Tuesday, May 6, 2014

ARTICLE/ DR. ANGDEMBE ON FEDERALISM/ CAN NEPAL HAVE A DALIT PRESIDENT ?

 ARTICLE/ DR. ANGDEMBE ON FEDERALISM/ CAN NEPAL HAVE A DALIT PRESIDENT ?
Dear Dr. Dhungel, Shyam Adhikariji and Bihari Krishnaji,

You all three are very senior to me and therefore I have great respect for you all three down there. Simply, being a concerned ethnic Nepali, I sometime like communicating for Nepal's urgent causes but, I have no idea how concerned people take my putting down these letters in black and white ? I agree all Nepalis people must  live like Nepalis - of course yes; nothing less or nothing more than that but they also can have their own specific identities, if they have any within broader Nepal, like all Americans do down here in the US.

For federalism to work,  a country's size shouldn't be the matter. Both Switzerland 15,940 sq miles (41,285 km²) and Austria 32,377 sq miles (83,855 km²) are much smaller than Nepal  with 54,363 sq miles (140,800 km²). The issue of diversity is something that requires a very careful handling.

May I quote Dr. Dhungel's IIDS November 2002 Report - Xth Plan, Indigenous Peoples - IP issues. Page 74 Table 25 here ? I may seem here talking of some particular group of people which I am not actually. It's none of my business to be critical against one group of people in favour of the others whatever. 
In Nepal Government Gazetted Administrative Jobs (राजपत्रांकित निजामति कर्मचारी, प्रशासन सेवा - समूह ) Dr. Dhungel has these figures: I quote,  "Brahmin/Chhetri Upper castes (बाहुन -छेत्री/उच्च जातहरु)  89.9 %, Newars (नेवार) 9.7% and Non-Newars (गैर नेवार) 0.4% = 100%" seats.  These folks are the Nepali policy makers (नेपालको भाग्य निर्माताहरु ) -  on the whole. Has this trend changed  at all in the country ? I don't think it has essentially. The recent case with Supreme Court Justice nominees, however, protested they now stand, Ambassadors  or etc. and etc. reflect the Rana Era or Panchyat Era governance. Shouldn't  it  change  at all ?

I don't think federalism is only the Maoists' talking point in the country. Whether whoever should have raised it to this height, they are the people of Nepal  who did it and therefore we can't say that was not people's demand  at all as Bihariji has stated in one of his posts couple of days ago.  

I understand that Bihari K. Shrestha is one of Nepal's loudest proponents of Community Forestry. I now can recall him once presenting a paper on such theme at the Himalaya Hotel and particularly talking of some Palpa Community Forestry Model. But all these sorts of things were (are) parts and parcels of a system - decentralization, which I shall again write, has 'failed  flat' in Nepal. No elections - never ever, local bodies' perpetual whimsical ministerial pen's one stroke dissolving and what not ? I don't believe that local bodies  are some ministerial coat pockets ?

So, decentralization may not be an alternative to federalization of  today's Nepal.

My best regards to you all three,

--
_______________________________
B. K. Rana & Langhali Pariwar Cambridge,
Cambridge, Massachusetts,
United States of America
Skype: thehimalayanvoice
___________________________________________________________________

" If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him." - Cardinal Richelieu, Minister of Louis XIII
(Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.)
  

From: Shyam Adhikari <adhikarishyam@hotmail.com>
Date: May 5, 2014 at 6:38:54 PM GMT+5:45

Subject: RE: Article/ Dr. Angdembe on Federalism

I have been keeping pace with all the discourses ,so far,posted and pasted on my email address and whether I agreed or disagreed with their arguments  but I feel I am adequately educated by all the divergent views ,so far,expressed on present day highly talked about topic "Federalism".To me,if I may join in this discourse,I could very candidly say that the concept of federalism is one of the plausible,value loaded  and necessary democratic traits but could not be implemented equally and universally without its viability and suitability in a country specific situations.To be specific,the concept under discussion is easier said than done in a country like Nepal given her size,socio-cultural  diversities  and resource capabilities .Some political parties seem,still, hell bent on introducing the federal system based on ethnicity despite of being boomeranged by the verdict of the last CA election.If this is an example and lesson to be learnt,these political parties must respect the verdict of the people and forget about their obstinate claim and go for vox populi which Dr. Dhungel so vividly illustrated in his findings of his field visits.

If democracy is of the people,for the people and by the people,all political parties must go by the people!s wishes and not by political whims and fancies of any political party.All political parties take such a sensitive issue above their party!s interest and  not ignoring people!s wishes and aspirations to keep this nation move forward and coexisting with all compatriots harmoniously as ever.

Shuva Mangalum.
-SPA


Subject: Article/ Dr. Angdembe on Federalism
Date: Mon, 5 May 2014 16:51:41 +0530
Dear Respected Seniors and Colleagues: 

First of all, I want to thank and congratulate Mr.Kalayan Dev Bhattarai for initiating a dialogue on a topic of contemporary importance to all Nepalese people and friends of Nepal. Therefore, the current discussion on federalism although restricted to a very few, compared to the population of the country, I think has generated immense interest among the people who could influence the decision makers of the country.

Regarding the participation in such a dialogue, I hope that derogatory words would not be used against any caste or ethnic or language group by any participant. Also I wish, the discussion is picked up by a broad sheet paper as we have seen in the case of discussion initiated by Sushil Sharma a couple of months ago, and help to build some sort consensus among the larger section or majority. 

Now let me share my views regarding the federalism and what I found while talking to the common people at the tea stalls, chautaris and bus or taxi stands during the study trips to the various parts of the country- from the Kosi hills to Manthali to Nepalgunj, Dhangadi and Mahendranagar.

 1. My personal thinking:  
 Despite the fact Singhdurbar alone can't solve all the problems that the country has faced or has been facing, I am yet to be fully convinced that federalism is the only solution to all the problems Nepal has faced. In other words, I do not think all the problems would be solved once the country's political structure turns into a federal structure. Nevertheless it would have been better if the federalism was put into open and frank public discourse before it was accepted as the solution to all the problems the country has faced/ or facing.   
2. Views opinions expressed by the common people (given in the form of samples) when they were met at the tea stalls, taxi/bus stands and chautaris are given below:   
 ·         None of the political parties have educated us about the federalism and its advantages and disadvantages, we do not know anything about it
·         Candidates of all the political parties during the elections sought our votes with a promise that if they win they would get more development programs such as the schools building, the health posts, drinking water, sanitation, roads, irrigation works, so on and so forth from the government in their villages and towns or constituencies or districts  
·         For us the most important public institution is the Village Development Committee or municipality and then after the District Development Committee. These bodies should be run by the elected people and not by the government employees for an indefinite period, there should be election to these bodies as soon as possible. 
·         We want the government service delivery system to be more effective and less bureaucratic. We have not found the difference in the government service delivery system even after the change of the political system from the Panchayat system to Multi-party system to the current republic order. 
·         We, people of different castes and ethnic groups, have been living  in  harmony in our villages or towns, we would like to stay in that manner in perpetuity and want to be known as Nepali not that of this or that group
·         If the political parties are bent on federalism, in no case it has to be created on ethnic basis            
Based on the above, readers are most welcome to make up their mind about me and my views, but want to request the readers to take into account seriously the views of the common people whom we met or try to find out what they think before accepting federalism as the panacea to all the problems Nepal is facing or has faced.  

With warm regards 

Dwarika N. Dhungel 

Ps: I could send it to all the recipients , if u find it interesting circulate to others also 

Date: Sun, 4 May 2014 08:37:11 -0400
Subject: Re: Article/ Dr. Angdembe on Federalism
From: langhalipariwarcambridge@gmail.com


I would like to copy and paste NIBR-report 2011:23  -

" However,  popular participation is neither inclusive nor effective and decision making is largely in the hands of politicians whose power has  become institutionalised through the APM, which does not have  any provision for inclusion of disadvantaged groups." (Dhungel et al.  2011:164)

Namaste and have a great day !
--
_______________________________
B. K. Rana & Langhali Pariwar Cambridge,
Cambridge, Massachusetts,
United States of America
Skype: thehimalayanvoice
___________________________________________________________________

" If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him." - Cardinal Richelieu, Minister of Louis XIII
(Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.)
  

On Sun, May 4, 2014 at 5:56 AM, Bihari Krishna Shrestha <biharishrestha@gmail.com> wrote:
Just one brief comment  on your observation about "the decentralization that has already failed". There are decentralization and decentralization around the world. The one that has failed in Nepal has been the one under which power was devolved to the feudal elites who emerge as pancha or VDC/DDC members, depending on the polity of the time. Since feudalism continues to persist in the country, there is no compulsion for them to be accountable in their behavious. Nepal's distinctive innovation in decentralization is in taking the authority further down to the grassroots to the users themselves  organised in various user groups, the forest user groups and mothers' groups in particular. This decentralization with focus on the people at the grassroots has not failed. It has been this particular approach that has dramatically restored our forests and helped us distinguish ourselves in the world in the attainment of MDGs in child survival and maternal mortality rate reduction. The only tragedy for Nepal is that her corrupt politicians have not replicated the approach to other sectors over t he last quarter century of democratic restoration in the country. I hope this makes sense to you.
Warm regards
Bihari Krishna Shrestha  

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