Parliament Ignorant? or Just Playing Politics . . . Again !
| The untouchable class was declared illegal in the constitution. Why declare it illegal again? Enforcement is what is required. Do the politicians have the stomach for enforcement? |  |
EDITORIAL
Untouchables
The revived House of Representatives has achieved two historic feats: It clipped the power of the king, and made parliament sovereign and supreme. However, a democratic parliament without opposition party slides into anarchy. Opposition, therefore, is an essence of democracy.
The parliamentarians declared Nepal an untouchable-free and non-discriminatory country in haste. They acted beyond the parameters of the revived House and gave priority to an issue that could have been discussed later. Nepal was already declared an untouchable-free country. Declaring Nepal an untouchable-free again is to mock the law. The parliamentarians should have instead made moves to implement the law effectively.
The parliament revived through the people's movement, should identify those assignments that should be prioritized and proceed accordingly. The parliamentarians cannot use "untouchability eradication" as a slogan for grabbing power. There has to be some kind of limitation regarding the extent to which the revived parliament can enact laws.
The one-and-a-half centuries old civil code had introduced the caste based discriminatory system. The government formed following the 1950 people's movement refused to acknowledge the way untouchability was destroying our social fabric. Although, the 1963 constitution drafted three years after King Mahendra staged coup had declared Nepal an untouchable free country, it was not implemented. It was the 1990 constitution, which announced sanctions to end the practice of untouchability in this country. Article 10 (a) of the civil code amended by the constitution states that "anyone guilty of the practice of untouchability is liable to one-year jail term and 3000 rupees in fine". Despite the law that puts a ban on practice of untouchability, successive governments never tried to implement it effectively.
The unequal social structure has, no doubt, helped the higher caste leaders exploit the low caste. The declaration of untouchable-free Nepal will soon turn to a political slogan. The caste based discriminatory practices have bred illiteracy and poverty and made the poor subject to rampant exploitation. And the practice of untouchability has continued to exist. Obviously, it takes time to eradicate such a deeprooted practice completely. But, how can the government do so unless it implements the law effectively?
The seven party government must not forget that it is formed to meet certain demands of the people, and not for certain things that serve purpose of a vested group. Restoration of lasting peace, bringing Maoists into the mainstream politics after disarming them and holding election to the constituent assembly are the immediate needs of the people and of course, the law against discrimination should be effectively implemented.
Posted on: 2006-06-05
Source:eKantipur.com
