Monday, March 05, 2007

Ensuring Ethnic And Gender Representation In The Constituent Assembly




(Article sent to Kathmandu Post)

What happened for 19 days during the April Revolution and for 21 days during the Maghe Kranti is about to happen all over again. Is this necessary? Is there a better way out? I for one try to lead the emotionally charged issues of Madhesi and Janajati rights to political logic. The first question I ask people is, are you for democracy? People say yes. Then I ask, are you for federalism? People say yes. And then I lose them.

It is understandable that the country has not agreed to any map for federalism yet, and I do think it is for the constituent assembly to make a final decision. But if we are for democracy and federalism, we should produce our respective maps and go to the people, and let the people decide. The Bahun establishment's refusal to produce maps has made the Madhesi and the Janajati very suspicious, and rightly so.

I myself used to think in terms of geographic federalism. My federalism had three states, Koshi, Gandaki, Karnali. The Madhesi Movement helped me ditch that. Now I am firmly for ethnic federalism. As a Madhesi, I want a Madhesh state from the Rapti river to the Mechi river. I now speak in terms of a Madhesh, a Tharuwan, a Kirat, a Tamang, a Newa, a Tamuwan, a Magarat, and a Khasan, for a total of eight states.

The Maghe Kranti produced substantially more martyrs than the April Revolution. And it got demonized as an act of the royalists and the Hindu supremacists. The facts did not matter. It did not matter that the Madhesi Movement has asked for an immediate declaration of a republic, that it has produced a disproportionate number of Muslim martyrs, and that there never was a slogan for the monarchy or a Hindu state anywhere during those 21 glory days.

My map has a Madhesh state in it. But as a democrat, I can see how someone else might have some other map. In that case we should both take our maps to the people and let the people decide. It is my reading of the ground situation that any political party that does not go into the Madhesh with the agenda of a Madhesh state is going to get wiped out. The sentiment is so strong.

The Home Minister not resigning has gone against all grains of democratic logic. In a democracy, when there is a major train accident, the railway minister resigns. That is so basic. But the Girija Koirala, Krishna Sitaula duo have defied that basic democratic gravity, and have shamelessly stayed on. Unless Sitaula resigns, there will be no constituent assembly elections. If not for the 38 martyrs of the Madhesi Movement, will Sitaula resign for the sake of the constituent assembly? That is what it boils down to.

Sitaula has to resign, and the state terror unleashed upon the Maghe Kranti has to be investigated. And then all parties have to agree to hold proportional representation elections to the constituent assembly, the benchmark demand of the Janajati Movement. If these three things can happen right away, it is possible the elections can still be held in June. Otherwise November is going to crop up as a possibility. And the Madhesi Janajati Movement might go on to ask for a new interim parliament, a new interim government, a new interim constitution, and an interim president who perhaps is Upendra Yadav, as in, bye bye Girija. How would you like Om Gurung for interim Vice President?

Girija Koirala's political style is one of inflexibility. That leads to political paralysis. Right now the country perhaps deserves a leadership that holds extensive, regular consultations with a wide range of individuals and organizaitons, travels much, and is visible.

Even if we can agree to a map for federalism, we still will have to decide on the power distribution between the various layers of governemnt. I have come up with a formula that has a mathematical elegance to it.

The central government keeps 50% of the federal budget, and passes on the other 50% to all the states in direct proportion to their population. The state government keeps 50% of the state budget, and passes on the other 50% to all the districts in direct proportion to their population. The district government keeps 50% of the district budget, and passes on the other 50% to all the towns/villages in direct proportion to their population. The state government is the only that gets to collect the sales tax. This will make sure all states compete to create the best possible environment for business. For the national lower house, states get seats in direct proportion to their population, 300 seats total. For the national upper house, there are 100 seats through proportional representation. Any party that gets at least 1% of the votes qualifies. A political party may not be armed. Other than that there will not be any disqualifiers. It is called the basic human right to peaceful assembly.

Once we can settle all this and secure a healthy, vibrant federal republic, the national agenda shifts to the idea of an economic revolution to last decades. Focus on human capital, more than on physical capital, and financial capital. Focus on the service sector like a laser beam without ignoring the agriculture and industrial sectors. Focus on the information/telecommunications infrastructure more than on the physical infrastructure. BOOT. Build, own, operate, transfer. Think of ambitious infrastructure projects. FDI. Foreign Direct Investment. China, India. Nepal is lucky to be between the two Asian giants. This is the Asian Century.

The most painful aspect of the Home Minister not resigning, and the eight parties not agreeing to proportional elections to the constituent assembly, the mechanism best suited to making sure the constituent assembly ends up looking like Nepal in its ethnic and gender composition, is the prospect of rapid economic growth gets pushed away further.

(Paramendra Bhagat is Convenor, Coordination Committee, Nepali Organizations In New York City and blogs at Madhesi.net)

Madhesi Janajati Kranti: Confusion, Clarity
Madhesi Janajati Kranti: A Few Scenarios
Mantra For An Economic Revolution In Nepal
Elections In November

7 February 2007, Wednesday1256

8 February 2007, Thursday850

9 February 2007, Friday391

10 February 2007, Saturday213

11 February 2007, Sunday412

12 February 2007, Monday327

13 February 2007, Tuesday386

14 February 2007, Wednesday661

15 February 2007, Thursday890

16 February 2007, Friday373

17 February 2007, Saturday312

18 February 2007, Sunday434

19 February 2007, Monday348

20 February 2007, Tuesday340

21 February 2007, Wednesday368

22 February 2007, Thursday333

23 February 2007, Friday415

24 February 2007, Saturday281

25 February 2007, Sunday313

26 February 2007, Monday214

27 February 2007, Tuesday436

28 February 2007, Wednesday414

1 March 2007, Thursday750

2 March 2007, Friday385

3 March 2007, Saturday252

4 March 2007, Sunday252

Dinesh Tripathi's Petition: Nepali Diaspora's Right To Vote: Please Sign
Dear Paramendra ji,

The right to vote is a fundamental right that should be given to all Nepali citizens, regardless of where they live. The upcoming constituent assembly election is extremely important. Nepali people all over the world should allow to vote in the upcoming assembly election. In order to assert our sovereign right to vote in the upcoming constituent assembly election please sign the petition. In order to build pressure for right to vote Our target is to submit at least 50,000 signature. We demand that the electoral regulations be re-drafted, and ask all Nepalis everywhere to sign this petition, with their name and address, as a matter of urgency. The names of all petitioners will be sent to the government of Nepal and the Election Commission on March 31. So Could you please send a global mass email and post in your popular website so large number of people have opportunity to sign it. I will highly appreciate your help in this regard. Thank you so much. Please feel free to contact me.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/323504904

Kind regards
Advocate Dinesh Tripathi

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We are winning सुनसरी- मधेश मुक्ति टाइगर्सले मधेश आन्दोलनको अवधि भरी पहाडी मूलका नेपालीहरुलाई मधेश छाड्न चेतावनी दिएको छ । शनिवार टाइगर्सका केन्द्रीय संयोजक राजनद्वारा जारी गरिएको विज्ञप्तिमा सो चेतावनी दिइएको छ । विज्ञप्तिमा पहाडी मुलका नेपालीहरुले आफ्नो चेतावनीलाई बेवास्ता गर्दै मधेश नछाडे फौजी कारवाही गरिने जनाइएको छ । मधेशी जनतालाई समानता र मानवाधिकारबाट बञ्चित राख्ने खस ब्राम्हणवादी राज्यसत्ताले भुटानी शरणार्थी, आसामी तथा बर्मेलीहरुलाई मधेशी भुमिको अतिक्रमणमा छुट दिएको विज्ञप्तिमा उल्लेख गरिएको छ । मधेश माथिको पहाडीयाहरुको अतिक्रमणलाई नियन्त्रण गर्न बुधबार राती सुनसरीको हरिपुरबाट ११ जनालाई नियन्त्रणमा लिनु परेको विज्ञप्तिमा उल्लेख छ । विज्ञप्तिमा मधेशभुमीमा कार्यरत सरकारी कर्मचारी, सुकुम्बासी लगायतकाले मधेशको संस्कृति, भाषा, भेषभूषा र कर स्वीकार गरे कुनै पनि कारवाही नगरिने तर दौरा, सुरुवाल र टोपी लगाई मधेशभुमीमा हिंड्डुल गर्ने जो कोहीलाई पनि फौजी कारवाही गरिने चेतावनी दिईएको छ । राज्यले मधेश र मधेशी जनताको मागलाई बेवास्ता गरेको उल्लेख गर्दै विज्ञप्तिमा संविधान सभाको निर्वाचन मधेश र मधेशी जनताका लागि धोका भएकाले त्यसको कुनै औचित्य नरहेको उल्लेख गरिएको छ । यसैबीच टाइगर्सद्वारा बुधबार राती अपहरित ११ जनालाई शुक्रबार राती सप्तरीको जोगनीयाबाट मुक्त गरिएको छ । मधेशी मानवअधिकारकर्मी जङ्गबहादुर सिंह र सञ्चारकर्मी पङ्कज झाको रोहबरमा शनिवार भित्रमा मधेश छाड्ने शर्तमा मुक्त गरिएको अधिकारकर्मी सिंहले जानकारी दिनुभयो ।