KATHMANDU, AUG 02 - The task of incorporating public feedback into the constitution draft has yet to start as the major political parties are at a loss over what suggestions to take.
The four-day deadline set by the Constituent Assembly for the Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (PDCC) to complete the task expires on Sunday. Major party leaders have not reached an understanding on how to address the public feedback even after rounds of discussion.
A meeting of the Special Committee formed under the PDCC, which includes the chiefs of four major parties, held on Saturday was inconclusive. The committee was supposed to take a final call on the suggestions forwarded by another taskforce headed by UML lawmaker Bhim Rawal.
The Rawal-led panel on Friday suggested clarity on secularism, asking the Special Committee to adopt direct electoral system in local government bodies, and to include a Nepal Army representative in the Security Council.
Other key issues such as citizenship right to women and demarcation of provinces were unresolved at the taskforce as well. PDCC Chairman Baburam Bhattarai, who also heads the Special Committee, said they would complete the task by Sunday.
“Issues are yet to be sorted at the top level. Let’s see what the party chiefs do in Sunday’s meeting,” said Nepali Congress Chief Whip Chinkaji Shrestha.
In Saturday’s meeting, the parties were firm on their positions. NC leaders objected to the Maoist stance on secular state. The NC now advocates “religious freedom” instead of secularism as a constitutional provision.
The suggestions over religion, demarcation of provinces before constitution promulgation, electoral system and citizenship rights for women are the major challenges for the parties to address.
Signatories to the 16-point agreement are not in favour of adopting a directly elected executive head while a majority of the people consulted by lawmakers reportedly support the system.
The UML is reluctant to allow a Nepali woman married to a foreigner to pass on citizenship of descent to her child while the NC, the UCPN (Maoist) and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik appear to support the “or” provision, allowing either of the parents to secure citizenship for their children.
On the demarcation of federal units, the UML and the Maoists have suggested deferring the issue for now, arguing that spending more time on it would delay the plan to issue the new constitution by mid-August.
The NC and the MJF-Loktantrik, meanwhile, are of the view that the issue should be finalised before constitution promulgation to make the new charter acceptable to all.
All the parties are said to be positive about having the Army chief as a member of the Security Council. They are said to be close to consensus on addressing the concerns of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, and the Public Service Commission.
CA Chairman Subas Nembang has suggested pushing the process forward even if the PDCC fails to find consensus on the disputes. Nembang said that parties could forward the agreed issues to the CA and continue discussion on the remaining matters. “The remaining issues could be incorporated while preparing the final constitution draft or during the registration of amendment proposals on the Constitution Bill,” said Nembang.
The parties are likely to submit their report on agreed agendas and continue discussions on the disputes. After the PDCC comes up with its report, the CA will forward the report to the Drafting Committee for preparing the final draft.
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