-Krishna Paudel
A CA member , a mere number : Most Nepalese are used to enjoying ridiculing the Constituent Assembly (CA) members for their inability in drafting a timely constitution, for the job they had been elected at the first place. But soon after the CA election the Maoists got catapulted into the position of the single largest party in the assembly from a ranked outsider, a rebel force just been inducted to peace overtures with the government for a small pie of a political role. The size and strength of the political parties changed and their ambition or prospects either skyrocketed or plummeted accordingly. The consequence was that priorities, too, changed from constitution drafting to forming or deforming governments. The ensuing spell of power struggle was a predictable eventuality. The Maoist party was still a warring force against the state and at the same moment by virtue of being the single largest party in the CA rightfully wanted to occupy the helm of the state . They wanted both the prime-ministership and to be born presidency. But theirs was not an absolute majority and couldn’t therefore decide on their own. Others had their suspicions on the Maoists as the latter still proclaimed a one party communist rule in the nation as their party's goal. For or against the Maoists’ ascendency to power, Mathematical equation came into play. This political mathematics then became the feature statement of the CA ‘s life ever since.
Most CA members were either from one of the major four political groupings and their factions – the Maoists ( 238 seats) , Nepali Congress ( 115 seats) , UML ( 105 seats) and the Madhishe ( forum) Morcha factions ( almost 70) along with other smaller fringe parties and independents . The 601 or thereabout CA members, although they represented people in their constituencies, the control of the their respective political parties over the individual member was beyond any breach. The CA member alone or in smaller groups could do nothing at all that could make a difference. Yes of course, sloganeering and boycotting in or out of the assembly could be their options, and even doing that the cost of their party’s wrath inviting suspension or ouster. Therefore , the CA member was reduced to a puppet who was there to clap and show numbers in passing a bill or opposing it as a party man under the whip. He was a mere number, a stick in the bundle whose essence relied on being in the group as a whole with no individual identity. Almost every member in the Assembly barring a real few are in their respective party boxes and they are tied to the group inside each of them. A member can’t come out of the box in which he/she has been stuffed in and cry foul of inaction. In the extreme case scenario, an idiosyncratic fool of this type will be definitely bundled and thrown out by his/her party for breaching the party line and defying the all binding whip. So a CA member is a sorry fellow who can hardly speak his mind and do his private work without risking his pay package due to as a CA member. He has to completely tow the party line making fair of his itchy desperation pressed upon by ethics , if any at all.
Party Syndicate:
Rightly so, because they spent their mandated 2 years plus another quarter of a year without bothering much towards their stipulated task of constituent making , people would jeer at them at the possible instant . But, we have mostly deliberately forgotten that the inaction was not their individual or collective fault as a full house CA, as described above. In fact, the makeup of the CA is as such that many of them are there as CA members for the sake of being representatives alone under the system. They may be members of certain ethnic groups, work groups or a class of people with a very little connection with law, constitution or matters of politics of the state. Most don’t know what constitution making warrants of them except cheering or jeering up along party lines. Such is the plight and persona of our poor CA ! On the other hand there is little a CA member can do to write a much required constitution nor can they together do it. Most members elected or nominated haven’t got an iota of idea about the thing they are supposed to create! It is because the senior most leadership of political parties is always involved in talks and negotiations with each other and there is very little for them to agree on due to their ideological and petty political stances. They simply can’t agree on issues most often. The decisions, if any, are taken by the summit leaders of the major parties and the decision will be thrown open for yes votes in CA. Often the deliberations and discussions run riot for days and months keeping all elusive agreement to the spectacle of a climax. Decisions by the meet of party supermoms are not taken when there is still time but towards the stretched seconds of the 12th hour amid an anti-climatic shy of relief.
The CA as a club of faithful cheerers is still existent and it’s probably living its final months of being. Its past renewals saw the new term being fueled for the election of yet another Prime-minister. But this time, contrary to hitherto practice, we have new PM before the extension of another quarterly term was accorded. So, he has a free rein of three months if let free by his own folks of the party and others in opposition ready to pounce upon any moment. The CA term has got a new lease of life by three months. By the time it expires, it will complete 3 and half a year of its life cycle, many times resurrected through the last moment resuscitation , it may be the end , too. Miracles can’t be denied though , not Godly but ever oddly !
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