KATHMANDU, March 26: Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) has advocated for a presidential system in the new constitution for a stable and strong government, while Rastriya Janshakti Party (RJP) opposed it, during a consultation at the Constitutional Committee (CC) of the Constituent Assembly, on Thursday.
Party Chairman and Foreign Affairs Minister Upendra Yadav said during the consultation that the party has reached a conclusion to stand for a presidential system based on the observation that Westminster model of democracy has failed across the globe. [break]
“Except some success in India, the Westminster model has failed globally and our five constitutions in the past have also failed to be stable,” said Yadav. “So, we need a directly elected president as the executive head of state in the center as well as directly elected head of the provincial governments.”
Yadav suggested that the president should be given free hand to select ministers. "If a legislator is selected as minister, s/he should resign from the legislative body," he suggested.
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The chairman of the fourth largest party in the 601-member CA said the check and balance should be maintained between the executive head and the legislative body to stop the president from turning authoritarian.
MPRF has advocated for proportional system of election for the legislature, bicameral legislature in the center and national assembly chief as the vice-president.
The MPRF chief said his party is in favor of autonomous Madhes province with the people having the right to self-determination. “Right of the aboriginal people on land, water and jungle must be established by the constitution,” he added.
Yadav suggested that current provision for citizenship paper should be replaced by nationality identity cards and process for its acquisition should be made easy.
Likewise, RJP chairman and former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa suggested the most important CA committee on Thursday to set up a panel of experts to determine features of future federalism.
During the CC’s consultation with him on the contents of future constitution, Thapa said the concepts floated by political parties so far are political, bias, emotional or superficial.
He warned that the country will plunge into a serious crisis if form of federalism is decided without carrying out adequate homework. “I suggest to the committee to set up a special panel of experts, geographers, economists and political scientists to determine the basis of future federal structure and also listen carefully to the arguments of those standing against the concept of federalism,” he said. “But consultation should be closed-door so that the media-savvy attitude will not have impact on the discussion.”
Thapa also suggested that Nepal should adopt a parliamentary system where provision for adequate check and balance is in place. “In our authoritarian society, if a person is made all powerful, it is imminent that the person will turn authoritarian,” Thapa claimed.
Thapa argued that presidential system, as advocated by the Maoists, would be against the concept of accountable government. “If president appoints the officials at all the constitutional bodies and the legislature accepts it, single-party hegemony will be established in the governance,” he added.
Thapa said concrete provisions for press freedoms and human rights in the constitution are the only tools to democratize the society.
