To continue the last blog...well, the nation has been well and truly teased. Question remains whether we laugh or cry.
We have a federal constitution to which there is vociferous opposition from the Terai-based political parties and various indigenous and ethnic groups as well as those who see no need for federalism in this country. We have a secular state which will "preserve the Sanatan practices passed down through the ages"; a peculiar definition of 'secular' decipherable only to the troika who shoved the constitution down the throats of the sheep-like Constitutional Assembly members. We have annoyed Big Brother to the south by not listening to their suggestion to put off the promulgation until the Terai issues were ironed out. We rejoice at the success of a fast-tracked constitution which was delayed for seven years then approved in around seven days.
I'm not laughing. But who gives a damn!
We have a federal constitution to which there is vociferous opposition from the Terai-based political parties and various indigenous and ethnic groups as well as those who see no need for federalism in this country. We have a secular state which will "preserve the Sanatan practices passed down through the ages"; a peculiar definition of 'secular' decipherable only to the troika who shoved the constitution down the throats of the sheep-like Constitutional Assembly members. We have annoyed Big Brother to the south by not listening to their suggestion to put off the promulgation until the Terai issues were ironed out. We rejoice at the success of a fast-tracked constitution which was delayed for seven years then approved in around seven days.
I'm not laughing. But who gives a damn!
2 comments:
For the future of the country it is better now to accept the reality of the Constitution as fait accompli. From the extreme right to the extreme left a huge cross section of society is not happy and instead of fighting a civil war like in post Czarist Russia that will not only bring the country to ruin but also might pose an existential threat to the nation, I submit that this Constitution attempts to find middle ground - no matter how I don't like the concept of Federalism. It is time to make peace with the warring factions by getting the confidence of India. If India wants it, Yadav, Mahato, Thakur and the likes of them will be meek as lambs. I read that the "Madhesi andolan" is now even beyond their control, so external forces are certainly calling the shots. It is time now for the Nepalese of all persuasions to unite behind the new Constitution and work for the betterment of the nation. If we lose this opportunity now, then we will never be able to pull ourselves out of the ranks of the least developed nations. Then we might as well join India as another state - exactly what perhaps our neighbour wants.
Can one eat and enjoy a half-baked cake? Would India really be interested in 'swallowing' Nepal or even the Terai without repercussions in Kashmir or their secessionist North-Eastern states? Negative to both. A 'civil war' in Nepal is not in the offing. I understand there is provision for amendments in the constitution with a two-thirds majority in the CA, legislature or whatever it is called now. Therein lies the solution, methinks. No middle ground sought by this constitution: it was rushed through by short-sighted politicos only looking after their immediate benefit.
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