Narayan B Thapa's Guest Column 'Let the people decide' (#276) shows he is one of those who continue to pretend as if nothing has happened. With all his pseudo-reasoning about people's power to decide the fate of the nation, he reiterates the defunct rhetoric that 'monarchy is the symbol of national unity'.

His recourse to the 'silent majority' theory is full of contradiction, even if one assumes that he has the knack of hearing the silence. If the silent majority, whoever they are, by definition don't speak, how does he know that the so-called silent majority 'would like the king to have an important inspirational role in the future of the nation'? His shadowy vindication of this 'inspirational role' is based on the defunct rhetoric of national unity. How can the monarchy be the symbol of national unity when the king has become the symbol of unity of only the few royal cronies, ex-convicts, panchyati outcasts, vigilantes and Hindu fundamentalists? The fact is, people like Thapa chose to reiterate a myth that has lost its relevance and, for that matter, the power of its rhetoric.

Aniruddha Thapa,
email

. Your editorial ('Reshuffling the pack', #276) and cover story 'All the king's men' in the same issue leads me to wonder when this farce will end. In a game of cards, all players attempt to win but the latest cabinet reshuffle is a sure 'lose-lose' game (and will continue to be so until constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy are restored). Besides, every royal-appointed cabinet is an exercise in futility as they are not accountable to the people. What is common to the new inductees is that they all share the same enthusiasm for opportunism and possess little personal integrity themselves. They are not only the last group of people who will resolve Nepal's crisis but their very induction exacerbates the crisis. In this new pack, there are no aces. Rather, the entire team may be aptly referred to as a bunch of jokers.

S Shrestha,
email

. The latest news about misappropriation of poor NEA vehicles goes to show how blatantly unaccountable the authorities now consider themselves. Do they think they are employees of the royal palace or what? The month long extension of the ceasefire is going to expire and the indication so far is government's response will not be positive. Peace is still a far cry.

I Pradhan,
email