CA members lobby for ethnic rights in constitution

KATHMANDU, July 6: Lawmakers from ethnic communities from various political parties have registered their differing views on the preliminary draft of the new constitution being discussed in the Constituent Assembly (CA).

The CA members have challenged the official line of their respective political parties on over 50 different provisions.

Altogether 59 lawmakers from various political parties signed the 18-page document and submitted it to the CA on Sunday. Of them, 13 lawmakers are from the CPN-UML, eight are from the Nepali Congress and all the UCPN (Maoist) lawmakers from ethnic communities have under signed the document. Also, several lawmakers from various fringe political parties have supported it.CPN-UML lawmaker Pemba Bhote aired his views at the CA full House meeting and submitted the report there.

Most of their demands are related to ensuring representation of ethnic, indigenous and other marginalized communities in various bodies and promoting their culture and language, among other things.

"In local government and autonomous regions, a multiple language policy should be adopted in local government and autonomous regions and the concerned province, the local government and the legislative of the autonomous region should be authorized to decide which should be the official languages besides Nepali," read one of the points included in the document.

The lawmakers are for finalizing the delineation and nomenclature of provinces by the present CA. "If it is not possible it should be done by the existing CA that will be given continuity as parliament even after promulgation of constitution," they said.

They have also insisted that either ethnic or linguistic or cultural identity must be reflected in the names of provinces.

The lawmakers are for removing the district structure when the country is restructured into federal set up. They are for strengthening village and municipal bodies. The draft constitution has proposed district body for coordinating role between local and provincial levels.

They are for electing president and vice-president from opposite gender and different communities and to adopt similar principle in election and nomination for other key positions.

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