Mockery of constitution

The Himalayan Times

27 February 2020

Mockery of constitution 

The new constitution of Nepal was not able to win the hearts of all the people for one or the other reasons. The Janajati and Madhesi people had vehemently objected some of the discriminatory articles of the constitution. Quite a few Madhesis even lost their lives during street protest against the new constitution. However, their voices were never heard and have still not been heard. Even the government had to face border obstruction following the promulgation of the new constitution without addressing the grievances of Madhesi people.

 

The then Madhesi Janadhikar Forum led by Upendra Yadav had even joined the Oli led government after signing a two-point deal concerning constitution amendment, which recently decided to quit the government after the government failed to abide by the deal. That clearly indicates the government was not serious in addressing the concerns of large portion of the population. Now, the government is showing its willingness to amend the constitution just for the sake of its one of the member’s stupid wish to enter the parliament from the backdoor “Nembang against the amending charter” (THT, February 25, Page 1). I salute Nembang for showing his unwillingness to amend the constitution.

A constitution should help a country govern, not ruin it. It is a body of basic laws and principles that describes the general organization and operation of the state and contains fundamental principles and norms that underlie and guide all government action. Given the fundamental nature of a constitution and its role in laying groundwork to shape and support the state, a constitution is usually expected to be long-standing and somewhat difficult to change or undo. Having said these, a constitution is not a legal document that should be amended for an individual with ill intention “Crazy demand” (THT, February 25, Page 6). However, it is yet to be seen whether the NCP government will make a wrong move by flexing its almost two-thirds majority muscle in the parliament.

Rai Biren Bangdel

Maharajgunj