Five pc vote threshold, rhino as national animal sought

Kathmandu, August 24

A total of 25 notes of dissent were tabled over the modified version of the Constitution of Nepal, 2015 at the Constituent Assembly today.

The parties presenting the notes of dissent include UCPN-Maoist, Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Democratic, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, CPN-ML, Khubuwan National Front and Federal Socialist Forum Nepal.

Lawmakers from Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) presented their notes of dissent individually.

Some lawmakers presented their notes of dissent in the form of disagreement and in order to draw the attention of the concerned.

The main opposition party UCPN-M presented its dissenting views on form of governance, judiciary, federalism, special structure, representation of farmers, labourers and the working class, rights of differently-abled persons, the comprehensive peace accord, peace process, reappointing officials of constitutional bodies, citizenship and demanded that people’s representatives not working in line with people’s sentiments be called back.

The party presented its dissenting views as the party’s stance and jointly through members in the Statute Drafting Committee that include Girirajmani Pokharel, Hitraj Pandey, Prabhu Sah, Ganeshman Pun, Dhaniram Poudel, Ram Narayan Bidari, Sita Nepali, Amanlal Modi and Ram Singh Yadav. RPP-N presented its note of dissent expressing full disagreement with secularism, federalism and republic set up. The party demanded reinstating ancient Hinduism as state religion with religious freedom allowing co-existence among all religions, forestalling all sorts of discrimination on the basis of religious belief, inclination and values and not allowing people to persuade others to change religion while granting full freedom for all religious faithfuls to exercise their rituals, traditions and values associated with their religion.

The party further reiterated its demand for reinstating the royal institution as a symbol of Nepal’s religious, cultural and national unity and resting the executive authority of the country with the prime minister and the council of ministers.

Kamala Panta, Mahalaxmi Upadhyay, Sita Gurung, Arzoo Deuba and Kabita Kumari Sardar of Nepali Congress demanded three to five per cent voters’ threshold, a guarantee of women representation in constitutional bodies, 50 per cent women’s representation in village assemblies and municipalities and provision of allocating naturalised citizenship to a foreign citizen tying the nuptial knot with a Nepali citizen.

Likewise, Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel, Ramdayal Rakesh, Shiva Kumari Gotame Sarki and Rewati Raman Bhandari of CPN-UML were for ensuring one-third women’s representation of the total elected seats of every political party and representation of different genders and communities in the positions of Speaker and deputy speaker in the House of Representatives, president and vice-president in the National Assembly and president and vic- president in the provincial legislature.

Ram Krishna Yadav and Mahendra Yadav were for replacing the word ‘Nepali origin’ by ‘Nepali individual’ in the citizenship certificate, including the VAT in the list of powers of provinces and the arrangement of inclusiveness and proportional representation in the appointments of office bearers and members of constitutional bodies.

Likewise, Jagadishwar Narsingh KC, Shankar Bhandari, Shekhar Koirala and Jeevan Pariyar of Nepali Congress stressed the need to incorporate the word ‘pluralism’ in the preliminary of the constitution draft, omitting the words ‘ socialism-oriented’ and ‘secularism’ from it, adopting a three to five per cent electoral threshold and mentioning the 1949 people’s revolution and 1994 historic people’s movement in the constitution.

Khambuwan National Front Nepal was for continuing secularism in the new constitution , forming the Indigenous Nationalities Commission and Tharu, Madhesi Commission instead of the National Inclusive Commission and giving up the threshold system.

RPP’s Jayant Chand called for referendum to decide on the matter of secularism. Similarly, Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party registered different views on 53 issues, including carving out 14 federal units, recognising ‘one-horned rhino’ as the national animal and providing unemployment allowance.