माओवादीको संविधान मस्यौदा
I say bravo to the Maoists. They are so much more proactive than the seven party alliance, all of them put together. Makes you think, what do the seven party alliance leaders do all day?
That is the first point I want to make. If the seven parties were also to write complete drafts of the constitutions that they would like the country to adopt, the constituent assembly process would get so much easier.
But they just will not do it. I think perhaps that is why Baburam Bhattarai claims the monarchists are regressives, the seven parties are status quoists, and the Maoists are progressives. Any and all members of the seven party alliance have the option to seize the initiative, but so far they have not done that.
I admire the completeness of the Maoist document. They will want as much of this as possible to get incorporated in the interim constitution. What can not be incorporated, they will take to the constituent assembly. I believe their proposed federalism itself will earn them a ton of votes. My map is my first choice map, but the Maoist map is easily my second choice map. None of the seven parties have put forth such maps. How lazy and fuzzy can you get? There is lack of clear thinking on the part of the seven parties. At this rate the Maoists do stand a chance of becoming the largest party in Nepal. They got the momentum.
Now let's move to the finer points.
On the monarchy likely there will be a referendum. Girija continues to espouse constitutional monarchy like Mahendra never imprisoned BP, and despite the fact that his party through a covention divorced itself from the idea. My first choice would be to declare the country a republic now through an eight party decision, but I am okay with the referendum idea as a second choice. The republican idea will have an easy win.
The Maoists have taken the clearest stand of all the major parties on federalism. I greatly admire them for doing that. They of all parties feel the pain of the oppressed groups in Nepal.
The Maoists are clearly committed to a multi-party framework: "बहुदलीय प्रतिस्पर्धात्मक शासन प्रणाली, वालिग मताधिकार, आवधिक निर्वाचन, विधिको शासन, मानवअधिकार, मौलिक हक आदि सर्वस्वीकृत लोकतान्त्रिक मूल्य र मान्यताप्रति पूर्ण प्रतिबद्धता रहनेछ ।"
On land reform the Maoists will likely have to wait for later. "'जमिन जोत्नेको' सिद्धान्तका आधारमा प्रगतिशील भूमिसुधार." After the country gets a new constitution will be the right time to go to the people with this agenda. I am a strong proponent of land reform myself. It just has to be done right. Kerala and West Bengal have done it before, although I don't know the details of how.
The commitment to a rapid industrialization is good, but I wonder if the Maoists envision too much state involvement in the economy: "तीव्र तथा व्यापक राष्ट्रिय औद्योगिकीकरण."
My favorite part of the document is the Maoist proposal to distribute citizenship papers to all Madhesis before the elections to the constituent assembly. लामो समयदेखि नेपालमा बसोबास गर्दैआएका तर नागरिकताबाट वञ्चित विशेषतः मधेसका सबै जनतालाई संविधानसभा निर्वाचन अगावै उच्चस्तरीय नागरिकता आयोग गठन गरी स्थानीयरूपमा सर्वदलीय समितिको सिफारिसमा तत्कालै नागरिकता वितरण गरिनेछ । I have a deep felt gratitude for the Maoists for taking such a clear stand. This will force the other big parties to fall in line. This is not an issue to be postponed. Nepal is a country where you can not even legitimately die without the citizenship certificate. It is criminal behavior that 6 million Madhesis have been deprived the papers. Village level all party governments should be given the authority to distribute the papers.
Another thing I greatly admire about the Maoist document is their ultra positive stands on women's rights. America as a country has been struggling for more than three decades now on if or not a woman has a legal right to an abortion. The Maoists are so clearly pro-choice, it is just amazing. Once I read an article by some "Comrade Parvati" online, and I was flabbergasted. I was so impressed. Later I learned that is Baburam's wife.
महिलामाथि पितृसत्तात्मक शोषणका सबै रूप अन्त्य हुनेछ । छोरीलाई छोरासरह पैतृक सम्पत्तिमाथि समान हक हुनेछ । विवाह, सम्पत्ति बेचबिखन, सम्बन्ध-विच्छेद वा गर्भधारण वा गर्भपतन सम्बन्धमा महिलालाई पूर्ण स्वतन्त्रता हुनेछ । राज्यसत्ताका अंगमा प्रतिनिधित्वलगायत सबै क्षेत्रमा महिला निम्ति विशेष अधिकार ग्यारेन्टी गरिनेछ ।
The stuff on languages is unclear. It is a great first step. But I want to know the technical details: मातृभाषामा शिक्षा, सरकारी कामकाज गर्ने अधिकार हुनेछ । How many languages are you talking about? All of them? So if in a district there are 20 languages spoken, all 20 would have to be the language of education and the government? How does that work? But I take this Maoist stand as a starting point. My proposal on the same is in the Proposed Constitution.
The most problematic part of the Maoist document is on property rights. प्रत्येक नागरिकलाई आपmनो सम्पत्ति भोगचलन गर्न पाउने हक हुनेछ । कसैले पनि कानुनद्वारा तोकिएभन्दा बढी सम्पत्ति राख्ने पाउनेछैन । Right to property is fundamental like right to free speech. (Right To Property, Right To Free Speech) You can not say the people have a right to free specch but only as long as they do not criticize Prachanda. Similarly you can have income taxes, you can have property taxes, you can have land reform, but you can not have a ceiling on property and income. And even the taxes and land reforms are proposals that you take to the people for their endorsment at the polls. This is like an opening to the seven parties. They have the option to take a clear stand for right to property, which happens to be a fundamental human right, and gain a margin over the Maoists.
The proposed interim parliament is problematic in its composition because 101 seats go to the seven party alliance, 101 seats to the Maoists, and 101 to the civil society. The seven party alliance is not one party: they are seven very different parties. And the civil society does not deserve 101 seats: that is too many. But I like the part about the composition's diversity. यसरी प्रतिनिधिहरूको छनोट गर्दा वर्गीय, जातीय, क्षेत्रीय, लिंगीय र अन्य समुदायको समुचित समावेशीकरणमा ध्यान दिनुपर्नेछ । How about my formula? Interim Constitution Draft
I greatly admire the idea of an interim judiciary. प्रत्येक तहका न्यायाधीशको नियुक्ति अन्तरिम व्यवस्थापिका वा सोही तहको जनप्रतिनिधि संस्थाको अनुमोदनमा हुनेछ । हाल बहाल रहेका न्यायाधीश अन्तरिम व्यवस्थापिकाले अनुमोदन गरेमात्र बहाल रहनेछन् । अन्यथा पदमुक्त हुनेछन् । You can not end the monarchy, fundamentally restructure the army, redo the other two branches of government, and leave the judiciary intact. If there are qualified, clean judges that should be retained, they will be. But all will be appointed anew. The country is being born. It deserves a fresh start on all fronts.
I am not alarmed about the Maoist proposal for a new army. दुवै सेना अन्तरिम व्यवस्थापिका र अन्तरिम सरकार मातहत हुनेछन् र दुवैको परमाधिपति प्रधानमन्त्री हुनेछन् । .... नेपाली सेनाको समयानुकूल लोकतान्त्रीकरण निम्ति अन्तरिम कालमा आवश्यक कदम चालिनेछ ।
On the other hand, the seven parties taking part in the formation of a militia is highly problematic. दुवै पक्षको सहमतिमा मिलिसिया निर्माण गरिनेछ। What are the Maoists thinking? This is not going to happen. There will be an army, and a police, and that's it. There will be no third armed force in the country.
It is interesting that the Maoists want federalism during the interim period. किरात गणतन्त्र, मधेस गणतन्त्र, तामाङ गणतन्त्र, नेवाः गणतन्त्र, तमुवान गणतन्त्र, मगरात गणतन्त्र, थारुवान गणतन्त्र, भेरी-कणर्ाली गणतन्त्र र सेती-महाकाली गणतन्त्र गरी नौ वटा स्वायत्त गणतन्त्र प्रदेशमा विभाजित गरिनेछ र ती प्रत्येकमा अन्तरिम स्वायत्त गणतन्त्र सरकार गठन गरिनेछन् । अन्तरिम स्वायत्त गणतन्त्र सरकार गठन सम्बन्धित प्रदेशका सात दल र माओवादीको सहमति अनुसार हुनेछ । They envision eight party governments also at the local levels. That is precisely my proposal in the Interim Constitution Draft. जिल्ला र गाउँ तथा नगरमा अन्तरिम स्थानीय सत्ता गठन सम्बन्धित प्रदेश र जिल्लाका सात दल तथा माओवादीको सहमतिबमोजिम हुनेछ । You can't just have the bureaucrats running the local governments.
The Maoists have proposed the structure for the constituent assembly. नौ वटा स्वायत्त गणतन्त्र प्रदेश निमित्त १०-१० का दरले ९०, बाँकी दुई लाख जनसंख्या बराबर १ सिट गरी १२५ जना प्रत्यक्ष निर्वाचनबाट र लोमोन्मुख, सीमान्तीकृत जाति र विशेषज्ञ १० जना मनोनीत गर्ने गरी जम्मा २२५ .... संविधानसभा सदस्यमा महिला, उत्पीडित जाति, दलित, अन्य अपांग आदिलाई जनसंख्याको अनुपातमा समावेश गरिनेछ । .... संविधानसभाले एक वर्षभित्र नयाँ संविधान निर्माण गर्नेछ ।
By their estimate, the country should have a new constitution by the summer of 2008. I think that is too much time. I think it can done in half that time. But I am okay if that is how much time it takes.
Proposed Constitution
Interim Constitution Draft
The most problematic part of the Maoist document is what is not even mentioned there. A party that thinks citizens should have a ceiling on their income does not talk about the finances of the political parties, and that is because right now they are the richest party in Nepal. These rich socialists seem to have zero interest in campaign finance reform. I know Baburam reads this blog. So I am sure he has read my proposal. I would like to know what he thinks about it.
Not So Fast, Indian Communists
Nepal As A Cutting Edge Democracy
