Former King Shah felicitated says system has failed to deliver

Former King Gyanendra Shah has expressed concern over fast erosion of social values and structures with corrupt practices and called for an appropriate ‘concept’ to guide the country.

In response to a public felicitation at Inaruwa in Sunsari district, the former King said that while political stability or durability are naturally linked with right system, peace and discipline, visible efforts are being made to ravage the social values and structure with the use of money, favour, position and power.

“The mere superficial change brought about has failed to deliver. We must protect our nationalism and national unity. For sure, we must defend our national dignity, sovereignty and sovereign independence, and for sure, we must move along the route of all round development through peace, order and good governance” he said, with the rapid applause of the assembly there. There were intermittent slogans in favour of the monarchy.

This is the first public response by former king Shah after the monarchy was abolished some 15 years ago. The felicitation was done by the ‘Rashtriya Abhinandan Mool Samaroha Samiti’ headed by former Minister Keshar Bahadur Bista with several individuals and organizations supporting it.

Earlier in the day, the former king traveled from Damak in Jhapa to Inaruwa for the function which the local administration had initially tried to cancel, but yielded after the tough resistance from the organizers.

In his response, former king Shah said he was grateful to the people assembled there as he felt the felicitation encompassed general concern for national interest. ‘We love and like our Nepal that has always remained independent and embraced modernity without ever losing its fundamental values and self-respect’, he said.

‘I see the same story of our nation’s pride and undiluted love for the country manifested here today. We value the devotion that you have exhibited towards the country. We are deeply moved by your love for the country, and your concern over the prevailing situation’.

Likening the country to Brahma, the former king said, ‘the nation is our ‘Brahma’,  The people of our land are divine, and we must relish this very nature—its flora and fauna—is our religion. Not by getting divided as individual, family, group, party or sub-group, but we must together promote a national concept that we can proudly call ‘ours’.  ‘Let the way you have shown today inspire all’.