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Bulletin #13: Interview with Sujarta Koirala

‘There seems to be a link between the palace massacre and royal coup’
Sujata Koirala tells Prashant Jha that Gyanendra and monarchy will have to go.

(TEHELKA) Sujata Koirala, daughter of former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, is a senior leader of the Nepali Congress (NC). Sujata fled from Kathmandu a week after King Gyanendra’s coup, which has been accompanied by widespread arrests of political leaders, trade unionists, students and human rights activists. She traveled on a motorbike till Chitwan – a district in south Nepal, disguised herself to deceive the army, walked for almost ten hours through thick forests and finally managed to slip into Bihar.

Since October 4, 2002, when Gyanendra dismissed Sher Bahadur Deuba’s government for the first time and assumed executive powers, NC had been on the streets leading an alliance of political parties against the ‘regressive’ move of the king. The party, over the past two years, consistently refused to join any government appointed by the king and demanded the reinstatement of Parliament – dissolved by Deuba in May 2002. While the supporters of NC never cease to remind people of the party’s longstanding struggle for democracy, critics point to constant infighting and factionalism, the inability of GP Koirala to accommodate other leaders and the party’s abysmal failure to provide even a remote semblance of governance after 1990.

Admitting there was inefficiency and corruption when democracy had a fleeting chance, Nepali leaders, however, argue for a more inclusive and reformed democratic space instead of a royal dictatorship. Many in Nepal, including leaders like Sujata, see the take-over as a culmination of a conspiracy hatched by Gyanendra, which began with the massacre of King Birendra and his family in 2001. Over the years, the king’s lust for absolute power is well known in Nepal.

India has served as the traditional base for Nepali leaders to fight against repressive regimes at home. Leaders of political parties, human right activists and journalists have already started fleeing from Nepal in the aftermath of the king’s coup.

In Delhi to rally support against the take-over, Sujata spoke to Tehelka about the palace massacre, the role of political parties in Nepal in the time of repression and the movement for democracy and a republic in Nepal.

How do you assess the royal take-over? Do you think it’s a reflection of the king’s strength or a result of his weakness?

This is a move born out of his vulnerability. He has been exercising effective power for three years now. It was only due to the absence of international support that he did not take such a drastic step earlier. But February 1 showed the levels of his desperation – he was now even willing to confront the international community. His recent actions have been extremely unpopular and he knows that.

You were in Nepal immediately after the coup. What has been happening in the country?

The situation in Nepal is horrible. The political leadership is suppressed, the media is gagged, students are being beaten up and sent to prisons. The army is out on the streets, committing human rights violations brutally. Dissent is completely silenced. Nepal is under total dictatorship.

How would you react to the perception that Nepali political parties are myopic and have failed to rise above petty bickering, thus allowing the king to take over?

Problems exist in every democracy, including India. We were inexperienced in the practice of democracy and there were disputes among political outfits. We should have amended the Constitution and got the army under the strict control of Parliament. But any mistake we committed does not give the king the power to do what he has done.

This is sheer propaganda by the palace to defame the political parties. It is the king who has been destabilizing the parties and weakening democracy. It is the palace that did not allow the successful democratization of Nepal.

But didn’t chronic instability and corruption become a part of Nepali politics after democracy was restored in 1990?

Corruption definitely existed in the political class, but the scale is exaggerated. Compare it with the impropriety and corruption under the king now! There has been a massive spurt in drug and gold smuggling. This effort to negate the parties and their role is part of a larger conspiracy by the monarch, a conspiracy that began with King Birendra’s death in 2001.

So you believe that Gyanendra was behind the royal massacre?

His actions in the past two years have lend credence to such a suspicion. Nepali people, at large, have always believed that the official version was a cover up. Recent events, particularly the take-over have added to that belief. We can draw a possible link between the massacre in the palace and the assumption of absolute powers by the king now. This is what the people of Nepal feel.

What do you want the international community to do now?

Gyanendra is extremely unpopular. His only crutch is the Royal Nepalese Army. The army is killing innocent people right now under orders from the king. The international community, particularly our democratic neighbor India, must stop all military aid to Nepal. India is a shining example of democracy in the world and must reject this dictatorship. India should also remember that dictators tend to sympathize with other dictators and it is in their own interest to support democratic forces in Nepal.

How would you assure the Indian establishment that suspension of military aid wouldn’t strengthen the Maoists?

The rise of Maoists in Nepal is due to political reasons. There cannot be any military solution to the conflict. The Maoists are in a stronger position than the army. We have been out on the streets demanding the reinstatement of Parliament where political parties can sit together and resolve the issue through political means. The king has no answers and an armed offensive is no solution.

Have you been able to gauge your father GP Koirala’s reaction to the take-over?

I was allowed to meet him on two consecutive days after his arrest. Madhav Nepal, leader of the Communist Party (UML), sent a message for him through me stating the need to leave past animosities behind and asking for an all-party unity against the king. My father has now managed to smuggle out a cassette with a message which condemns Gyanendra and asks for unity between all political forces to defeat the autocratic king. However, I have learned from reliable sources that Gyanendra is planning to get my father killed.

Do you see the possibility of an understanding emerging between the parties and the Maoists against the king?

We have nothing against joining hands with the Maoists. However, they must express their commitment to multi-party democracy. We are not willing to replace one form of totalitarianism with another form – that of the one party State. They should give up arms and join us in the struggle against the dictator of Nepal.

Nepali Congress, during the past, has taken up arms against regimes in Kathmandu. Is there any possibility of political parties waging an armed struggle against the king if the dictatorship continues?

We are completely against King Gyanendra and his autocracy. We will do everything, and will use all means if necessary in our struggle for democracy.

What would be the agenda of such a movement — a republic or return to constitutional monarchy?

The slogan of monarchy and democracy is not going to last. The king has made such a grave mistake that we cannot save him even if we want to. The people of Nepal have lost all faith in the monarchy after the massacre and the unnatural way by which Gyanendra became king. Crown Prince Paras murders people on the roads and harasses women.

We will definitely ask for a constituent assembly and there are many who now want a republic. This is the final battle – a fight till the finish, a fight we will win because the people are with us. The king will definitely go.

INSN is the International Nepal Solidarity Network, which has activists in over a dozen countries around the world who are working to bring democracy to Nepal. Visit their website for regular updates related to the Nepal crisis.