I will assume power through ballot: Paras Shah

(In The New Paper, Nepal´s former crown prince revealed events that he said led to his cousin to wipe out nearly all members of the royal family in 2001. In Tuesday´s edition, he describes what took place that night. Below is former prince Paras´ account to the newspaper.)



He is all charm and grace when he meets us, hands pressed together in traditional Nepali greeting. [break]



His long hair, tied in ponytail, hints at the playboy lifestyle.



Prince Paras of Nepal, 37, makes no bones about how he used to live his life.

• INTERVIEW II: Dipendra shot himself after shooting his family: Paras Shah


• INTERVIEW I: Dipendra had multiple reasons to gun down his family: Paras

Because of his “many mistakes”, he doesn’t think he is “the right person to be king” even if the monarchy were to be restored in his country.



“I cannot undo the mistakes I have made in the past. The king must be someone with no failings. Otherwise those failing with tarnish the reputation of the position,” he says.



His love for life in the fast lane – as well as his ability to polish off a bottle of vodka in one sitting – has not endeared him to the masses.



And, some bayed for his blood when, one rainy day, he knocked down one of Nepal’s most popular musicians. The musician was riding a motorbike at the time.



According to Prince Paras, the motorbike swayed suddenly in front of him, and though he stepped on the brake, he could not stop in time.



He attended to the man and took him to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.



The contrite prince visited the dead man’s family the next day.



“I paid his wife compensation and took care of his two sons, putting them through school,” he says.



All that is in the past.






The prince, who was educated in the UK and the US, has had a more sedate lifestyle after suffering from a mild heart attack two years ago. Doctors performed a balloon angioplasty on him to clear a blocked artery.



These days, he lives the life of a man about town in his penthouse apartment at River Valley Road.



He based himself largely in Singapore soon after the monarchy was abolished by a triumphant Maoist government, which swept the polls nearly a year ago.



He says: “I left Kathmandu (the capital) because it was not safe then for me. I did not get along with my father at the time.



“When he was king, he preferred to listen to advice of his advisers – all old men. I had been urging him to listen to younger people who can take Nepal forward.”



Prince Paras’ wife and children joined him shortly afterwards but they returned to Kathmandu after only a month.



“I am disappointed they could not settle down in Singapore, which is truly great place. But my wife felt the kids were not settling in well at school here,” he says.



His penthouse is spacious, the wooden and glass décor resplendent. But it looks empty.



Clearly, it lacks a woman’s touch. The wall are bare, the cabinets look vacant, save for a clutch of DVD movies and an unsheathed kukri (a curved Nepalese knife).



“I watch movies – I often go to the cinema in Great World (City). On Friday nights, I head to a disco in Clarke Quay.



“My friends and I head for the upper floor (an exclusive area for members). I stay away from the action on the dance floor below – too old for that,” he laughs.



But he gets serious when he talks about Nepal.



“I plan to return to my country. It needs me. Crime and violence have spiraled. There are all kinds of shortages – petrol, diesel, kerosene and gas. The people are hungry. They are lucky if they have four hours of electricity daily because of power cuts.”



The people deserve a better government, he says, and when the time is right, he will return and lead the country.



“But I will assume power this time through the ballot box. I will form a new party with young people – bankers, professionals, men with a vision for the country. But really, all this can only come to pass if the people want me.”



What is it living here?



“Singapore is a great place. I can go anywhere, I can see anybody I want. Nobody bothers me. In Nepal, it’s just impossible – so many people want my autograph and to take photographs with me,” he says.



‘On holiday’



So how does he spend his days in Singapore?



He laughs. “Put it this way. I am on holiday. I buy my own groceries; I cook for myself – rice, vegetables, a bit of meat.”



He says he spends a lot of the day on the phone making calls home, especially to his three children, who he misses very much.



And, he often invites friends from Nepal to visit him in Singapore.






When The New Paper interviewed him last week, several schoolmates were staying with him in four guest rooms at his double-story penthouse.



“At home, we hang around, play music and cards to pass the time,” says the prince.



He drives an Audi A4 around town, but there’s also a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera in the garage if he want to use a flashier car.



Both were provided to him by relatives, he says.



So how does the prince finance himself?



He laughs and admits that he does not have a bank account.



“I get money from home,” he says.



Some of his relatives have started businesses here, something he is also contemplating.



“There are some areas I am looking at but nothing is confirmed right now. But one of the things I am definitely looking at is investments.



“Perhaps next month, I shall invest some money. I heard there will be some good buys on the stock market then.”

 

 (S Murali, Clement Mesenas/The New Paper)