At present, the nation seems to be facing more problems without any solutions. This is the time when all the political parties should work as a team for nation’s sake and expend all their energy and knowledge in drafting the new constitution and taking the peace process to an end. Unfortunately, this is not happening. All we are witnessing are “blame-games.” The eighteen months of Madhav Kumar Nepal era went in vain, making no headway in drafting the new constitution and peace process. We should not forget that the nation is trying to be on track of progress, development and stability, after emerging from a terrifying blood-bath period of insurgency.
Hence, now is the time that consensus among all the political parties is necessary to meet the specific goals of the transition phase. The nation has crossed various stages of transition and now we are at the most crucial stage. Though skeptical about the timely formulation of the new constitution, people have tremendous aspirations for it. Given the situation, the Constituent Assembly (CA) members need to be cautious that the new constitution is inclusive, respects the rights of its people and reflects voices of Dalits, ethnic and indigenous nationalities, excluded women, minorities and the marginalized communities.
This is not the first time in history that Nepal has experienced transition. It has gone through several such transitional phases in the past. And, the lessons learned from those periods should be incorporated and replicated for effective implementation of the new constitution. If need be, models from other countries should also be studied to manage the transition phase.
The frequent change in the government is proving that the the political dynamism is turning into a naked power struggle. Unlike in advanced democratic countries where political parties tend to win people through formulation of attractive policies and programs, the political parties here seem to rely more on maximization of party members and supporters and thereby naming it organizational development. This idea of party building only appeals temporarily and in the long run such strategies fail. The people’s enthusiasm is now turning into frustration towards their parties and their leaders. Furthermore, in the last couple of years the political arena has been surrounded by intra party fighting, and making and breaking of inter-party coalition. As a result, the need and interests of the people have been ignored.
Nepal has suffered enough from the blunders made and the blame-games played in the past, resulting in instability. Now is the time to look at the bigger picture and be united for creating a progressive and stable Nepal. Every single un/productive day lost today might push the nation towards making another blunder in the days to come.
The exclusion of people’s needs and aspirations in the current political atmosphere seems to be the root cause of the unstable politics in Nepal. This has been manifested in the functioning of CA, government and people’s psychology. After almost three years since the Constituent Assembly elections were held, it seems that we are failing to consolidate the newly achieved Federal-Democratic structure. Erosion of people’s interest, clear vision and instability is taking their toll on economic development, good governance and political stability. The intra-party factionalism is causing loss of trust in leaders’ efficiency.
As a whole, we seem to be lacking team-work and determination. We have attitude of instantly pointing a finger at someone else. We all need to join hands and work together for the sake of the nation. I do not think it is more important to blame the time taken for allocating the ministries or what the previous government could not do. What is more important here is to have a positive attitude and a collective effort to start with the process of drafting the new constitution and thereby concluding the peace process smoothly and effectively. Because at the end of the day all the 601 constituent members are accountable to the people of the nation and it would not be an easy task for them to face the public ire if the new constitution cannot be drafted or the peace process does not reach any end. In both the cases, it is the nation that suffers.
With hardly 42 more days left to meet the deadline for drafting the new constitution, we, the 601 constituent assembly members need to get together and get into a “damage-control mode” and utilize the last cricketing “power-play” to achieve the task of drafting the new constitution. Solutions of enormous problems faced by the nation from political instability, governance, economic development and issues related to Dalits, ethnic and indigenous nationalities to excluded women, minorities and the marginalized communities can partly be found in drafting of the new constitution. We should not take the remaining 42 days as insufficient time because there are examples of countries around the world where a constitution has been drafted in less than 50 days. All that we require is a sense of urgency to complete this noble job.
So, let us not create another blunder by getting in “blame-games.” We need to think beyond the petty issues and put our best effort in forging a national consensus in drafting the new constitution and taking the peace process to a logical end. Nepal has suffered enough from the blunders made and the blame-games played in the past, resulting in instability. Now is the time to look at the bigger picture and be united for creating a progressive and stable Nepal. Every single un/productive day lost today might push the nation towards making another blunder in the days to come. The count-down has already begun!
Writer is the Youngest Elected Member of the Constituent Assembly & Whip (MPRF-N)
abhishekpratapshah@yahoo.com
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