On the seventh Loktantra diwas, the country’s mood was somber. Seven years ago it appeared that the changes set in motion by Jana Andolan II would swiftly usher in an era of transformation that Nepali people had patiently waited for—for over 60 years! That prospect of establishment of a New Nepal appeared even brighter with the successful holding of the Constituent Assembly polls in 2008, against great odds. But people’s hopes were dashed when the popularly elected body failed to deliver on its promise, due mainly to unbridgeable differences over the issue of federalism, the central plank of a new constitution. This is the reason seven years down the line, the country remains at a difficult crossroads, with the national polity divided right down the middle.
The issue of federalism remains intractable as ever, and no new date for election of a new Constituent Assembly has been announced one and a half months since the formation of the election government under sitting Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi.
But there is hope yet. This is not a utopian hope that everything will be picture perfect for the country hereon in. There are big obstacles ahead, no doubt. The differences between the political parties in the ruling coalition and the opposition that have been hindering the announcement of a new poll date appears no closer to a resolution, and it is becoming clear that holding free and fair CA polls will not be an easy task in this divisive atmosphere. And even if the polls go ahead without a hitch, coming up with a viable constitution through the new body, which again is likely to be divided along partisan lines, will be extremely difficult. The proposed provision in the election-related ordinance that the Constituent Assembly proper will remain in place for five years adds to people’s suspicion: if the political parties really believed they could come up with a constitution through the CA mechanism, why couldn’t they agree on a shorter tenure of the new CA, say a year, while the parliament was allowed to complete its full five-year term?
Despite these hurdles, our hope is based on the fact that there really is no alternative for the political parties other than to elect a new CA and give people the long-delayed constitution through it. The political parties understand very well that if they fail to deliver on their promise yet again, their very relevance will be questioned, doing irreparable damage to the country’s long march to an uninterrupted democratic order. It would also give anti-democratic elements in the society a new lease of life.
We are also confident that despite their pre-poll posturing, which seems to be fanning divisive tendencies, the political parties have learned valuable lessons from the last (failed) constitutional exercise and will engage with one another in an atmosphere conducive to meaningful compromise. Although any map of the federal democratic republic of Nepal will be complex in the end, given the political will there is no reason a compromise document cannot be worked out. A document which could signal the true beginnings of a New Nepal.
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