If Nepal continues, as it is now doing, to rupture economically, it won't matter who's in power at all. (Editorial, 'As if there is no tomorrow', #288) While finding a political solution to the present Maoist crisis is important, the much more important task of assuring that the country doesn't become an economic basket case seems to worry not very many particularly. The present royalist government harps consistently on corruption in previous governments. That's well and good but what exactly is its solution? The king must understand that spending ever more of a wounded country's resources on setting up special courts is not worth its while unless as a result of the prosecution the average Nepali feels an upliftment in their lives.

N Manan,
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. Now that the political parties have entered into new agreement with the Maoists, the king has made it impossible to talk only with the parties with the Maoists excluded (that is, if at all he intends to talk) thanks to his intransigence so long. However it may be better to make the Maoists too, a party to talks (forget and forgive) as that will make the general election feasible. The polls can't be taken by anything but sham.The general election after agreement will be for constituent assembly retaining the role for the king a purely ceremonial one with no military or civil governing power. So far the people will be willing to give him a role, otherwise Nepal may slip into a republic state, now that the Nepali regard for monarchy is at its lowest ebb excepting for a handful of cronies.

I Pradhan,
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