Pradeep Giri is a central committee member of the Sher Bahadur Deuba led Nepali Congress (Democratic). A former MP, Giri has been involved with the democratic movement in Nepal for almost four decades. He spoke to Prashant Jha about the democratic experience in Nepal, the roots of the present imbroglio, resistance against the monarch and a possible roadmap for a just, peaceful and restructured Nepali polity.

Why couldn't the aspirations expressed by the people's movement of 1990 be realised under the multiparty setup instituted then?

The movement in 1990 was a sudden and spectacular success. While parties had been struggling for democracy for 30 years after King Mahendra's takeover, there were changes occurring in Nepali society. Modernisation was afoot and an assertive middle class had arrived. There was international pressure on the king to give up his absolute powers. Parties, in this context, succeeded in achieving democracy almost effortlessly. However, their ideological perspective as well as organisational structures remained weak and support base narrow, consisting essentially of students, youth and activists. It is this absence of intrinsic strength that forced parties to repeatedly compromise with the monarch. He was allowed to retain his privileges, including direct control over the army. The present predicament is a consequence of that situation.

more at - http://www.india-seminar.com/2005/548/548%20interview.htm

the magazine,

- http://www.india-seminar.com/2005/548.htm

- http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2005/DA_spring05/Nepal_DA/Nepal_DA.html

A monarchist, military regime is crushing Nepal?s people. The rural Maoist insurgency offers them no hope. They deserve solidarity in their struggles to achieve democracy, says the Nepali writer Manjushree Thapa.
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The international reaction following King Gyanendra?s military coup on 1 February 2005 has been mostly heartening for Nepalis. Until that date, we felt doomed to be characterised as simple, happy mountain folks inhabiting a Shangri-la, who deserved to be ruled by a deity-king, no matter how unjust. Maoist insurgency tended to be viewed as an anachronism, even fey: trouble in paradise. Meanwhile, Nepal?s real story ? the decades-long (and continuing) struggle to establish and retain democracy ? seemed destined to be overlooked. It was just not picturesque.

But the world?s condemnation of King Gyanendra?s military coup has made Nepalis feel that we are not being abandoned at this, the most traumatic and transformational era in our history. Still, Nepalis are wary about the international community?s trustworthiness, for any vestigial commitment to democracy in Nepal it has shown in the past has proved fickle.

more at - http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article-3-33-2477.jsp

माघ १९� को शाही कदमले सात समुद्रपारि अमेरिका/क्यानाडामा बस्ने नेपालीहरूलाई पनि मजैले धु्रवीकृत गरिदिएको छ । नेपालीहरूको यो प्रभावशाली र एकीकृत समूह, जसले आफूलाई 'नेपाली डायास्पोरा' भन्न रुचाउँछ, शाही कदमका कारण विभिन्न विचारधारामा विभाजित भएको छ ।

विद्यावारिधि गर्ने शोधकर्मी, शारीरिक परिश्रम गर्ने श्रमजीवी, अमेरिकाका सहरहरूको योजना बनाउने योजनाकार, भर्खरै मात्र कलेज पसेका विद्यार्थीसम्म करिब ५० जनासँगको अन्तर्त्रिmयापछि यो निष्कर्ष निस्केको हो ।

यहाँको नेपाली डायास्पोरा नेपालका खबर एवं सूचनाका लागि मुख्यतः दुईटा माध्यमहरूमा भर पर्छ । एउटा, आफ्ना परिवार एवं नातागोतासँग फोन तथा इमेल सम्पर्क गरेर । अर्को, इन्टरनेटमा सजिलै र सित्तैमा उपलब्ध हुने विभिन्न पत्रपत्रिका तथा वेबसाइटहरू हेरेर ।

शाही कदमपश्चात् फोन तथा इन्टरनेटमाथि लागेको प्रतिबन्धले केही समय सूचनाको प्रवाह निमिट्यान्नै भयो, जसले गर्दा आफ्ना पि्रयजनहरूको कुशल-मङ्गलको खबरलगायत देशकै गतिविधिहरूबारे समेत केही थाहा नभई नेपाली डायास्पोरालाई अनौठो छटपटीले च्याप्यो । आफ्नो घरमा समेत सन्चो-बिसन्चोसमेत सोध्न नपाउने भएपछि डायास्पोराका नेपालीहरू अलि अचाक्ली नै भयो भन्नेमा एकमत देखिए ।

नेपालबाट सूचना प्रवाह बन्द भएपछि स्वभावतः सबै नेपाली तथा गैरनेपालीहरूले विदेशबाट सम्प्रेषित सूचनाका स्रोतहरूमा भर पर्नुपर्ने भयो । जस्तै, बीबीसी नेपाली सेवा । अमेरिकाबाट प्रकाशित हुने पत्रिका तथा वेबसाइटहरूमा पाठकहरूको कतिसम्म बाढी आयो भने कतिपय साइटहरूका 'सर्भर' ले समेत चाप धान्न सकेनन् । शाही कदमको असर यहाँका पत्रपत्रिकाहरूमा पनि स्पष्ट देखियो । नेपालीपोस्ट र न्युजलुकम्याग जस्ता 'न्यूज पोर्टल' ले खुला रूपले शाही कदमको विरोध गरे भने पिस मिडिया ले शान्तिका लागि शाही कदम अत्यावश्यक रहेको ठोकुवा गर्‍यो । नेपाल डाइजेस्ट ले विशेष अङ्क प्रकाशित गरी यस कदमको पक्ष-विपक्षमा बहस गरायो ।

- http://www.kantipuronline.com/Nepal/diaspora.htm

thank kisr for posting that diaspora article. I was clicking and clicking since the day before yesterday and could not get that page.