By Shashi P.B.B. Malla

The current stand on the state of the nation is that the Himalayan Republic is hopelessly in the defensive.

In the face of the massive frustration in the general public, not even the protagonists of the Republic can bring forth convincing arguments on its behalf.

The Monarchists/Royalists are definitely on the offensive, but are having difficulties realizing their various agendas.

With the immense state power definitely behind them, the ruling political parties have been successful in repulsing the onslaught of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) – now the main antagonist of the Republic and all that it stands for.

Until now, the RPP had various paths in achieving its goals:

  • Negotiation.

Talking with the established main political parties – which are nothing more and nothing less than Mafia political families with their own demand-and-supply chains – has turned out to be a fruitless exercise.

This path has ended in a cul-de- sac.

  • Participation in the General Election

This too is not a viable path to achieving the RPP’s stated goals.

First, the next general election is too far away. Till then, the energy and momentum of the current RPP actions will have been dissipated.

Second, the whole electoral process is weighted in favour of the major parties. There is no level playing field. Thus, participation in the general election will not bring any success.

  • Sporadic Street Protests/Demonstrations

The RPP’s current mode of activism has brought only limited success and faces the prospect of losing the interest and support of the general public.

These have only been pinpricks.

We have to call a spade, a spade, and the RPP has not been able to penetrate the massive wall of resistance – forget about bringing it down.

Thus, if the RPP really wants to achieve its twin goals of:

  • Restoring Constitutional Monarchy
  • Re-establishing the Hindu State

A vibrant participatory democracy from the grassroots upward will be the basis of the new system.

The RPP needs deep soul-searching about fine-tuning its tactics and strategy in its confrontation with the Himalayan Republic.

First and foremost, the RPP has to come to the realization that the only option for achieving its twin goals is absolute regime change.

This means that the RPP must abandon its tactics of needling the establishment of the current political disposition, as no meaningful change will result.

Rather, it must concentrate on the strategy of overwhelming the regime at one decisive go – applying the technique of shock and awe!

As the brilliant strategist Henry Kissinger said: “If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.”

In fact, the RPP has only to be inspired by the injunctions of the Great Prithvi Narayan Shah.

The writer can be reached at: shashipbmalla@hotmail.com