KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that attempts are still underway to re-centralize the people’s decision-making rights within an aristocratic lineage.
Speaking at a ceremony held at Tundikhel to mark Republic Day on Thursday, Prime Minister Oli remarked that the day commemorates the defeat of the authoritarian monarchy.
“Throughout history, there have been struggles and agreements between the autocratic monarchy and the people. The republic was established by the people after defeating an authoritarian monarchy that repeatedly breached those agreements,” said Oli.
“Even today, efforts are being made to re-centralize the rights of the people under a privileged lineage.”
He emphasized that in a free society, royal commands cannot hold more value than the people’s democratic choice.
“A society that has grown up practicing freedom cannot accept that a royal gesture is greater than the people’s vote,” he said.
“The privileges of a dynasty that led the country through 250 years of regressive and disgraceful rule cannot outweigh the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs and the aspirations of millions of Nepalis.”
“No one can claim that the dreams of the people—nurtured in the fertile soil of liberty—should now be confined to palace walls,” he added.
Prime Minister Oli also accused authoritarian forces of misusing the public information system to distort the past.
“Thanks to the freedom of information in the republic, the people now serve as judges over unreported crimes and corruption that were once hidden by autocrats,” Prime Minister Oli said.
“But those same forces are now attempting to use this system to showcase the filth of the past as though it defines the present.”
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