Ghatana ra Bichar: What is the country's main problem now?
Surya Bahadur Thapa: We have a multiparty system, but democracy is weak. To write the constitution and for the future, we need to strengthen democracy.

What do you think of the Maoist draft constitution?
The Maoists are preparing to finish off their opponents. This has been their philosophy all along. They may have been elected to power now, but they haven't given up that goal. The foreign powers who thought that the Maoists would enter the mainstream after being brought into the democratic fold were all wrong. They let them do whatever they wanted, thinking they would reform themselves. The effect of this will be felt in Nepal, in the subcontinent and the world.

Is there still a role for the ex-king?
Ater the end of the monarchy, the king doesn't have a role.

Who had a bigger role in ending the monarchy, domestic or outside forces?
The bigger role in any event is one's own weakness. Listen, if the ex-king hadn't tried to grab power this wouldn't have happened. There were other factors, but the main factor was the people's movement. There was a real danger of a blood bath, but he accepted the outcome of the movement and even left the palace, accepting the historical situation.

So it's not such a big deal if the ex-king meets leaders in India?
He may take a few courtesy calls, but it won't have such a major importance. Today, the ex-king is not even taking part in cultural events, let alone politics. The Maoists can't handle domestic problems like the power cuts, inflation and are trying to divert attention and channel the outrage towards the
ex-king Gyanendra.

Are we going to pull through this?
Listen, all we need is 15 days to write a constitution. We don't need a whole lot of foreigners, we need the parties with different opinions to come to a consensus. But they say one thing in private and say something else in public. Without that political will, I don't see a constitution being written that will reflect this nation's soul.

So how do we bring things back to normal?
We need to restore democracy again.