Developing a federal Nepal: theatre plays a role

"... we should be allowed to make decisions for ourselves...we do not have rights over our own resources: we should have access to the things needed to us ...," said one of the characters (a villager) in the theatre performance arranged by International IDEA and performed by Bardali Kala Samuha, a local theatre group. This statement reflected the frustration of the villager after the failure of the Chief District Officer (CDO) to establish an emergency ambulance service, despite repeated requests and lobbying on the part of the villager. The CDO's office instead justified the delay because the application had to do the rounds of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and the Local Development Ministry - all of them in Kathmandu. The country's centralized administration system does not allow for decision making to be made where services are actually needed.

Launch of an English/ Nepali Glossary on Federal Terms

The English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms

Federalism may not have a globally accepted definition, and there may be many different terms associated with federalism that may not be understood uniformly everywhere. Therefore, a need to have a common understanding about the terminology of federalism is needed in Nepal. International IDEA and the Forum of Federations (FoF) teamed up to meet this need and came up with a joint publication: The English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms. The Glossary is a joint effort by Nepali and international experts, and was launched on 16 September at the Centre for Constitutional Dialogue (CCD), Kathmandu. Participants comprised of Constituent Assembly (CA) members, renowned intellectuals, leaders, prominent civil society members, lawyers, writers and journalists.

Hon. Sapana Malla Pradhan, Constituent Assembly member putting up her question to the contributors of the glossary in the book launch programme
Photo ©: Bal Krishna Jha/IDEA

Honorary Nilambar Acharya, Chairperson of the Constitutional Committee launched the book and stressed the need for the active participation of the opposition in the constitution making process. The book contains around 300 words related to federalism and has definitions both in English and Nepali.

The launch event was reported widely in the media. See Republica’s, one of the leading daily newspapers, report of the event: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=9872.

Chair of Constitutional Committee (of the Constituent Assembly) revealing the English-Nepali Glossary of Federalism Terms in the book launch programme on 16 September, 2009 in Kathmandu. Also seen are: From Left: Khushi Tharu; Leena Rikkila Tamang; Dominic Cardy; CK Lal; Dr. Shankar Sharma; Nicole Töpperwein; Hon. Nilambar Acharya
Photo ©: Bal Krishna Jha/IDEA

The CA of Nepal is due to complete the constitution making process on 28 May 2010. International IDEA, together with political parties, civil society, government and non government agencies, are actively promoting an inclusive constitution building process aimed at a just, decentralized, democratic and peaceful Nepal.

Nepal is in the process of making another Constitution, which provides the scope to embody expectations of a more decentralized system of government. Based on the mandate given to the major political parties, the country has decided to go for a federal system. Many people see federalism as a way to empower communities and regions marginalized by concentration of power in Nepal and to help promote the religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity. Coming up with federal arrangements is however something new for Nepalese people, and understanding of federalism and discussions about possible federal structures are at the core of the constitution making debate in Nepal.

Recognizing the importance of debate around federalism in Nepal, International IDEA carried out a number of activities to encourage informative, fact based discussions on federalism- without forgetting the emotions which are running high around this topic.

Five open air theatre performances on federalism were held on different campuses in Kathmandu Valley in September 2009. These were arranged by the Youth Expert Group (YEG) of International IDEA.

The performances were designed in a way that invited inputs from the audience. The students were particularly interested in issues of language and quality of education, access to education by all, inclusion of Janajati/Indigenous, Madhesi, women and other marginalized groups.

The YEG consists of young people from different professions: some of them are Constituent Assembly (CA) members, journalists, student leaders or civil society members. Together they work to find out important issues from a youth perspective and then make suggestions to the relevant agencies. The most recent submission to the Constituent Assembly by the YEG stressed health, education and language issues. The interactive nature of these theatre performances was aimed to elicit different views from the student body. These views will be analyzed and developed into recommendations for the CA when it next seeks public opinions on the draft Constitution.