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WASHINGTON RALLY:
Balram Aryal

BY BALRAM ARYAL

Thank you , America , where the people can assemble and express in a peaceful manner in front of the White House, the most powerful house in the world, without fear of repercussion for their action. I wish I could say the same thing for our motherland in Nepal.

We the concerned people of Nepali origin and friends of Nepal living in the United States are gathered here to show our solidarity in favor of democracy, civil liberties and human rights in Nepal, and to condemn the action of King Gyanendra by dissolution of civilian government and takeover of power as an absolute monarch on Feb. 1, 2005. By doing so, people of Nepal do not have fundamental rights such as freedom of assembly and expression – which we are using today – or right to information and protection under law.

President George W. Bush, in your inaugural address on Jan. 20, 2005, you said “the best hope for peace in our world is the expression of freedom in all the world.” In your recent visit to the former Soviet Union’s Georgia, you had told them that Americans are behind you in support of democracy and human rights. Mr. President, help Nepal to restore its democracy.

The land of Lord Buddha, which has been tarnished the long-held image of the country as a neutral and peace-loving nation, home of the legendary Gurkhas, and most of all, a tourist wonderland, where they used to crawl over the Himalayas and rooftop of the world, Mount Everest.

Bloodshed caused by violence amongst us beginning in 1996 – Maoist, police and Royal Nepalese Army – where more than 11,000 lives have been lost, thousands disabled and much more became orphans. Over 200,000 people have been moved from their homes, some relocated, some because homeless, and some moved outside Nepal. Compounding the effect of violence in Nepal, tourism declined, industries started shutting down, unemployment increased, and professionals and businessmen started looking for their options outside Nepal.

As we all know, the constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal in 1990 established a Parliamentary system of government where people elect their representatives to govern themselves. The people evaluate their performance of their representation through periodic elections at all levels. Nepalis representation political process remains disrupted since May 2002, when parliament was dissolved in just three years after the election.

Since the term of local government expired in July 2002, Nepal does not have elected representatives except for the ceremonial speakers. King dismissed elected Prime Minsiter Sher Bahadur Deuba charging him incompetent for failing to hold eletion as planned in November 2002.

Since that time several prime ministers like Sher Bahadur Deuba, Surja Bahadur Thapa, have been reinstated and fired again and now King Gyanendra has called on the old failed panchayat system’s person like Dr. Tulsi Giri to play an active part in country’s administration.

The action taken by King Gyanendra on Feb. 1, 2005, the implementation of state of emergency, was a great concern for Nepalis living in Nepal and abroad. Depriving 27 million Nepali people of the basic rights of freedom of assembly and expression certainly contradicts the norm of freedom that King Gyanendra claims to be defending. Hundreds of human rights activists, innocent civilians, and journalists have been put in prison without proper due process of law in recent days. We urge the current administration to release accountability of killed, injured and arrested people. WE along with the other watchdog warn not to harm and prosecute unduly. Universal declaration of human rights charted by United Nations give all human being to live free with dignity.

In the nearly 100 days since Nepal has witnessed ongoing muzzling of journalist and detention of hundreds political leaders and activists. While several senior political leaders have been released, hundreds of other parties officials are stilli n jail and their detentions were extended. Nepal Human Rights Commission continues to be denied access to military base and is only permitted access to police station with advance notice.

We know that political parties in Nepal, such as Congress, Communists and others, have differences. But they must reconcile their differences to restore democracy with collective strength and negotiate with Maoists. Political leaders must know that right always comes with responsibility. To act properly, Maoists must lay their arm down and renounce violence, stop destruction of infrastructure, and negotiate with the government to save a democratic Nepal. If we do not have democracy we cannot even talk about our differences.

United States , United Kingdom, and India temporarily suspended their military aid and will be reviewed as the situation changes. The lifting of the state of emergency might be a tactical ploy by the king to convince India to resume military aid. Without specific and direct action by the king to an immediate return to fill democratic constitutional rule, this could simply turn out to be a cynical attempt to convince India and others to resume their military aid.

The king has yet to spell out what the lifting of emergency rule means in terms of the daily exercise of basic rights. Is the press free? Will the continuation of political prisoners held arbitrarily be released? Can human rights defenders work without harassment? All those are still unclear. What about powerful anti-corruption commission with sweeping power of arrest and punishment?

Friends, we have multiple problems related to human rights issues. Some of those are child rights, women’s rights, kamayas and much more. But if we don’t have democracy we can’t even talk about those rights.