Gyanendra: Fading glory

Kathmandu, April 16 (Reuters): For centuries, the Shah kings of Nepal have swung from being absolute monarchs to titular figureheads and back again, usually after horrific violence.

As present King Gyanendra, the 12th of the dynasty, battles pro-democracy protesters, many are wondering if he can remain on the throne at all.

“Gyanendra, thief, leave the country” is the warcry of the tens of thousands campaigning against his rule, a slogan that would have been heretical just a few years ago when the Shahs were worshipped as reincarnations of Lord Vishnu.

“That kind of traditional respect is over,” says Yubaraj Ghimire, editor of the local weekly Samay. “A kind of momentum is building up.”

To be fair to the king, the mystique surrounding the dynasty was torn apart by the 2001 palace massacre. “That incident sent a strong message that people we worship like gods are using drugs and killing their parents,” says Ghimire. “How are they different from any common criminals? That was a flashpoint.”

King Gyanendra was out of the city at that time, and succeeded his much-respected brother King Birendra, the last Shah to transition from being a ruler to a titular monarch.

Despite a somewhat unsavoury reputation as a hard-nosed businessman, King Gyanendra’s countrymen appeared ready to give him a chance to restore the prestige of the monarchy.

Instead, within four years, he sacked the government and assumed full power, saying it had failed to put down a raging Maoist rebellion. The move reversed his brother’s decision to allow multiparty democracy and a constitutional monarchy in 1990 after a campaign in which up to 300 people were killed.

The resulting public anger against Gyanendra was fuelled by nagging suspicions many harboured about why he was away at the time of the massacre.

“It was a missed opportunity,” says Ghimire of King Gyanendra. “He was a royal but he didn’t expect to be king, so he was also a commoner. He could have given a new thrust to the monarchy.”