Billboards on the city's intersections have been painted over with soundbites from King Gyanendra's recent proclamations. The one outside Singha Darbar stands out, it reads in translation: 'We firmly believe that centralisation of power is against the spirit of democracy.'

No, it's not a spoof. But we don't blame people for being bemused because that has been the problem all along since October 2002: the gap between words and deeds.

The current regime's detrimental defiance of domestic aspirations and needless needling of the international community isn't helping it win any friends. It should have realised long ago that the public's apathy towards the political parties doesn't mean there is support for its authoritarian tendencies. If the royal-appointed council of ministers had been able to take a great leap forward in restoring peace or service delivery to the people, there may have been some support. We have looked but haven't discerned any such dramatic improvement. On the contrary, there are daily reports of inspection teams behaving high-handedly, political witch-hunts, inconsistency and contradictions in the state's functioning.

Many people went along with the royal move nearly six months ago because they thought there was A Plan. But the only plan seems to have been a systematic and premeditated plot to use the insurgency as ploy to disassemble democracy, gag the free press and put civil liberties into deep freeze.

What really worries us now are feelings being expressed publicly by genuine well-wishers of monarchy. They are aghast at the ways of the extremist right who are running the show and are concerned that this will ultimately undermine the institution of monarchy as a symbol of Nepali nationhood. Beware of those who are more royal than the king, they say.

This is democracy in installments: release a few detainees here, allow banned tv stations back, relax press controls somewhat. The idea seems to be to stretch this out for three years. Problem is, there isn't that much time.