<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Why the world is watching Nepal
>
> Why the world is watching Nepal?
Why indeed? And why is talk in TMO circles not taking
more note of the events there?
I mean, it's really a pretty interesting scene, as far
as I can tell. A king -- who in my opinion probably had
nothing but the highest motives in the world for doing
so -- chose to dissolve the democratic political structures
in his country and return it to rule by kings who were
(theoretically) better able to rule than the democratic
rabble.
Essentially, he put Maharishi's "ideal government" to
the test.
AFAIK the king never made any declaration of his own
enlightenment, or even any extended dissertation on his
divine right to rule. He was very Nike about the whole
thing -- he Just Did It. And now, only a few short years
later, in the world News we see the results of having
taken that stance.
People who like Maharishi's theory of "government by
the enlightened" can probably look at this situation
in Nepal and shrug and say, "Well...it's not as if the
king were really enlightened, right?" Well, he might
not be. But then, those in the TM movement who think
that *they* are enlightened enough to rule the world
might not be as well.
Me, I think the problem is not with the particular
implementation of the "the enlightened should rule"
idea, but with the idea itself. I believe the idea
is fatally flawed, and would never work even if it
*were* implemented by fully enlightened beings. It's
just a Bad Idea.
> By Paul Reynolds
> World Affairs correspondent, BBC News website
>
>
>
> While it would be an exaggeration to say that Nepal occupies a
strategic position in the world - isolated as it is in the
Himalayas - its future is being watched closely.
> Partly this is for sentimental reasons. The kingdom used to be the
destination of choice for thousands of Western hippies who thought
of it as a mountain Shangri-la.
>
> The one-time guru of the Beatles, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, had
connections in Nepal and once broadcast his vision of saving the
world by "Transcendental Meditation" on Nepali television.
>
> So there is a great interest in the West to see how that quiet and
peaceful place (perhaps not so quiet underneath) has developed into
the scene of civil war, repression, riot and uprising.
>
>
> It is the government of India that is the most concerned.
India itself has considerable problems with Maoist rebels
>
>
> The Yogi's message does not seem to have worked. But then the
1960s and their message of flower power are a long time ago. The
world has moved on in more violent ways, and Nepal is a part of that
movement.
>
> Then there is the Everest trek that keeps Nepal in a wider public
eye. Currently teams of climbers are preparing for their attempts on
the summit during the calm period between now and the end of May.
They have largely escaped the recent troubles, although two climbers
were injured last November when Maoist rebels attacked their vehicle
on its way to base camp.
>
> And there is the added factor in Britain because Nepal is home to
the Gurkha fighters who serve in the British army.
>
> Indian fears
>
> But beyond these attachments to Nepal are more serious
considerations.
>
>
> The main one is whether the end of monarchical power as exercised
by King Gyanendra develops into democratic politics of some kind, or
whether the Maoist rebellion spreads from the countryside to the
cities and takes control.
>
> It is the government of India that is the most concerned.
>
> India itself has considerable problems with Maoist rebels. Rebels
are active in several states - Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand. Maharashtra and Bihar.
>
> Some of the these places are a long way from the modern image of
India as the growing regional and world power, whose development is
spurred by high technology.
>
> The rebellions are fuelled by issues of land and poverty and India
does not want the example of a Maoist Nepal to encourage further
protest.
>
> India sent an envoy to talk to King Gyanendra, but its
intervention has been criticised by the Indian opposition BJP party
as "too little and too late".
>
> The BJP president Dr Rajnath Singh said that India should exert
pressure to ensure that Maoists are not given positions of influence
in Nepal. He wants a renewed effort to crush the Maoist rebellion.
>
> India fears that there are links between Maoists in Nepal and
their fellow fighters in India.
>
> Stark divide
>
> Perhaps for too long, the world averted its eyes from the reality
of Nepal, distracted by its Shangri-La image.
>
> It should have been seen as somewhere that could show how modern
ideas of democracy and development - as opposed to the communal
policies urged by the Maoists - could work.
>
> But Nepal did not manage to address the problems presented by its
28 million people, many of them clinging to a precarious existence
on the crowded slopes of the mountains.
>
> I visited both Nepal and another Himalayan kingdom, Bhutan, in
1997 and the difference was stark. A lot had to do with the number
of people. Bhutan was almost empty.
>
> It had little traffic (and all cars were tracked by officials at
road junctions) and no traffic lights, the only pair having been
removed as unnecessary.
>
> The king controlled everything and, at that time, there was not
even television. The Indians had built roads south to North to be
able to reinforce in case of trouble from China but the place was
placid.
>
> Nepal was already beginning to seethe. From the air, one could see
that every inch of useable mountainside had been terraced and
cultivated. But there just was not enough room for the people to
make a decent living and the government was unable to lift them out
of their plight. The rest followed.
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Story from BBC NEWS:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/4933866.stm
>
> Published: 2006/04/22 11:50:09 GMT
>
> © BBC MMVI
>
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