By Yekraj Pathak / Kathmandu, Apr. 8: If the dozens of misfortunes do not repeat in the name of constitution making like those in the earlier Constituent Assembly (CA), the country will have new constitution within ten months now onward. The second CA has for the first time, attempted to assure the people by approving a working schedule on Friday.
It is not the time to doubt right
now, because this is the first working schedule passed by the present CA. But it is the right time to alert most of the
same old faces who are present in the CA meeting hall, as the first CA working
schedule for constitution had to be amended for the 12 Th time in the past that
they would not repeat the same fate yet again.
The first CA had amended the
first working schedule passed by it on Mangsir 1, 2065 BS, for the 12 Th
times. The constitution could not be drafted and in the
end, it saw its demise at midnight of May 27, 2012 and now the second CA has
passed this working schedule to promulgate the new constitution by Magh 8, 2071
BS.
People still suspect what will
happen in the coming 300 nights in the context that drastic changes can occur
in Nepali politics overnight. People have not yet believed the leaders due to
their falsity in the past, as in the saying a dog hit by burning firewood is
frightened in lightning. But the people have very well realized from the events
of the past eight years that those who do not learn lesson from history can
never be progressive.
However, the leaders have made a
promise while reviving the CA that they will learn from the past mistakes, and
therefore, there is new hope, trust and expectation of the people in the new
CA. But to fulfill those wishes, giving
assurances to people will not suffice, and they have to put them into practice.
If the leaders are to learn from
the past, ten month's time is in no way insufficient. They have to realize the fact that people's
faith on CA had plunged because of their deeds such as changing working
schedule on small pretexts even if they had enough time. They have to be alert that such tendency
does not raise faith on this dignified institution. Therefore, the Magh 8
(January, 2015) deadline be unamendable like the preamble of constitution and
people are praying that no Magh 9 comes in such a schedule once again.
While we talk about this indispensable need,
however, there are ample challenges before CA.
On the same day as the working schedule was passed, and on the same
moments, political parties which favored federalism with identity had called
for unity in favor of it. They have been
saying that constitution should be promulgated by comprehending their
sentiments rather than with the mere two third majority of the CA.
On the other hand, the force that
was demanding constitution on the basis of ethnic identity without attending
the CA that passed the working schedule is also a force not to be
underestimated. It has a whole force of
Maoists who launched a decade-long insurgency demanding constituent assembly in
the country. Two senior leaders of the
Maoist parties which split after they came to peace process also assembled
there in one forum on the very occasion. And, they did not forget to use the
same old term for Nepali Congress and CPN-UML-- 'traditional forces'. Their
intent was to say that the constitution promulgated by the force only can not incorporate
the people's sentiments.
The meeting was attended by
leaders of parties that emerged out of the fatal activities of ethnic politics
in the past. They are out to bring about
constitution with ethnic identity in the country. In this backdrop, the CA's main challenge is
the warning by the one fourth power in the CA on ethnic federalism, a bone of
contention in the past. This CA has a
responsibility of showing high level of deftness and flexibility to bring these
two opposite sides in one place.
Various columns in different
media and newspapers on Saturday alerted that this working schedule not be
missed out and CA members in the meeting also expressed their worries. UML CA
Member Rabindra Adhikari said, he had in the past made the CA working schedule,
which was amended 12 times. "Therefore, we should promise that it will not
be amended in any circumstances and the constitution will be promulgated in
time," he said.
NC leader Dr. Prakash Sharan
Mahat also says it will be promulgated in time at any cost as most of the works
of the constitution have been completed as major parties have issued a
declaration to do it within a year. He
says it is to be promulgated by the Congress-led government and will be done in
time.
As per the working schedule
passed on Friday, the report of the Constitution Documentation Committee will
be presented by fourth week of May and will be discussed until
mid-September. The first draft of the
constitution will be published by mid-October and will be promulgated by the
president after signing it. In this way, the working schedule has enough time
for necessary discussion, consultation and collection of recommendations.
Although constituent assembly is
said to come once in an age in other parts of the world, but in Nepal, the CA
which came twice because of compulsion and exception, has efficiently owned up
the works completed by first CA, but we should hope that the past distrust,
anomalies and indecision do not creep in it like in the past and indecision not
be the fate of his CA. Nepali people will not have any alternative to Magh 8,
2071 BS. Source - RSS Feature service
Comments