EU report on Nepal  

It is rather easy to sow seeds of conflict in a diverse society in the name of race, religion and other factors. The report recently released by the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) on Nepal’s elections is troubling in many respects. First, the report is nothing but an attempt to create chaos on issues that have been settled after the country has successfully held three levels of elections and constituted governments in local, provincial and federal levels. Second, the constitution has no provision of Khas-Arya quota as mentioned in the report. The Observation Mission was accused of breaching the poll observation code in Kanchanpur district and the Election Commission (EC) summoned Željana Zovko, chief of the European Union Observation Mission to Nepal for clarification. 

The Government of Nepal and the Election Commission (EC) have strongly rejected report’s findings. Moreover, the government has warned the EU Mission in Kathmandu to stay away from inciting conflict inside Nepal. Political parties have condemned the report, some even demanding that EU should withdraw their claim. However, this is not the first time EU Mission in Kathmandu is courting controversies. The Mission secretly met with secessionist CK Raut at a time when he was actively advocating for the secession of Nepal’s southern plains. While the Mission denied meeting him, there was strong evidence of the meeting and it was widely reported in the media. In the last few years, most of the projects and activities of EU Mission in Nepal seem to have been directed toward portraying Khas-Arya as the source of all problems and projecting the rest as victims of Nepali state’s systemic discrimination. The EU EOM report shows they are still continuing with divisive policies. This should stop.

The EU Mission should refrain from making comments that will be seen as dictating what should be done with Nepal’s constitution and inclusion issue for this is entirely an internal matter. Doing this will not only tarnish the image of the Mission but also sends negative message to Nepali public who are expecting the federal dispensation to work for much-longed prosperity and development. There are many other fronts on which the Mission could assist Nepal and win people’s heart. Moreover, the Mission should also understand their scope of work and work within those parameters. It does not suit them to appear like sowing conflict at a time when our country is actively looking forward to accelerate economic development. It will be best served if they can be of any help in our national aspiration to prosper. Any other attempts to create conflict in Nepal will not be acceptable. 

 
• leave
 
• alone