Congrats to the People of Nepal

May 30, 2008

A genuine evolvement of a democracy without any color revolution bullshit.

All eyes on palace for Nepal king’s eviction

KATHMANDU (AFP) — Nepal’s government said Friday it has started an audit of palace property and sent an official letter telling King Gyanendra to leave after a historic assembly abolished the monarchy.
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A constitutional assembly, dominated by former rebel Maoists, voted late Wednesday to abolish Gyanendra’s 240-year-old Shah dynasty — capping a peace process that ended a decade-long civil war.

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An estimated 1,500 soldiers guard the king, but Nepal’s army — seen as a bastion of royalists — said they will comply with the decision, which also involves turning the royal palace in Kathmandu into a museum.

Mass protests led to a landmark peace agreement in 2006 that saw the king increasingly sidelined.

Many ordinary Nepalese are delighted to see the back of the dour king as well as his would-be heir, Paras — who is widely loathed for his reported playboy lifestyle in one of the world’s poorest countries.

My congratulations to the people of Nepal.

You have a republic, if you can keep it.

Britain sent its congratulations after the assembly’s first session.

Fine Britain. Now follow the example.

Posted by b on May 30, 2008 at 17:40 UTC | Permalink

Comments

spiked online: A great day for democracy

(May 29) ‘We know Gyanendra is not a god, that he is just a man and that we can end him.’
So said a protester during the riotous uprisings against King Gyanendra’s autocratic rule in Nepal in 2006. And he was dead right. Yesterday, the new constituent assembly of Nepal, elected by the people in April, voted overwhelmingly to ‘end Gyanendra’ and abolish the monarchy. In a 601-seat assembly, only four members opposed kicking Gyanendra and his remaining flunkies out of their ostentatious, gold-plated palace in Kathmandu. Nepal has now declared itself ‘an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and inclusive democratic republic nation’. What a brilliant day for democracy.
The question is: how long is Britain going to lag behind Nepal in terms of democracy? When will Britain transform itself from a constitutional monarchy – where the head of state may not be a ‘god-king’ but does believe that she was ‘handpicked by God’ – into an indivisible, sovereign, democratic, republic nation? For all the claims that ‘our monarchy’ is merely a harmless tourist attraction for curious Americans, in truth it stands as a powerful symbolic and real barrier to the institution of popular democracy.

Posted by: b real | May 30 2008 18:20 utc | 1

house of Windsor/Saxe-Coburg-Gotha is better built, more trend conscious, scaly green genes possible.

Posted by: plushtown | May 30 2008 18:51 utc | 2

b, yes the people of nepal are to be congratulated for taking their destiny in their own hands

Posted by: remembereringgiap | May 30 2008 19:22 utc | 3

With much due respect r’gap, bullshit. No one’s destiny is in their own hands in today’s world. If one can’t be left alone in the deepest darkest jungles of the Amazon anymore then destiny in one’s own hands is pure wishful thinking.

Posted by: Juannie | May 30 2008 23:18 utc | 4

Fine Britain. Now follow the example.
touché !

Posted by: DM | May 31 2008 2:21 utc | 5

The British monarchy is wrong on so many levels. It is beyond my understanding why so many support it or even tolerate it.
But who am I to complain when my own government yields to corporate royalty?

Posted by: Rick | May 31 2008 2:53 utc | 6

I do have to side w/Juannie @#4 on this one, but I do get where brother comrade r’giap is coming from also…

Posted by: Uncle $cam | May 31 2008 5:51 utc | 7

Now the country needs to become ungovernable or descend into civil war, have a general/dictator arise who will rule the country with an iron fist and then lead it into a disastrous series of wars.
Then a foreign occupation force can move in and impose a constitution on them and within a half century they will be on a level with most of the other countries of Europe who followed the same pattern over the course of the past two centuries.

Posted by: ralphieboy | May 31 2008 7:27 utc | 8

“There’s no good revolution, only power changing hands” – Pete Ham

Posted by: Sgt Dan | May 31 2008 15:32 utc | 9

American church ? Maoist collaborators.? ?

Posted by: denk | May 31 2008 17:13 utc | 10

American church ? Maoist collaborators.? ?
Interesting – but from Pioneer in New Delhi which’s website seems to be defunct.
Extreme nationalist hindu paper publishing what “sources” say about a Buddhist/Maoist meeting?
Hmmm…

Posted by: b | May 31 2008 19:17 utc | 11

b,
here’s a nepalese view.

Posted by: denk | Jun 1 2008 1:52 utc | 12

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