Subject: Open questions to European Diplomats from Bishnu Raj Upreti
The perception of Nepalese people towards the European countries in relation to resolving ongoing armed conflict and political crisis was positive. Their statements, diplomatic efforts and behaviors compared to other influential countries were viewed positively by Nepalese people in the past. However, their response to the royal announcement of 21 April 2006 and subsequent action of exerting pressure on the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) to accept the offer of the king forced Nepalese people to seriously question their intention and true commitment on respecting aspirations of Nepalese people.
By exerting collective pressure on the senior leaders of SPA for not to protest the king’s announcement, they should give answer of the following questions to Nepalese people:
1. How many times the king has used its commitment on multiparty- democracy and respect of human rights during his direct autocratic rule and did he ever translate these rhetorics into practice? Why Nepalese people should believe another rhetoric this time?
2. Do you truly believe that the attitude, intention and behavior of the king are committed to democracy and establishing people’s sovereignty?
3. Political history and culture of your country revels that there is respect of people supremacy and will. You should not respect this principle in the case of Nepal?
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4. Do you want political leaders not to respect the aspiration of people protesting in street?-
5. How you see possibility of resolving the deepening crisis by just accepting the prime minister offered by the king? This arrangement in the past but did not produce any result?
6. Are you in support of the king’s manipulation or with Nepalese people struggling to establish people’s true sovereignty?
The royal proclamation of the 21 April is basically coming with ill intention to diffuse and abort well advanced people’s movement and to creat space for royal manipulation. If he has good intention, he should have stated the election of constituent assembly and formation of all party interim government in his address to the nation. European diplomats (particularly those who went to exert pressure on senior leaders of SPA having meeting to respond the king’s announcement) are either too naive to believe on what king said without judging his past behavior or are not respecting the popular aspiration of Nepalese people supporting the manipulation gama-plan of the king. There is only one option remains for the king is to accept the election of constituent assembly that decides the future of the monarchy in this country. We Nepali people want to see- European countries firmly standing to establish people’s sovereignty.
Dr Bishnu Raj Upreti- Koteshowr- 23 April 2006.
Bio note
The following bio note about Dr Upreti is from the Peace Journalism website:
Dr. Bishnu Raj Upreti
Board Advisor/Peacejournalism.com
Director Friend for Peace (FFP)
P O Box : 13160 117/36
Puja Pratisthan Marg Purano Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal
Te l : 977- 1- 4480406 Fax : 4472798
Website : www.friendsforpeace.org.np
Dr. Bishnu Raj Upreti holds PhD in conflict management (2001) from Wageningen University, the Netherlands. He is engaged in conflict analysis, conflict management, and peace building related researches. During his 24 years of professional experiences, he has engaged in teaching and research at University of London and University of Surrey, in UK, worked in international organizations (like UNDP, SDC, IDRC, IUCN, SNV, UMN etc.) in the capacity of professional staff and consultant. He has also spent some years in the government services as assistant agri- economist. He has published four books on conflict management and more than 100 articles in different journals, magazines and edited books. He had coordinated a Nepal Chapter of the regional research project on Livelihood and Environmental Security and Conflict Mitigation, which is implemented in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Currently he is directing a national peace research and resource centre called Friends for Peace.