Work or no work, the assembly looks really gorgeous with representative faces from all races, tribes and indigenous groups of Nepal. On top of it, it contains newer and younger people than ever before in any of the national legislative bodies, that too loved by the people or by their political bosses. There is every reason to believe that this historic body, vested with the power to write the constitution of Nepal, embodies national aspirations and popular zeal. But as time passes on, it has started showing cracks like those monuments built with adulterated cement or rusted rods. Sometimes it becomes the victim of Nepali Congress’s anger that puts it on hold for days and sometimes the UCPM (Maoist) puts it in a coma for seemingly weeks on an end. A constitutional body, which is supposed to have no opposition bench like in a regular parliament, suffers from a self-declared but strong party opposition.
The members of the Constituent Assembly (CA) are by far the happiest lot in our society because they don’t have to work but get paid regularly and on time.
It would not matter if it were just limited to a few days of playing pranks and frolics. But it’s becoming difficult to endure it because it just seems to go on and on. Apart from the loss of time and resources going waste, we actually regret the gradual erosion of the human side of the revolutionaries from whom we have great expectations of transforming our primitive society to a modern one. Those who believe in evolutionary democratic process have no reason to get dissatisfied with the snail-paced working style of the CA because they take the existing mode of go-slow for granted.
By far, the biggest danger of this is that the no-work culture might trickle down in the upcoming federal system under which hundreds of legislators and executives will be born. It becomes all the more rankling to find the Maoist members disrupting the CA, which is their own brainchild and a product of 10 years of armed struggle. On top of it, how should we react to the Maoist accusation that there is a conspiracy to immobilize the assembly and hinder the task of writing a new constitution? I can’t imagine who would save the poor assembly from slow poisoning if its creators themselves appear so indifferent and callous towards it?
We are yet to learn if a rule permitting CA members to get regularly paid for just attending office and making overtime claims when they actually work exists? If an enquiry is ever instituted (which is highly unlikely) on the use and misuse of perks and privileges by the parliamentarians, similar to the one in Britain – many of whom were found guilty of abusing their prerogatives – we will know the truth. However, such a truth may never be discovered as it is tightly covered under an obligatory provision of consensual agreement among the political parties. Going by other precedents, we don’t expect any guilty person, let alone an honorable member, ever getting prosecuted for misuse of fiscal or other powers.
Work or no work, two things will certainly happen: We will, in the near future, have 601 multi-millionaires and a new constitution. Without fail, by the time the term of CA ends, we will have a lot of nouveau rich in our society. As far as the constitution is concerned, there are actually several of them already floating before us. CPM-UML has one and so does UCPM (Maoist). It is only the lazy NC, which has not yet brought one out. However there are many manuscripts prepared by what are popularly known as Khairokote (big parties), Kalokote (laywers), Istakote (small parties and groups), Jawaharkote (Tarai parties) and, last but not the least, the Overkote (Indians), which has the highest possibility of prevailing as the last rescue operation when the deadline of the assembly nears. Else, it is just a question of choosing one of them or extracting various parts from different chapters and putting them together. In fact, it is just a question of days or a few weeks at the most to have an agreed document.
What is taking time in the framing of the constitution is the start of a process, which is far more important than the product. We had had many constitutions in our lifetime, which could not survive for the simple reason that the people did not own them because they did not participate in writing it. This time, there is a real chance for it. But the fear is spreading equally seriously that we might not get a constitution at all in the midst of infighting of the political parties. If we can’t agree among ourselves, don’t worry, there are many friends out there who will make us do that.
adityaman@hotmail.com
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