Even amidst this significant development, there continues to exist skeptics who question the very idea of Nepal opting to go federal in the first place. To them, we would just like to politely request to accept the new reality because a unitary state is no longer possible in Nepal. We have moved too far ahead to retract from this idea. And let us accept and be gracious enough to accept that the unitary model failed to deliver the goods as effectively as should have.
The big question now is: What kind of model would the expert panel recommend? If we are to go by the debate generated by the 14-province model proposed by the Constituent Assembly’s thematic committee on state restructuring, an ethnic model will not be acceptable to a significant number of people as they argue that in a country with over 100 ethnic groups, carving out a state for just 14 ethnicities will defeat the whole idea of going federal, which is to make Nepal an epitome of egalitarianism.
Again, at the same time, we cannot carve out provinces for every ethnic community. There are already arguments that the proposed 14 provinces in a country as small as Nepal is a little too much. The contention is that the state will crumble under the weight of the hefty costs that will be incurred in setting up parliaments and bureaucracies of 14 states. On the one side, while there are these arguments, on the other, the fact remains that the ethnic aspirations of people can no longer be suppressed. The panel, therefore, truly has a tough job ahead.
Since the federalism debate gained steam after the Maoists joined mainstream politics, many models of federalism have been proposed by experts in the country. Some have recommended provinces on the basis of river systems, while others have advocated for a purely ethnic model. We hope that the expert panel will be able to propose a model by taking the best out of these proposed models.
We are aware that even the model proposed by the panel will receive flak, however suitable it is for the country. But so long as the model appeals to the majority of Nepalis and is prepared by keeping the best interests of Nepalis in mind, without any bias toward any political party, we should accept it with open arms.
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