Royal Cabinet and conjuncture of facts
The royal government has only two words—remote control–to pronounce these days. With these two words the royal cabinet members express their rage and anger outburst over any one—the seven political parties, the independent press or sometime even the Maoist insurgents.
Only yesterday, Home Minister Kamal Thapa accused “some media houses” of being operated by foreign “remote control”. He was talking to Indra Lohani at Bahas, a talk show program of Kantipur Television.
The Minister also claimed that “some media houses, which want instability in the country, and the remote controller” will be exposed in due course. Thapa, however, declined to reveal the names of the newspapers and the user who operates the remote control.
Minister Thapa also alleged the seven-party alliance, which has announced to actively boycott the Feb.8 municipal elections and has been launching anti-election campaigns, of being guided from “some quarters.”
He said, “They (the alliance) are directed by those who have been supporting them financially.”
Thapa also did not reveal the names of the supporters of the parties who are allegedly directing them.
“Where does the money come from? Do the people give it to them?” Thapa questions to verify his claim. “The agitating parties are spending hundreds of millions of rupees during their demonstrations.”
When asked if the foreigners were backing the seven political parties, Thapa said, “It is an issue for investigation.”
He also said the alliance has supported the Maoists to carryout their “terrorist” activities. “The parties have terrorized candidates of the municipal polls, their family members and voters.”
Five months earlier, King Gyanendra, while directing the government nominated chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Bagmati Zone’s eight districts, had said that unnecessary activities are taking place with the backing of foreign money in the country. “We have to clear the pollution in this place. By pollution I also mean political pollution, social pollution and pollution in other sectors,” the King said after “reaching out to the public” during an almost six-hour-long walk through Lalitpur on Sept.22.
Another, Cabinet member, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers Dr. Tulsi Giri, while defending last year’s Feb.1 royal takeover in March last year had said, “I have heard from the “remote controls” of political parties that they are ready to join hands with the King. But, it seems no one is ready to bell the cat. Maybe they want the king to take initiative, but His Majesty has already called them for reconciliation in his proclamation to the nation.”
Giri, who is the number2 in the Cabinet and the mother of party-less Panchayat system, accused India and the USA for “policing” in the name of democracy. He also accused the parties of being “remotecontrolled” by countries policing in the name of democracy. He used the term “remote control” several times during his first-ever press conference to indicate the influence of other countries on parties.
On the Maoists Dr. Giri said: “They are terrorists like Al-Qaeda,
Laskar-e-Toiba, LTTE, Naxalites and PWG. I am not for talks with Maoists. We want them to understand that the situation has changed in Nepal and now they should come to terms.” Hinting at the Western countries he said: “So-called democratic countries were trying to impose their political ideology. The donors seem to have more interest in the political system than the people,” adding that “despite His Majesty’s repeated commitment to multiparty democracy, they still showed disbelief. Giri added: “I am dissatisfied that their comments came without taking account of the situation and background.”
None of the leaders above clearly mention on the remote controllers, who through, a remote control panel ensure that the user operates the machine remotely under safe and supported conditions.
These leaders, who seem not to be accountable, assign with loads of works to the people to speculate and make arguments, which will return to the difficulties that are liable to raise this conjuncture of facts.
By Ajad Swetketu