We can expect true representation of women and others only after our democracy takes deep roots
Constitutionally all the political parties are required to ensure at least 33 per cent representation of women in the federal parliament and provincial assemblies, either through the first-past-thepost (FPtP) or the proportional representation (PR) system. In the 275-member House of Representatives (HoR), 165 are elected under the FPtP and 110 under the PR system. However, most of the women representatives enter through the PR system as the major political parties are quite reluctant to field women candidates under the FPtP. This tendency has created an imbalance in the representation of women in the legislative bodies. As per the practice, lawmakers elected through the FPtP in both the federal parliament and provincial assemblies can spend the constituency infrastructure development fund earmarked through the fiscal budget. However, the lawmakers under the PR system do not have such right as they do not represent any fixed constituency. Therefore, the lawmakers elected under the PR system feel as if they are second class representatives. Similar is the case when it comes to electing representatives at the local levels, where women are fielded in less powerful positions like deputy chiefs and ward members. This time around, fewer women were elected at the second local level elections due to the coalition among the parties in comparison to the number of women elected in 2017.
In order to bridge the gap of gender inequality in political representation, as many as 12 women lawmakers from all the major political parties registered a motion of public importance in the HoR on Monday, demanding 50 per cent representation of women while fielding candidates under the FPtP. They took this initiative to mount pressure on their political leaderships so that women get 50 per cent share under the FPtP in the next elections to be held in November. In the last general election held in 2017, only six female candidates had won the parliamentary seats under the FPtP, which showed a further slump when compared to the second Constituent Assembly election in 2013 when 10 female candidates were elected under the FPtP.
The general tendency of all the political parties is to field candidates under the FPtP from among those who have the prospects of winning in the given constituency. Female candidates are fielded in those constituencies where they have slim chances of winning. This is the main reason why many female candidates failed to make it to the HoR through the FPtP. It is highly unlikely that the major political parties would yield to the pressure of the female lawmakers unless the constitution is amended in a way that requires all the political parties to set aside half of the FPtP seats to female candidates. Instead of seeking 50 per cent representation of women under the FPtP, it would be better for the time being if the political parties field at least 33 per cent of women candidates under it. It takes a long time to ensure inclusive representation of women, Dalits and other marginalised groups in all the elected bodies. We can expect true representation of women and others in the political sphere only after our democratic polity takes deep roots and the political parties also groom women for internal leadership.
NRB's confidence
Following the economic collapse of Sri Lanka this year, it has sent shudders across other South Asian countries as to who would be next to default on external payments. Pakistan and Bangladesh have sought the assistance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce such risks following a big jump in import of fuel and grains and slackening of export earnings. However, it is good to hear from the Nepal Rastra Bank governor that Nepal would not need fresh IMF assistance as tourism earnings had risen more than three times in the 11 months till mid-June compared to the same period a year earlier. Earlier this year, Nepal received $396 million in IMF assistance to mitigate the pandemic's impact on its economy.
Nepal's earnings from tourism jumped to Rs 25.52 billion during the period, but they are nowhere near the pre-pandemic level. Although remittances rose to $ 7.5 billion during the period, Nepal suffers from a heavy trade deficit. The country's forex reserves have been depleting and will barely sustain imports only for six months. Hence, the NRB must continue with the ban on the import of luxury goods while managing demand to ease pressure on forex reserves.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 3, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
