SANTA GAHA MAGAR

The lack of worthwhile proposals received from the public regarding the new constitution has been attributed to people's confusion rather than inertia.

The State Restructuring and State Rules Delineation Committee secretary Thakur Prasad Baral believes the public is confused by 11 committees asking for suggestions at the same time. "This work should have just been given to the Civil Relationship Committee for better management," he says.

The CA committees are actively engaged in collecting suggestions and outlining the frame of the new constitution. The committee members have started collating experts' opinions on constitution principles, the merits and demerits of federalism and state structure. In the next phase they will go out to the people to garner their thoughts and opinions.

However, despite advertising the process across the media only about 500 suggestions have been received and most of them are not practicable. Baral says the committee is engaged in internal discussions--studying various publications and articles, looking into international practices, collecting parties' manifestoes and consulting with experts.

The CA secretariat has been facing problems paying for advertisements that were distributed in the media without careful planning. Kumar Adhikari, under secretary at the secretariat says newspapers and television channels are coming to the secretariat demanding payment but there is no money allotted. He said one tv broadcaster produced a bill for Rs 3 million. The committees have discontinued ads on seven tv channels, all FM radio and daily papers for now.

Suggestions vary wildly and many are sloppy and wish-washy. The Civil Relationship Committee received a proposal for mediation in quarrels between husbands and wives. Other proposals include demands for fertilisers or are simply full of abuses for the CA and its members. The Natural Resource, Economic Rights and Revenue Allocation Committee received 13 letters, of which three were requests for advertisements.

But experts have also sent suggestions, these include conflict expert Bishnu Raj Upreti. The secretariat has placed two suggestion boxes in Singha Darbar and one in the International Convention Centre in Baneswor. However, most of the suggestions have been received via email, fax and toll free telephone. The Constitutional Committee received a total of 35 written, phone or emailed ideas while the State Restructuring and State Rules Delineation Committee received just one fax that wasn't even related. Most suggestions have come from outside Kathmandu and abroad.

Legislative Organs Delineation Committee received a proposal for one representative for every 100,000 people, a unitary state system with 100-105 representatives in a two-tier legislative, and a maximum of 12 ministries.

Fundamental Rights and Directive Principle Committee received three institutional and two individual suggestions of which one was sent by a labour union. National Interests Protection Committee, which is responsible for looking after national security policy, the Nepal Army, foreign affairs and natural resources received 20 suggestions including two experts' opinions.

By the end of January, 328 suggestions had been received but the processing and study of them has not yet begun.

Comparatively, South Africa received 2 million ideas from the people during its constitution-drafting process.