Activities: An appeal to restore constitutional process in Nepal

By Vijaya K. Sigdel 

Alliance for Democracy in Nepal
136 Division St. Suite 8, New York, N.Y. 10002

His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
Narayan Hiti Royal Palace
Kathmandu, Nepal.

Subject: An appeal to restore constitutional process in Nepal.

Your Majesty:

We, citizens of Nepal, have gathered here in front of this great edifice of peace - the United Nations - in order to implore you to bring the constitutional crisis in our country to an immediate end.  Through this peaceful rally, we also join hands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters back home, who, for the last several months, have been desperately beseeching you to act.

Your late brother, King Birendra, by signing the Constitution in 1991, made a solemn pledge to the people of Nepal to live as a constitutional monarch.  We, like most people in Nepal, strongly believe that your decision to assume executive powers on October 4, 2002 violated the letter and spirit of that very Constitution. Thus, your unfortunate action has led to the repudiation of the covenant that your own brother made with the Nepalese people.

The Constitution is the fundamental law of the land; it forbids anyone from violating its clauses and norms in a democratic society under any situation. That is why it is called the rule of law.  A democratic process also mandates us to work towards a peaceful, orderly and systematic transformation of our society.

For the last nine months, we have been deprived of a people's representative government. The two governments you have appointed since then pass neither the constitutional nor the political litmus test.  The two main political parties that represented more than 90 percent of the seats in the dissolved House of Representatives, have been deprived of forming a government, and have had no voice in the decision-making process regarding critical national issues.  Therefore, they are left with no choice but to hit the streets in rebellion with their legitimate grievances.  Moreover, as a result of your action, our country's existing problems have been exasperated. We are facing a crisis of unimaginable proportions. The enemies of democracy and monarchy, who have already shown a voracious appetite for violence, have been emboldened by the failure of our constitutional process.  Furthermore, your action has provided unnecessary ammunition to those critics, cynics, and skeptics who ridicule the monarchy by stating it is an outdated concept and that it serves no useful purpose in this modern age. 

We are afraid that if this situation continues indefinitely, like a small leak in the ship's bowl ultimately brings it down, it may cause irreparable harm to the future of the monarchy in Nepal.

We believe that a vast majority of people in Nepal not only is crying for democracy - they are also crying for a constitutional monarchy.  We are mindful that you yourself on several occasions have pledged to the people that you wish to live as a constitutional monarch.  Your statements have given us much-needed hopes and encouragement. However, we implore you to act on that declaration now and fully restore constitutional process by bringing in and listening to the leaders of the political parties that represented the majority in the last Parliament.  They should be allowed to form an interim government, conduct a fresh poll and seek a new mandate from the people.  After all, the people are the ultimate custodians of our democratic system.  We think that this is the only option left in order to solve the current crisis in Nepal.

Almost two hundred and fifty years ago, your ancestral forefather, Prithivi Narayan Shah, a distinctively gifted man, created our beautiful nation.  He was a king, soldier and a statesman.  His timeless wisdom still guides our policies, both national and international.  He had a vision of creating Nepal: a common garden for all its humanity.  Then came B. P. Koirala who added another illuminating concept to that vision.  He believed that creating a nation is not sufficient without giving its people democracy and freedom.

We have the audacity to believe that these great men's vision can become a reality if you, the king, and our political leaders would sit together in the spirit of goodwill and reconciliation and start meeting our country's challenges head on.  To that end, our nation anxiously awaits for you to take the first step - the restoration of constitutional process in Nepal.

On behalf of my participating colleagues of our organization, yours for the cause of freedom, harmony and peace.

Vijaya K. Sigdel     

President,      
Alliance for Democracy in Nepal

Date July 21, 2003