What are we waiting for?

Editorial | From Issue #556 (June 3-9, 2011)

The failure of this country's rulers to once more meet the deadline for a new constitution is not as great as their chronic inability in the past five years to meet the people's needs for jobs and basic services. Somehow, the governance failure is eclipsed by their spectacular inability to frame a statute in time. In fact, it is looking like the constitution is holding development hostage.

A new constitution would lay down the rules of the game to govern a new Nepal. But of what use are rules if you are not going to follow them? In the past, this nation came to grief precisely because our feckless rulers forgot about the rules, they never bothered about implementing its provisions The 1990 constitution was adequate for the times, and could easily have been tweaked with new amendments to make it more inclusive and include failsafe mechanisms for decentralised governance. But the war was fought for a new constitution, and without it those who waged it will feel their sacrifice was in vain. For most other Nepalis a piece of paper was never the priority, they just wanted a government that worked.

Perhaps we attach too much importance to whether or not a constitution is written, and not enough on whether we have the governance capacity to deliver services. Why should delivery await a new constitution, anyway? What is stopping the transition coalition from going ahead with a national campaign to create jobs, improve health care, education and irrigation. The idea is not just to ensure Nepalis have a longer life-span, but also a better life.

We don't need a new constitution to tell us that the state must provide equal opportunity for all. An accountable elected government must allow all boats to rise together, not just the boats that are better placed.

Why do we have to wait for a new constitution to start work on leveling the playing field? Income equality is going to take time, but it is the state's responsibility to provide equal opportunity for all. It is criminal neglect of the state when family income determines a student's SLC score, when dialysis patients drop out of treatment because they can't afford it anymore, when those with TB take only half the dose of expensive antibiotics.

Not equalising opportunity will be a perpetual cause of social unrest. You don't need a new constitution to start working on it.