(This is the final part of series of report in The New Paper on Nepal’s former crown prince, in which he talks about his life in S’pore and meet the Singaporean woman who helped him settle in.)
A SINGLE call made by this Singapore woman can apparently move mountains in Nepal.
A king even gave up his throne after MsAngella Cheng made a strategic call.
This happened in 2006, when thousands of students took to the streets of the capital Kathmandu in demonstrations against the monarchy soon after the Maoist rebels had come into power.
Ms Cheng’s friends in Nepal had asked her for help.
So she got on the phone with former long-time prime ministerG P Koirala, who was leading the demonstrations.
“I asked him to seek an audience with then-King Gyanendra and work out a solution,” she told The New Paper.
Mr Koirala went to the palace and negotiations began in earnest.
The final outcome?
The king agreed to abdicate in favour of his grandson, Hridayendra, who was then an infant, easing the tense atmosphere.
According to Ms Cheng, Mr Koirala remarked to her then that she deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for her peacemaker role.
Call opens prison doors
Last November, when two top politicians – husbands of her close friends – were arrested, she interceded on their behalf and went to visit them when they were behind bars. “It was no easy matter – the guards refused to let me through.
“So I made calls to the Chief of Police in one instance and a Major-General in the other, and the visits were allowed.
“Till today, their wives know that I am a friend in need, and whenever they know I am in Nepal, they will whip up a feast for me,” she said.
So how did a Singapore woman acquire so much influence there, with many friendships, including some in high places?
It all began more than 10 years ago, when she was introduced to the Nepali Royal Family.
“I helped (the late) Princess Shanti, the elder sister of King Birendra, to raise funds for the country’s orphans. She was Nepal’s Patron of Orphanages. I helped raise cash which I sent over, along with used clothes, books and computers.”
Princess Shanti was among those slain in the royal massacre of 2001 when Crown prince Dipendra went berserk and opened fire on members of the Royal Family at a palace party, killing nine of them before shooting himself.
Ms Cheng’s royal connections remain strong now.
When Prince Paras decided to stay in Singapore after the abolition of the monarchy, she helped him settle down, including finding him accommodation.
Can she be a kingmaker?
Ms Cheng has visited Nepal to set up libraries, teach the children English and even cooked for them, breaking her nails, she said with a hearty laugh.
She also purchased medical equipment for Nepal’s public hospitals and co-ordinated sponsorship attachments for doctors and nurses to be trained in Singapore to upgrade their skills so that they can improve public health care back home.
In time, she extended help to Mr Koirala to raise funds to bring in urgently-needed medical experts.
Ms Cheng, 45, plans to visit Nepal during Deepavali in October and seek an audience with prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (alias Prachanda), during which she will offer him a plan which she thinks will unite the country.
Nepal is currently rocked by strife and dissent, split as it is by rifts between pro-monarchist and pro-republic factions.
“I will propose that we reinstate the monarchy, with the grandson of King Gyanendra, 6-year-old Hridayendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, as king. He will not have executive power but will be more of a figurehead, and assigned the role of doing social work.”
Why the young man and not his father, Prince Paras?
Ms Cheng believes that Prince Paras would not be a good choice as he is not popular with the people, having, as he himself has admitted, made too many mistakes to inherit the royal mantle.
Restoring paradise
And the Singaporean believes her suggestion will bear fruit as she has two bargaining chips to persuade the Prachanda government to accept the return of the monarchy.
One, the country is in dire need of infrastructural development.
An architect by training and fluent in Nepali and Mandarin, she is accompanying the Prachanda government to China to have discussions with the Chinese government on starting a number of major infrastructural projects in Nepal.
Two, through some close contacts in the Japanese government, Ms Cheng is also trying to persuade Japan to undertake some similar infrastructional projects in Nepal.
Ms Cheng comes across as a woman determined to help set things right in a country famous for its natural beauty.
Nepal is home to Everest, the world's highest peak and Lumbini, the birth place of Buddha.
Ms Cheng enjoys doing social and community work so much that she quit a cushy job with a property developer to start a social enterprise, ChaCha Cottage Industry.
Her social mission and objective is to help unskilled single mothers (divorced and widowed) with home-based work, including making decorative scented candles, beauty soaps and beauty products and costume jewellery.
She hopes to empower these women to rebuild their lives and re-establish their self-esteem.
Profits from sales of these products are used to help families of these mothers pay for school uniforms, medical and miscellaneous expenses. Products made by ChaCha Cottage Industry are sold at Raffles Hotel Shop.
Said Ms Cheng: “I was once a single mum, and my journey as a single mum to a life of blessings, and wanting to move on from success to significance, spurred me to start this cottage industry.”
Now, Nepal is facing perhaps its most difficult time. Revenue from tourism, its main income earner, is falling as visitors are staying away because of the global recession.
The country is also plagued by shortages of all sorts and daily blackouts.
Ms Cheng feels she has a new peace mission to play and intends to return to Nepal soon.
Isn’t she afraid for her safety, given that the populace in Nepal is restive, crime is rampant and kidnappings take place almost every day?
“No, I know most of the politicians, including Prime Minister Prachanda, the Maoist rebel leader turned politician, and members of the royal family since 1981.
“ I have played many crucial roles in the country for the last 28 years, and the time has come for me to do my bit for the country again.”
No comments:
Post a Comment