The world today has become increasingly insular, intolerant and illiberal. As great power rivalry grows more intense, smaller and weaker nations like ours often face a dilemma—caught in the crossfire.
Nepal needs to be careful about this hostile international environment. It should therefore start seriously thinking about returning to its roots, to reconnect with the fundamental values and origins that had bound us together for centuries.
It is also time to rediscover our culture, traditions, and foundational beliefs—the bedrock of our nation. These anchors have not only shaped but also secured our national identity, helping preserve Nepal as a sovereign and independent country.
We must journey back to the core of our values and identity—the pure, undiluted spirit of 'Nepaliness' that defines who we are. Returning to our past glory requires rebuilding internal cohesion and resilience through the promotion of national unity. This is vital to safely navigate through the present turbulent times.
For this, the restoration of the constitutional monarchy and the hindu state is crucial. This is because the ongoing messy domestic environments and the growing unpopularity of political party leaders have proven that only the monarchy can now serve as a common and impartial guardian of the country and the people. This is, perhaps, the reason why late BP Koirala, an impeccable democrat, had underlined the importance of a constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy as twin pillars of stability for Nepal. Even the Rana rulers did not dare to do away with monarchy. In Nepal, the monarchy has always remained one of the forces in the power configuration system. However, the myopic political leaders of the post-republic periods made a serious mistake by ignoring and sidelining this force.
International order
To prove the relevance to, and revival of the institution of monarchy and hindu state, a bird's eye view of contemporary world order is necessary that reveals several instructive patterns. The liberal international world order created on the ashes of the Second World War, with liberal democracy, individual freedom, respect for and observance of the rule of law at the core, is now developing serious cracks in its armor.
The US, which was at the forefront in the creation of economic and security institutions, such as the UN, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund for the long-term sustainability of those liberal visions, is now seen busy dismantling and destroying those institutions that had endured for nearly seven decades, making the US the most powerful country in the world. The new US President, Donald Trump, has been deconstructing this edifice from within.
While democracy is failing to deliver everywhere in countries that have embraced the democratic system, the bizarre acts of President Trump have further hastened the process of erosion in developing and developed democratic countries globally. These are some of the views expressed by many intellectuals from countries of the Western liberal democracies.
First, liberal democracy has slowly been overwhelmed by illiberal democracy everywhere, these intellectuals think. Second, democracy has been reduced to electrocracy where a few rich people, mafias and businessmen, called plutocrats, finance elections and get the candidates of their choice elected, such as in the USA now.
Fourth, deep state agents gradually destroy liberal democracy and promote a dysfunctional democratic system where politicians and their supporters thrive, whereas the ordinary people and the economy of the country both suffer.
Fifth, in countries with a flourished plutocracy, the rich few get even richer and the poor become poorer.
Sixth, while liberal democracy has been in trouble everywhere, China stands out. It offers the glaring example that it is not the electocratic democracy but the meritocracy under an honest and patriot leader, even if it means one man rule, can help bring about incredible economic, social and technological progress.
One can see why Nepal achieved similar success during the rule of late king Mahendra. It was for the simple reason that he adopted meritocracy in running the country. He chose right men for right works and put them in the right place.
Thus, the Western-led orthodoxy that democracy is the best form of governance, that its failures demand more democracy and that it is an essential prerequisite for economic, social and technological progress has slowly been losing its relevance and ideological credibility.
Cul-de-sac situation
In Nepal, as in many other countries, the democratic system is under threat due to rampant corruption and a pervasive culture of impunity that shields the powerful.
People have become fed up with the continued misrule perpetrated by the political parties in power. So much so that a great majority of who had supported the republic system against monarchy, some two decades ago, have turned against it.
It would not be out of place to say that Nepal under the Federal Democratic Republic political dispensation has now been trapped in a cul-de-sac situation -- a situation escaping out of which looks impossible. Nor is progress forward possible!
The NC, the UML and the Maoist Center leaders who have been on the pedestal of power in turns for the last two decades are largely to blame for bringing the country to this inescapable impasse.
Yet, the apologists of Republic system in Nepal refuse to recognize the grim reality. They still regard this system as progressive, which has reached a point of no return, or a blind alley.
The Constitution
One wonders why the Constitution of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal drafted by a Constituent Assembly and hailed by its supporters as progressive, inclusive and the best reflection of the people's aspirations has failed to set Nepal on the path of peace and prosperity. Why has it come to such a sorry pass?
There are several reasons. First, the Constitution itself is flawed. A good constitution draws on the best of the past, blends them with the present realities and based on them, builds a bridge into the future. Nepal's Constitution begins with the condemnation of the past. It condemns the more than two-century-old institution of monarchy and hindu state as a vestige of feudalism and regression. It abandons the roots but jumps into the unchartered waters of Republicanism, Federalism and Secularism.
Second, events of the last two decades that Nepal embraced the Republic system with the removal of the institution of monarchy and hindu state which had defiantly stood as a symbol of national unity, integrity and independence has proven to be a big mistake. Nepal was the only hindu kingdom in the world -something the Nepali people felt proud of. Both the pillars were ruthlessly demolished under the new Constitution.
The country suddenly lost its past glory. Nor could the people experience an iota of the much talked about peace, progress, prosperity and inclusivity under the present political dispensation.
Third, the new Constitution did away with everything that were home grown, indigenous and original and ushered in a system totally foreign to our culture, tradition and social ethos.
Fourth, it failed because the leaders lacked a deep understanding of the nuances and intricacies of the federal system of governance. Moreover, they were neither honest nor genuinely committed to upholding the spirit of the constitution.
Revisit your foundation
This is the reason why people have increasingly been growing disenchanted with the present republic system. They have now begun to see the merit and virtue of the institution of monarchy and hindu state as an enduring custodian of the country and the people. It is therefore not surprising that they have now taken to the street clamoring, among others, for the restoration of the institution of monarchy and Nepal as hindu state.
They have realized that democracy in Nepal has now been reduced only to electrocracy and plutocracy. They have come to believe that the government is controlled by deep state agents and that those who hold the purse strings call the shots.
Today, democratic culture and the culture of meritocracy - the cornerstone of democracy- are nowhere to be seen being pursued. Instead, a culture of chaos, cacophony, corruption, impunity and lawlessness have become the common sight! So, there is no point harping only on the theoretical virtues of democracy, as is being done today in Nepal by some highbrow intellectuals, so-called civil society organizations, many lapdog media, corrupt political party leaders and their acolytes.
These self-proclaimed champions of democracy and good governance dismiss the restoration of monarchy and a hindu state as regressive, yet they turn a blind eye to the rampant corruption, nepotism, favoritism, and plundering of public funds shamelessly carried out by the ruling political parties. Such hypocrisy is undeniable!
In Nepal's history, constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy once functioned in tandem. However, on a few occasions, missteps from both sides led to unfavorable consequences—weakening the monarchy and destabilizing the fragile democracy. Time is now to rectify those mistakes.
There is no reason why the multiparty democracy and the institution of monarchy and hindu kingdom can't go together and work together, this time around. Hence, a return to the constitutional monarchy, hindu kingdom and multi-party democracy should be the leitmotif for all. It is like home coming for a person who left home in a huff, or like returning to his roots. It is not, and must not be understood as, a return to regression.
Hopefully, wisdom and prudence will prevail upon our political parties at one point in time.
(Thapa is a former Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)
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