Brikhesh Chandra Lal: Representation In Constituent Assembly

This paper was presented in a workshop organized by DEMAS (Democratic Madhesi Society) Janakpur on July 11, 2006.

75 Districts

There is this growing tendency among some Pahadi leaders, Narayan Man Bijukchhe and Surya Bahadur Thapa amog them, to try to use the 75 districts for federal demarcation of parliamentary boundaries. That is a ploy to stack the cards agains the Terai. Terai has only 16 of the 75 districts, but half the population.

In The News

Leaders come up with common concept paper for restructuring of state NepalNews leaders of six major political parties have came up with a joint concept paper on restructuring and transformation of the state...... Jhalanath Khanal of CPN-UML, Dhruba Bahadur Pradan of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Narahari Acharya of Nepali Congress, Pari Thapa of Jana Morcha Nepal, Minendra Rijal of Nepali Congress-Democratic and Sarita Giri of Nepal Sadbhavana Party - Anandi Devi ....... lessons learnt from the past, state structure and ruling mechanism, transformation and change in state mechanism, change in electoral process, internal democracy in political parties and constituent assembly: people’s participation in state transformation........ presidential, parliamentary or prime ministerial system ....... the nation should be restructured into different states, on the basis of population, geography, language, economic relation and communal-cultural identity....... The regions will prepare their policies, plans and programmes, except on foreign affairs, defence and monetary system. ....... balance of power among the executive, legislative and judiciary..... a strong anti-graft body ‘Dual nationality to British Gurkhas will benefit Nepal’ Sharma calls for reform in Judiciary a new system of appointing judges and terminating incompetent judges should be brought into effect, in the interim constitution....... "The new system should appoint new judges and incompetent judges should be terminated. I should be sacked if I am incapable," he said, pointing out that there are still some judges who have been serving since the Panchayat days........ Rayamajhi commission grills two ex-ministers; summons eight others Govt waives FM royalty, postal charge of newspapers A National Alternative for 'Certificate Citizenry' Putting education to work PM 'surprised' over decision of informal meeting of NC, UML and Maoists Koirala further said that the interim parliament would not be the alternative for the parliament. .... Sushil Koirala and General Secretary Ram Chandra Poudel, who had participated in the informal talks, refuted the reports that they had agreed to such a decision. Parliament can be replaced by interim parliament: UML General Secy. through a political decision ...... urged Maoist chairman Prachanda to transform the structure of his party into a political force by giving up his position as the chief of People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the Maoists. Ten members added in the interim constitution draft committee advocate Agni Karel, Advocate Pushpa Bhushal, Advocate Sushila Karki, Chhatra Kumari Gurung, Shanta Rai, Sunil Prajapati, Parshu Ram Jha, Chandeshwor Shrestha and Kumar Yonjan Tamang. The negotiating teams said they have agreed to add one more person, preferably an advocate, from the Dalit community. NWPP for 151-member advisory assembly in place of HoR 17 members each from Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and NC (D), five each from NWPP, People's Front Nepal, Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi) and United Left Front, 25 from the Maoists and four from civil society in the new assembly....... the prime minister should be elected from the assembly and there should be proportional representation of parties in the council of ministers. ..... Constituent Assembly should comprise 205 members and 103 of them should be directly elected from 75 districts and another 102 through proportional representation system. ..... electoral system for appointment of chief justice, army chief and police chiefs. It suggested a nine-member committee comprising the seven-party alliance and Maoists to mobilize the army (integrated army). ...... providing free health and education facilities to make a discrimination free society Tibetan railway will spur Nepal-China trade boom: Chinese envoy Budget lacks specific direction for sustainable economic development: Experts Yadav suggests PM to resign if he fails to implement eight-point agreement 301-member constituent assembly proposed should be held by mid- May 2007 based on proportional representation model....... a total of 250 members should be elected directly by the people on the basis of adult franchise. Other 20 members should be elected from among the communities having more than 100,000 population, 15 from among the trade unions, intellectual and professionals and 10 more from remote mountainous districts with the population of less than 100,000. Similarly, the all party interim government should nominate six persons representing disabled, marginalized groups, religious groups and any other community that is not represented. There should be at least 33 percent representation of women in the assembly ....... report also suggests for finding solution to the citizenship problem and carrying out census before going to the elections for the constituent assembly. ..... Birendra P. Mishra ... Taranath Dahal, Bhola Nath Dhungana and Sanjeev Ghimire Two million rupees looted in capital; dacoits loot 22 houses in Sarlahi rise in robberies in the capital and other parts of the country in recent days..... , armed dacoits looted property worth Rs 800,000 from 22 houses at ward nos 4, 6 and 7 of Shreepur Village Development Committee of Sarlahi district Friday night....... Addressing an annual conference of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA) at the University of Columbia in New York, Boucher reiterated his government's position not to accept the Maoist rebels as a political force until the latter "completely" renounced violence. Boucher said, "The problem is with the Maoists. They have continued extortion, abduction and they haven't renounced violence." US supports a UN role in Nepal: Boucher Capital stinks as garbage workers stall Kantipur Publications अन्तरिम संसद् 'संविधानसभाअघि राजतन्त्रको टुंगो' संविधानसभाअघि राजतन्त्रको छिनोफानो’ तराई मुक्ति र्मोचा कार्यकर्ताको हत्या माओवादीद्वारा विकासमा रोक मस्यौदा समितिमा सहभागिता माग सरकारको पचहत्तर दिन पहिले हतियार व्यवस्थापन

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MaHa Sanjh

FDI, NRN, Upendra Mahato, $100 Million Fund, Dual Citizenship

Upendra Mahato launched the Non Resident Nepali (NRN) movement worldwide. There are some great ideas that have come out of it. He has been pouring enormous amounts of time into this effort. It is love for the country.

• ANA Convention: Reflections
• ANA Convention: My Hamro Nepal Speech

Dual Citizenship: This is the single most important thing Nepal can do to draw in FDI - Foreign Direct Investment - into the country. You can send Nepali labor abroad, or you can bring in money from outside and create jobs right there in Nepal. In my opinion there is no such thing called bad FDI. The more the merrier. Most of the Chinese FDI comes from the Chinese diaspora. And China seems to beat everyone else at the game.

So why has Nepal not done it yet? I think the NRN Association has picked a great issue, and has done some impressive lobbying. It should take the next step. It should hire lawyers in Nepal and actually write up the policy itself. It should engage in a more effective lobbying than has been the case so far. The political elite in Nepal is opposed to the idea of the Nepali diaspora playing a bigger role in Nepal. They harbor this inferiority complex. I wouldn't care much about it except that it hurts the Nepali people, and that is why it has to be countered.

Globalization is the wave in the world today. And if Nepal is to make the best of it, the country will simply have to get seamless with its diaspora.

And this does not have to wait until the country gets itself a new constitution. It should be done now, without delay.

$100 Million Fund

This has been another NRNA idea. I have not had a chance to study all its details, nor do I know where I would go online to do that, but the idea is basic, and it is great, although it has not really taken off in a large way, and so might be subject to some critique.

The number one reason I think is the lack of the dual citizenship regime and the associated lack of policy framework in Nepal, but there are also other reasons. At some level there is also the issue of Madhesi leadership. And then the issue of the lack of an entrepreneurial culture among the Nepalis in America. It is dazzling.

It was amazing to me how little the Nepalis in America gave to the fund for the injured in the April Revolution. Perhaps the bond between Nepal and the Nepali diaspora in America is exaggerated.

Also perhaps the fund can start out small, and show the work, and then hope to grow bigger. Or there can be more than one fund. There also is perhaps a need for private sector efforts for the same.

The whole thing is a package deal. So many different things have to go right at once. But that is no reason to not try. So I greatly admire the NRNA people who have been taking the lead on this one.

Despite Mahato himself leading the NRNA, I still feel there is this anti-Madhesi thing going on there. Say if you come up with the idea of setting up one job training center in each of the 75 districts, that is wrong. Half the people live in the Terai, but they will get only 16 of the 75 centers. So I say ignore the districts and zones, and instead go by population.

The fund could also become clearer on the portions of it that might go not for private sector investment, but for social service work, namely investments in education, health and micro credit.

These Russian/Soviet Nepali entrepreneurs sure make us proud. And they sure have taken the lead. Nepalis in America should gang up with them, and turn the country around.

The Rich, The Popular

The richest, professionally accomplished Nepalis end up "natural" leaders. My number one gripe with the Nepali organizations in the diaspora is they are not mass based. There should be elections. Organizations should go on membership drives. Perhaps some of the same people will get elected, and that is just fine, but elections should be part of the culture. Otherwise it is like when they founded America, only the landowning white males were allowed to vote. We all now know that was not okay.

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Second Global NRN Conference » Kathmandu Declaration दोस्रो गैरआवासीय नेपाली विश्व सम्मेलनद्वारा जारी काठमाडौं घोषणा
दुइ बर्षअघि सम्पन्न पहिलो गैर आवासीय नेपाली विश्व सम्मेलनका उपलब्धीहरुबाट प्रेरणा लिई दोस्रो बिश्व सम्मेलन आज मिति २३ असोज २०६२ -९ अक्टुवर २००५) मा सफलतापर्ूबक सम्पन्न भई काठमाडौं घोषणा-पत्र जारी गरिएको छ ।

• श्री ५ को सरकारबाट नेपालको र्सवाङ्गण्िा विकासमा गैरआवासीय नेपालीहरुको योगदानकालागी सबै प्रकारको सहयोग गर्ने प्रतिवद्धताको यो सम्मेलन स्वागत गर्दछ ।
  
• गैरआवासीय नेपाली सम्बन्धी अध्यादेश-२०६२' जारी गरिएकोमा सम्मेलन त्यसको स्वागत गर्दछ । सम्मेलनका सुझाब समेतको आधारमा आवश्यक सुधार गर्ने श्री ५ को सरकार प्रतिवद्धता ब्यक्त गर्दछ ।
  
• गैरआवासीय नेपालीको दोस्रो बिश्व सम्मेलनले नेपालको आर्थिक बिकासमा प्रत्यक्ष सहयोग पुर्‍याउन १०० मिलियन अमेरिकी डलरको 'नेपाल इन्भेष्टमेन्ट फण्ड'को अवधारणा स्विकृत गरेको छ ।
• नेपालको समष्टिगत बिकास र नेपालीको आत्मसम्मान बढाउन स्थायी शान्ति अपरिहार्य छ । तर्सथ गैरआवासीय नेपाली दोस्रो बिश्व सम्मेलन शान्ति बहालीका लागि गरिने सवै प्रयासलाई र्समर्थन गर्ने र शान्ति प्रकृयाको निरन्तरताका लागि ठोस भुमिका निर्वाह गर्ने प्रतिवद्धता ब्यक्त गर्दछ ।
  
• बैदेशीक रोजगारीबाट नेपालले प्राप्त गरेको ब्रि्रेषण -रेमिटेन्स) अर्थतन्त्रको मेरुदण्डको रुपमा रहेको स्विकार्दै बैदेशीक रोजगारका सम्वन्धमा यो विश्व सम्मेलनमा उठेका बिभिन्न समस्यालाई सम्बोधन गर्नका लागि छिटो भन्दा छिटो एक त्रिपक्षिय कार्यदल गठन गरी सुझाव पेश गर्ने प्रतिवद्धता ब्यक्त गर्दछ ।
  
• देशको र्सवाङ्गण्िा विकासकोलागी स्वदेश र विदेशमा रहेका नेपाली महिला तथा युवा वर्गको सहभागिता अपरिहार्य रहेकालेे आगामी दिनमा यो सञ्जाललाई बिस्तार गर्दै लैजाने प्रतिवद्धता जाहेर गर्दछ ।
  
• विश्वभर छरिएर रहेका गैरआवासीय नेपालीहरु नेपालका अनौपचारिक राजदुतका रुपमा रहेको पर्रि्रेक्षमा अर्न्तराष्ट्रिय समुदायमा नेपालको छवि उच्च बनाउने दिशामा गैरआवासीय नेपालीको ठूलो भुमिका रहन्छ । तर्सथ नेपालको छविलाई उच्च पार्दै संस्कृती, पर्यटन लगायतका क्षेत्र पर््रवर्धन गर्ने प्रतिवद्धता ब्यक्त गरिन्छ ।
  
• बैदेशीक रोजगारमा गएका नेपालीहरुको भविष्य सुनिश्चित होस् भन्ने उद्धेश्यका साथ उनीहरुको आम्दानीको केही अंशलाई दिर्घकालीन लगानी योजना कोषका रुपमा स्थापना गरिनेछ । यो कोषलाई १० मिलियन अमेरिकी डलरसम्म पुर्‍याउने लक्ष राखिएको छ ।
  
• भौतिक पर्ुवाधारको विकासमा संयुक्त पहलका लागि श्री ५ को सरकार, गैरआवासीय नेपाली अर्न्तराष्ट्रिय समन्वय परिषद र नेपाल उद्योग बाणिज्य महासंघबीच साझेदारी उपयोग गरिनेछ ।
  
• गैरआवासीय नेपालीमा रहेको ज्ञान/सीपलाई नेपालको बिकासमा उपयोग गर्न 'नलेज बैंक' को रुपमा उनीहरुको बिश्वब्यापी अभिलेख तयार गरिनेछ ।
  
• श्री ५ को सरकार, नेपाल उद्योग बाणिज्य महासंघ, गैरआवासीय नेपाली अन्तर्रर्ााट्रय समन्वय परिषदले संयुक्त रुपमा सम्वद्ध संघ/संस्थास“ग समन्वय गरी बैदेशीक रोजगारीमा जानेहरुको दक्षता अभिबृद्धि गर्न 'दक्षता अभिबृद्धि केन्द्र'को स्थापना गर्नेछ ।
  
• नेपालमा उत्पादित वस्तुहरुको विदेशमा उपयोग बढाउन गैरआवासीय नेपालीको बिशेष पहल हुनेछ ।
  
• विदेशबाट नेपालमा पैसा -रेमिटेन्स) पठाउ“दा औपचारिक माध्यमबाट पठाउन प्रोत्साहित गरिनेछ ।
  
• स्थानिय समुदाय समेतको सहभागितामा ७५ वटै जिल्लामा शिक्षा र स्वास्थ्य जस्ता आधारभुत क्षेत्रमा कम्तिमा एक/एक परियोजना संचालन गर्ने प्रतिवद्धता ब्यक्त गरिन्छ ।
• नेपालमा राष्ट्रियस्तरको र्सार्वजनिक पुस्तकालयको आवश्यकता रहेको कुरालाई हृदयंगम गर्दै र्सार्वजनिक पुस्तकालय स्थापना गर्ने प्रतिवद्धता ब्यक्त गरिन्छ ।
  
• श्री ५ को सरकार तथा नेपाल उद्योग बाणिज्य महासंघका प्रतिनिधि मण्डल बिदेश भ्रमणमा जा“दा गैरआवासीय नेपाली अन्तर्रर्ााट्रय समन्वय परिषदस“ग समन्वय गरी सम्वन्धित मुलुकमा बसोबासरत नेपालीलाई पनि प्रतिनिधिमण्डलमा समावेश गर्ने नीति लिइनेछ ।
  

(मधुकर सम्शेर जबरा)	(चण्डिराज ढकाल)	(उपेन्द्र महतो)
अर्थमन्त्रि	अध्यक्ष, ने. उ. बा. महासंघ	अध्यक्ष, गैरआवासीय नेपाली अन्तर्रर्ााट्रय समन्वय परिषद