Top leaders of the three major parties – Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Unified CPN-Maoist – today said that the people’s desire of drafting a constitution by their elected representatives had come to fruition after 65 years of people’s movements. NC chair and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala while addressing a joint mass meeting organized by the three major parties who stood united to draft and promulgate the federal democratic and republican constitution said the new inclusive constitution will herald a new era of political stability and prosperity. UML chair K P Sharma Oli said that the new constitution was the most inclusive, representative and assimilated most of the views expressed by the people of different walks of life and regions. UCPN-Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal was of the view that the new constitution promulgated on September 20 has ensured the rights of Dalits, Madhesis, Tharus, women and ethnic communities. The three leaders said that with the promulgation of the new constitution the old “feudal era” had come to an end and the new one has been ushered in. The leaders also appreciated and thanked the two neighbouring countries – China and India – and other friendly nations and UN for extending goodwill and moral support for Nepal in drafting the new constitution.

The joint rally organized the day after the promulgation of the constitution holds significance as the leaders gave a message of unity to the people and international community that they are committed to implement the constitution though some Madhes-centric parties have disowned it. However, the leaders have vowed that whatever the grievances that the Madhesi parties may have in the constitution can be resolved through dialogue. The republican setup, federalism, secularism, inclusion, constitutional provision of broad-based representation in federal parliament, Pradesh assembly and local bodies; giving more weight to the distribution of population than geography while delineating the parliamentary constituencies, formation of commissions for ethnic groups, Madhesis, Muslims and Tharus are the salient features of the constitution. The leaders have also assured the disgruntled parties/groups that the soon-to-be-formed Federal Commission will address the issues of boundaries of the federal units.

As the new constitution is highly flexible, any provision of it can be amended except the territorial integrity, national unity and people’s sovereignty. Although the Madhes-centric parties/groups boycotted the constitution-making process, they should find a negotiated settlement of the issues that they have raised. What the transformed parliament should do is to form the Federal Commission at the earliest so that the disputes related to the boundaries of the federal units can be settled in a manner acceptable to all stakeholders. Now, it is high time that the major parties reached out to the people and apprised them of the outstanding features of the new constitution, especially to the marginalized communities. A constitution is a political document that gives a general outline and principles of governance; but it does not give “wisdom, reason and capacity” to those who use it. Its success will largely depend on how the political leaderships execute it.

Contain diseases

The monsoon season is on the way out. In winter the number of patients of certain ailments is reported to go down. In the summer and monsoon seasons, diarrhea and dysentery, dengue, and this time around cholera, for instance, draw attention of the public and health officials. Now, swine flu has surfaced, as the Teku hospital has detected three people with H1N1 virus. The swine flu infection is reported to have resurfaced after a gap of four months. Nepal falling in the tropical zone, influenza cases can be expected round the year, especially towards the end of the monsoon season and after.

In any infection, early detection and proper treatment are necessary to contain the disease, apart from the importance of prevention. Swine flu being infectious, those suffering from it should not get too close to others, they should wear a mask, maintain proper hygiene, take rest, and of course consume the necessary doses of antibiotics. Last year, 42 people tested positive for the swine flu virus and four of them died.