KATHMANDU, Dec 31: The year 2018 started with a great optimism. It began with the conclusion of three tiers of elections under the framework of the new constitution and the formation of a two-thirds majority government after a long gap.
Yet, many works were still left to bring the constitution into full implementation. New structures for the provincial government needed to be developed; many laws were yet to be enacted, and, most importantly, civil servants and other government bodies needed to be adjusted accordingly.
One year on, many things that required institutionalizing federalism have been accomplished. All necessary laws including those required to implement various fundamental rights have been enacted, temporary provincial capitals have been fixed, provincial governments have already started functioning and civil servants adjustment process is set to complete soon. As this year also witnessed replacing the Muluki Ain, which is over 150 years old, in line with the new constitution, the year 2018 was essentially a year of implementing the constitution.
2018 Optimism and Motivation
While the year 2018 was largely focused on implementing federalism, there have been various good initiatives on the part of the government, rekindling hope that good years are ahead.
Some of the decisions of the government such as running electric vehicles, introducing social security scheme and achieving significant progress in post-quake reconstruction works are enough to rekindle hope among people in the country. The government also reached a landmark labor agreement with Malaysia. As the agreement is expected to curb unscrupulous practices of manpower agents, this is not an ordinary feat for a country that has over 500,000 workers in Malaysia.
Equally, some of the provincial governments have come up with various innovative programs such as Beti Padhau, Beti Bachau campaign. On the international front as well, Nepal has been able to expand its presence in different bilateral and multilateral forums. The successful hosting of BIMSTEC Summit as well as other major events and further expanding its relations beyond India and China are good achievements in this regard.
Nepal plunged into a decade-long conflict in 1996 and even as the conflict ended in 2006, the protracted political transition that followed continued till 2015 due to the failure of the first Constituent Assembly to promulgate new constitution. Even after the promulgation of the new constitution, it took a considerably long time to hold the elections under the framework of the new constitution.
As we are set to embark on the New Year 2019, it is better to look ahead with hopefulness than to look back and repent for the days we wasted. Within this spirit of optimism, Republica Editorial Team has made highlights of major events that give us reasons to be hopeful. Among other things, a snapshot of various events that took place in the year 2018 has also been compiled as we look forward welcoming the year 2019.
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