exactly a
"sankramankaal" is.

> ... right, the politicians. some might even say that the "people"
> have jumped from a frying pan into the fire. Now the prolbem is who
> will control the politicians and Mauists? Is there any device that
> will aid the masses to control them? Civil war will be the worse
> curse for Nepal... God forbid.

:) You are thinking well ahead, and like a think tank perhaps.

I might agree with the first statement that people might have jumped onto fire from a pan. Time will tell. I don't want to bet or believe in it right now. Optimistic moron I am!

I don't much worry about the politicians. Girija Prasad Koirala, the same incompetent one who has had an important role in turning the previous "Democracy" imbecile stood by all the pressure in these very volatile times and went on ahead with the people's wishes; I think this enough shows that the guy has changed and if we paint a picture using GP's brushes, we could perhaps obtain a "harabhara" picture of Nepal if not a changed scenario. (The king touched GP's hands with a smile when GP went to the palace to take pm's oath. Contrary to the king's expressions, GP had a vacant, pale face, his face showed he promised nothing. One could just imagine how much of royal/royal affiliated pressure there must have been given to GP during these weeks before yesterday's proclamation.)

However, ordinary "byaparis" and some industrialists are fearful of the Maoists. The casual businessman feels that the softness with which the parties are giving in to the Maoists might titillate the Maoists to disrupt the new found Loktantra. Its amazing how much fear they have of the Maoists....(perhaps, its relevant too because they have paid up lakhs and lakhs of rupees in extortion money to the Maoists in broad daylight). Yes, Maoists COULD be a problem and they pose a REAL threat and the only way this threat can be lessened is to disarm them as soon as possible and involve their "cadres" in something meaningfully civilian.

Another important thing with the Maoists that we have to agree and be knowledgeable about is that their lifestyle of living in extortion money and on the tip of their gun is not going to die off just like that. It will take time. Perhaps years. And we shall have to live by with this threat till then. (A few days after loktantra was established, the Maoist affiliated students in nearby Prithvi Narayan
Campus, asked us to "donate" COSTUMES {alias} for their new office. We did comply. What was to note was that the tone of their speech was the same as usual. It was the same tone they used when they asked us (extortion) money and now. But the remarkable thing was this time, they gave a LOGIC as to why they wanted a contact office and why we had to "contribute". ha.ha..) Things are changing for sure, but slowly, so slowly that some might feel that the path of change is going nowhere. But these are very testing times. For all of us. We HAVE no choice of faltering. We have to prevail. With optimism.

> On an optimistic note, yes, these steps are in the direction towards
> a mature democracy. But even then, we have to remember that the
> countries in which democracy has sustained is where resources are
> plentiful and people can afford the time and energy to learn and
> improve.

I do not agree with the first one. Economists say and is proven too that the economy of a country CAN prosper even where political situation is far from democratic values. China is a brilliant example. The military junta run Burma too has not a bad economy. Saudi Arabia, even Iran are fine though. But it definitely helps to have a democratic system. :)

Secondly, even where countries have had huge resources, democracy has not been able to spread its wings. A brilliant example is Nigeria sitting on a notable percentage of oil and gas but is one of the poorest countries in the world. Japan you know has no natural resources at all. It buys raw materials, adds value and sends it back.

Thirdly, don't forget that those who call themselves truly democratic states today went through a definite period of tumult and pain.

And fourth, India is starting to reap benefits only after fifty years of independence and practice of democracy.

The point is, its hard and long way ahead but we are getting there, yes we are and definitely.

> … But in countries where people are "unaware" and lack
> resources, it might be difficult to mature with only democracy at our
> disposal. We need more than just democracy.. we need sanskar to help
> us persevere through the growing pains..


:) Very true. THIS (lack of sanskar in us) shall be a sizeable threat. And it is one of those things that take a lot of time to be inculcated.

> … and its sad that we have
> just sacrificed it.


Perhaps you are pointing to the fact that king has been done away with. I disagree. I will put an example here. Only-sons are helped and caressed at every painful turns in life by their fathers to the point that the sons don't know how to fight. Someday, that dad has to go away. That morning, the son finds himself incapable of doing even daily chores on his own.

We talk about freedom all the time and we do not let ourselves free. Royalty was perhaps the father of the only son (Nepali People) and I am simply, plainly glad that the dad has been realised of his "fatal love" to his only child. I am happy to have that freedom back. Whatever happens next shall all be mine. Good or bad. And this feeling of having got my freedom to myself is exhilarating even though I know I am faraway for sustainability in the short term. SHORT TERM only. NOT long term and NOT slavery forever. ( His love is slavery, was, all the time.)





> … Therefore awareness should be our agenda.. to be
> aware ourselves and help our compatriots understand. Let awareness be
> the mission.

True. We should. This is the only medicine that we need to take with no restrictions with regards to its dosage!


>
> Also something to think about is whether the king will simmer down
> quietly or come back with a vengeance. Who knows. But deep inside I
> am hoping that the so called "peoples' voice" that ousted the king
> from power will bring him back to respectability, not because the
> King deserves it, but because the people deserve to maintain a sense
> of culture, to preserve solidarity.

:) The king won't come back now. Its ended for good. The humiliation the king of such high ambitions has inflicted upon himself is too deep and bothersome for him to revive himself now for the rest of his life. Hey, do you see the implication of his having been stripped off his powers by the people, the same people that his dynasty took "care" of for hundreds of years? Do you see that his entire existence has been reduced but to rubble? Do you see that even Prithvi Narayan Shah has been put to shame? Do you see the extreme ambitions of this poor king when contrasted with all the shahs that ruled us? And now, can you imagine the pain of accountability that seeks answers from the only man living? Can you feel how much of pain this man must be undergoing right now? And do you now think he will ever come out, with healed wounds?

Its not over yet, Wait. All the shahs are waiting up there for him. Once he arrives, they shall have a constituent assembly right there and agree to mangle his hair for what he did back "there".


>
> May Pashupatinath be with the people.

I hope you are not trying to be the next king! ha.ha..

SRR


> Thats all folks,
> WOBBLYWORM.