Building up federalism

The government’s commitment to perform better for creating new record and history sounds great and Nepalis feel encouraged by the public expression made to this effect by PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal recently. To the people who have felt let down because of Singha Durbar-nonperformance for decades together, the pledge, if translated into a reality, will be as great a gift as a boon. For this, the government should build up some basic premises related to three tasks: ensuring stability in politics, government, and parliament, managing resources for the same and sincerely devoting to federal practices in the real sense of the term. Lessons from the five year practice of federalism at the central, provincial and local level could guide the government to complete the task in an efficient manner. In the first cycle of federal practice, something has been done well while others, a few of them highly essential, have been completely neglected. The mindset of not doing away with central control in matters constitutionally guaranteed by constitution to provincial and local entities requires revolutionary change. The question ‘Is the government ready to change that mind set?” requires positive answer with a sense of responsibility. The positive response in this regard will open ways to delegate central power to provinces and local authorities in an appropriate manner. The same will be instrumental in introducing federalism in various sectors including infrastructure, local development, education, administration, finance and management of natural resources. Moreover, it will create a situation in which coordination among federal, provincial and local level authorities could be worked out in a healthy manner. Such coordination, despite repeated call and warnings in the past from experts, influencers, and implementers, could not be practiced in the first five year cycle of federalism. The central government then practiced more centralism in real time ignoring the spirit  and letters of the constitution. Enabling local and provincial authorities to perform well, means, in essence, aiding the federal level to emerge as the doer in real time. The basic work for strengthening federalism has been completed through trial and error method over the past five years. Now is the time to build up on them in an appropriate way with federal mindset. That will also open a tangible opportunity for way forward to fulfill the present government’s promise for performance.