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![handle is hein.journals/brownjwa12 and id is 111 raw text is: King Gyanendra's Coup and its
Implications for Nepal's Future
MICHAEL HuTT
Professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies
London School of Oriental and African Studies
'Nepal's independence, national unity and sovereignty are best safeguarded
by the intimate relationship between the king and people. An institution
of monarchy ever devoted to the country and a people with an innate love
for their land is the glorious history of the kingdom of Nepal, its present
and also its future. '
- Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, King of Nepal, 1 February 2005
'A brief recapitulation of the incessant struggle between the monarchy
and democracy since the 1950s in the country should leave no one in any 111
doubt that without the complete abolition of the archaic institution of
feudal monarchy and its puppet RNA [Royal Nepalese Army] no form of
democracy can be secure and institutional in Nepal'
- Baburam Bhattarai, Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), 15 March
2005
Two VIEWS OF NEPAL'S PAST, present, and future now confront one another. For the
king, the very existence of Nepal depends upon the relationship between the monarchy
and the people. The king knows what is best for his people, who are simple, humble,
loyal subjects. He ensures that all things in his realm are conducive to the maintenance
of dharma (religion, righteousness) and a proper social order.3The people acknowledge
and honor the role of the king and do not question or oppose it.
On the other hand, for the Maoist ideologue-and, since the royal coup of 1
February 2005, an increasing number of Nepali politicians and thinkers-the monar-
chy stands as the main barrier between the people and their achievement of freedom,
justice, peace, and prosperity.
MICHAEL Hrr is a professor of Nepali and Himalayan Studies at the School of Oriental and African
Studies in London.
Copyright © 2005 by the Brown Journal of World Affairs
SUMMER / FALL 2005 • VOLUME XII, ISSUE 1](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/brownjwa12&div=13&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)