Waiting for Republic

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

The day for declaring Nepal a federal democratic republic has come. Nepalis have been preparing for this day since the People’s Movement in April 2006. Nepalis have crossed several hurdles put up by monarchists to reach this day. However, even on this day Nepalis have to wait patiently for more than twelve hours after the scheduled time for proclaiming Nepal a federal democratic republic.

On May 27, 2008, newly elected members of the Constituent Assembly (CA) took the oath of office at the International convention Center (ICC). The second senior most member of the CA Kul Bahadur Gurung chaired the oath-taking session. Incumbent Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is the senior most member of the CA but he could not chair the ceremony. Different ethnic-group members dressed in their ethnic costume and wearing their respective ornaments not only embellished the oath-taking ceremony but also showed the integration of all of ethnic Nepalis into a single Nepal. Most of them took the oath in their mother tongue.

After 21 days of the publication of the results of the election for a Constituent Assembly (CA), the CA needed its first session to hold pursuant to the Article 69 of the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007, and needed to pass a resolution declaring Nepal a federal democratic republic ending the monarchy that has been in Nepal for more than 3,000 years starting from the Kirat then continuing to Licchavi, Malla and finally Shah dynastic monarchy; the Shah monarchy has been 240 years in Nepal.

Everybody has been in place for holding the first session of the CA at 11:00 A.M. on May 28, 2008. National and international reporters, television crews, and other media have been at the ICC since 10:00 A.M. to report the events of the first session of the CA scheduled for 11:00 A.M. Slowly some members of CA have appeared at the ICC since 10:30 A.M.; foreign diplomats and members of the international community have started showing up at the ICC well before 11:00 A.M. The police has kept the music band ready for playing the national anthem to honor the Acting Head of State and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala well before 11:00. Nepalese TV crews have started live-telecast talking to the approaching members of the CA.

It has been already 11:00 A.M. but the leaders of the major political parties have not showed up, yet. Probably, thousands of Nepalis watching the live telecast from the ICC have been wondering what has happened to those leaders supposed to be on time at the ICC and hold the first crucial session of the CA. Then, the live TV presenters found out that the leaders of the three major political parties such as the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML) have been debating about the provision for a Head of State after the abolition of the monarchy, and his/her power and status, and so on. The live TV presenters at the ICC informed the TV viewers that the first session scheduled for 11:00 was postponed to 3:00 P.M.

Everybody has four more hours before sitting for the first session of the CA. Members of international community and diplomats left the ICC. Reporters and TV camera crewmembers except for the live TV presenters also have more time than what they needed for. Some of them went back to their office or workplace to do something before the CA session would start. Some members of the CA came out and took a short walk, probably for stretching their legs. The Nepalese TV presenters continued to telecast live on what was going on at the ICC.

Civil society leaders have held a rally at Basantapur, Kathmandu as early as 7:00 A.M. on May 28, 2008 to greet the proclamation of Nepal a federal democratic republic. Then, they took the procession of revelers to Mandala at Maitighar, then headed straight to the Baneswore crossroad and stayed there to listen to the resolution passed in favor of making Nepal a federal democratic republic. The local administration has declared the area around the ICC prohibitory area for rallies and gatherings as a security measure. So, they have to be satisfied with staying at the crossroad. They danced, sang and shouted slogans while waiting for proclamation of Nepal a federal democratic republic.

Political parties also held rallies and took out processions to welcome Nepal as a republic. The CPN-UML held a welcome rally at Maitighar in the afternoon. General Secretary of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal led the procession to the Baneswore crossroad. The CPN-Maoist held rallies at various parts of the Kathmandu, and then they took the procession to the Baneswore area. The NC also held rallies at various parts in Kathmandu. Revelers held a cultural program at Shahid Manch and Koteswore, Kathmandu to greet Nepal as a federal democratic republic. Such celebrations have been going on elsewhere in Nepal.

Clock has been ticking at its own pace, and after four hours its short hand pointed at 3:00 P.M., but leaders of the major political parties are nowhere to be seen; probably they have not completed their negotiations. They did not show up at the time scheduled for the second time for sitting the CA session. Again the live TV presenters told the viewers that the CA members have received the news of postponement of the CA session; it would hold at 5:00 P.M. People have already started suspecting the attitudes of the political leaders. Frustrated revelers at the Baneswore crossroad shouted various slogans demanding the sitting of the CA immediately.

CA members have plenty of leisure time. More than 500 CA members have been idly staying on the premises of the ICC waiting for the first CA session to begin. Most of the men and women members have been sitting in clusters and gossiping happily. Some of them went back and forth between the ICC hall and its outside gate and talked to reporters and gave their opinions of what was going to happen in Nepal. By 5:00 P.M. some CA members have lost their tolerance of waiting, and spoke out that some political leaders must have been trying to disrupt the declaration of Nepal a federal democratic republic delaying the sitting of the first session of CA.

There was no sign of holding the first CA session even at 5:00 P.M. Not only some CA members lost the patience but also the entire Nepalis waiting for listening to the first CA sitting have lost the tolerance of waiting. A large number of people waiting at the Baneswore crossroad have been shouting slogans obviously being impatient at the delay in sitting the first CA session.

The Kantipur TV relayed the live telecast of some people dispersing from the Baneswore crossroad they have been rallying. The TV presenters told the viewers that somebody from the nearby house threw bricks at the rally causing people to disperse. Then, the security people searched the nearby houses for any weapons hidden there.

Then, at about 7:00 P.M. several white vehicles appeared on the premises of the ICC. Maoist leaders entered the Sagarmatha Hall of the ICC. The live telecast of several Nepalese TV started showing the leaders and members of the CA talking to each other at the Sagarmatha hall. Nepalis thought that the CA session would soon begin but the news of starting the CA session at 9:00 P.M. was relayed again disappointing the Nepalese people in general.

Nepalis were sure that the CA session would begin at 9:00 P.M. It belied again; it did not happen again. News was spread out that the photocopying of the agenda for the first session of the CA was underway and it would take some time to finish the photocopying of the agenda. Ultimately, the live scenes of the Sagarmatha hall showed that photocopies were being distributed to the CA members. It was already around 11:00 P.M.

The five-mute ringing was going on for calling the CA members in to the Sagarmatha hall; then, it was sure that the CA session was going to hold. Members began to enter the hall. Some foreign reporters also rushed in. CA members began taking his/her seat in the hall. The second senior most CA member Kul Bahadur Gurung took the chair and started reading out the agenda of the session. It was already after 11:00 P.M.

The Chairman called on the CA members to stand in silence for two minutes in remembrance of the martyrs killed in so many movements against the monarchy. Then, he read out the letter sent by the Indian House Speaker Somnath Chatterjee congratulating the Nepalese people on the occasion of implementing the declaration of Nepal a federal democratic republic. Thereafter, he called on Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to address the CA session and present the proposal for implementing the declaration of Nepal a democratic republic. Prime Minister Koirala seemed to be very weak. A medical doctor accompanied him. He spoke for a few minutes, and then asked Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel for reading out his speech, and Minister for Home Krishna Prasad Sitaula for presenting his proposal for declaring Nepal a federal democratic republic.

Then, the Chairman called on the CA members to vote on the proposal for implementing the declaration of Nepal a democratic republic, and asked them for going out of the hall from the exit on his right side for voting for the proposal and from the exit on his left side for voting against the proposal by signing off against their names on the papers placed there.

After the voting on the proposal for declaring Nepal a federal democratic republic, the Chairman gave two minutes to each CA member wishing to speak. First, Miss Pratibha Rana of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) took the mike and spoke on the religion and presented a written paper to the Chairman. Then, Chandra Bahadur Gurung of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-Nepal) spoke against the proposal in a very humiliating tone. Prakash Chandra Lohani of the Rastriya Janashakti Party (RjP) took the mike and spoke about the possibility of dictatorial tendency among the political leaders. The last speaker Chitra Bahadur K.C. of Janamorcha Nepal spoke against the federalization.

Then, the Chairman announced the results of the voting on the proposal for implementing the declaration of Nepal a federal democratic republic. Out of the 564 CA members present in the hall, 560 voted for the proposal and four against it. All CA members including the members of the RJP voted for the proposal, only four members of the RPP-Nepal voted against the proposal. The RJP took the decision on voting for the proposal at the last moment. CA members have overwhelmingly voted for the proposal.

Following the result of the overwhelming voting on the proposal for implementing the declaration of Nepal a federal democratic republic, the Chairman announced the proposal was passed by overwhelming majority and declared Nepal a federal democratic republic, stripped the king of all royal titles, rights, positions, privileges and benefits making him a commoner, and gave instructions to the Government of Nepal to give 15 days to former King Gyanendra Shah to vacate the palace and convert the palace to a museum. Then, the Chairman informed the CA members that the next session would be held on June 05, 2008, and declared that until then the CA would be in recess.

Despite the strict security measures taken by the Nepalese police, some undesirable things happened. Two minor bombs went off outside the premises of the ICC while CA members including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala were in the Sagarmatha hall preparing for declaring Nepal a federal democratic republic. The explosions hurt nobody. Earlier at the Shahid Manch, Kathmandu one bomb went off injuring two people. Ranabir Sena took the responsibility for planting the bombs.

India, China, US, EU, and UK congratulated the Nepalis on declaring Nepal a federal democratic republic. Congratulatory messages from different head of states have continued to come in to Nepal.