Expression»
Rise and fall of monarchs
NOV 09 - “Biswoma Rajtantra: Utthan, Patan Ra Bhawisya” (Monarchy in the
World: Rise, Fall and Future), a book written by Surya Thapa, editor of Budhabar, a Nepali language weekly newspaper, attempts to highlight the reasons behind the fall of great empires in the past. The book simultaneously does not fall short in underlining the proper methods to sustain monarchy. Thapa tries to underscore how monarchy can remain in the heart of its denizens however longer it is.
Farukh, King of Egypt in 1952, when he fled his country for Italy, said there would be only five kings or emperors in the world—one in England and four in cards. Farukh might have envisaged that the monarchy was going authoritarian. Nirmal Lama, veteran communist leader was once sent to prison for repeating Farukh’s statement during the partyless Panchayat.
At a time when there is a widespread discussion about the role and future of monarchy in Nepal, the book could be of greater help for the people to make speculations where the Nepali monarchy would go further. The Maoists who launched a peoples’ revolution in 1996 claim that the traditional monarchy of over 230 years could not lead the entire country to prosperity. They have overtly called the people to participate in a round-table conference to discuss whether Nepal should go without monarchy in future.
After King Gyanendra’s October 4, 2002 move, the monarchy has come under intense criticism. The major political parties have been agitating to institutionalise the constitutional monarchy. They even went to the extent of claiming that the monarchy may be uprooted provided the king does not rectify his October 4 act. Discussions are still on.
The book does not speak whether we need monarchy or not but it leaves to the readers to judge whether our monarchy will remain longer if it goes on the current course. The book extensively deals with the long-standing conflict between the parliament and the king in England. And it also reveals how the monarchy had to seek reconciliation with the parliament to ensure its future. Thapa has done a tough job of collecting facts on how monarchy came into existence in the world. The book further adds how many of the monarchs who went against the popular voice, met their end and how few made a compromise with people and still remain popular.
Dr. Ganga Bahadur Thapa, a professor of political science at the Tribhuwan University, has stated in the book that there are very few monarchs who hand over their power to the people. Many of the monarchies have been uprooted because of their autocratic attitude towards the people, he has concluded.
“Where there is despotic monarchy, it invites the establishment of republican state,” Thapa has stated in the book.
Thapa has also categorically mentioned all the events related with monarchy for the past 234 years in his book. The book also gives property details of King Gyanendra. Divided into three sections; past, present and future of monarchy, the book meticulously elaborates the conflict between the political parties and the king after October 4, 2002 and drops hints about the ‘hazy’ future of Nepali monarchy. The book discusses the rise and fall of the monarchy of 28 countries including the Netherlands, England, France, Portugal, China, India, Russia, Germany and others.Posted on: 2003-11-08 09:39
Headlines
Advertisements
