Is federalism working in Nepal ?

Is federalism working in Nepal?

It has been almost three years the federal structure is in place in accordance with the new constitution promulgated in 2015. All the three tiers of governments are in existence following the completion of three levels of general elections in 2017. However, these governments especially the local and provincial governments, are working in their own ways due to lack of essential laws to be needed to run their governments in the spirit of federal structure. These laws were and are supposed to be formulated and passed by the parliament in the past three years. However, the parliamentarians were never seemed serious to formulate the necessary laws required for the sub-governments. It indicates that the central government does not want to devolve power to the sub governments. 

Now, the effectiveness of these governments is now widely criticized because of their ways of governing the local, provincial and federal governments. In the absence of appropriate law, the local and provincial governments are preparing their development program and budgets in their own ways and spending budgets haphazardly as pointed out by the Auditor General Office in its recent annual report. Irregularities and corruptions are rampant in all the levels of governments. 

In many ways, these three levels of governments have totally failed to provide basic and essential services to the general public even during the normal situation. Now these governments are struggling to appropriately manage health facilities to minimize the effect of corona virus and have, however, been blamed for poor management. In reality, the federalism has hardly mattered in everyday lives of the people in the absence of political will to institutionalise it.

Kathmandu’s delay in enacting umbrella laws holds back implementation of federalism

It has come at a huge cost. Ten years of fighting in which about 17,000 lives were lost and thousands injured. Another 10 years of political chaos in which two elections were held to determine only, what it seems now, the boundaries of seven provinces. The other attendant costs in tens of billions to keep the two constituent assemblies, where most of the 605 members just played the role of rubber stamps, functioning and the hit on the economy too stood out.

The constitution promulgated in 2015 ushered in a new era for Nepal. The 2017 elections under the new constitution led to the formation of provincial assemblies and provincial and local governments.

But federalism has hardly mattered in everyday lives of the people in the absence of political will to institutionalise it.

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