Nepali citizens accelerate warning leaders for timely constitution

While the deadline of promulgating new constitution of Nepal is getting closer, citizens have accelerated programs warning political parties and their leaders.

Citizens' Movement for Democracy and Peace (CMDP) on Tuesday organized a citizens' mass meeting demanding new constitution on time.

Hundreds of Nepali citizens gathered in front of Constitutent Assembly (CA) Hall in capital Kathmandu warning political parties and leaders not to play any foul game to fool citizens.

Accusing parties and leaders tempted by power, speakers of warning program said that the forthcoming new constitution is the hope of all Nepali people which will address rights of all marginalized groups in the country.

"Hoping that the new constitution will secure rights of all Nepali, we are awaiting. But there are lots of suspicion whether this constitution will be promulgated on time or not," said Dr. Renu Rajbhandari, member of CMDP.

Hinting the idea of promulgating brief constitution upbrought by various constitutional experts including CA Chairman Subas Nembang to meet the constitution drafting deadline of May 28, 2010, she said the idea terming it conspiracy will not to write the new constitution on time.

Meanwhile, Bimala Tamang, women activist representing landless women and member of CMDP said, "we voted these leaders as CA members just to write a new constitution to build peaceful "New Nepal" not to wrangle between each other for power."

The peaceful protest being carried out by citizens aims to put pressure on political parties to resolve their ideological differences so as to resolve political impasse and to dedicate their time in promulgating the new constitution within the given time frame

The CMDP movement also pressurizes parties to ensure institutional development of the federal democratic republic system in new constitution and to materialize people's mandate of writing new constitution addressing human rights of all group of Nepali people.

Underlining the idea of promulgating "frame work constitution" on deadline, Gopal Thakur, CA member opposed the alternative idea just to meet deadline. He said the so called "brief constitution" will be unacceptable for Nepali people.

The CMDP had already conducted rallies and sit-in protests ranging from an hour to 48 hours to press for the constitution drafting and peace processes.

The mass gathering was attended by members of civil society, Human Rights Defenders, Representatives of different organizations and general public.

In an Interim Constitution of Nepal-2007, it has been written that the new constitution of Nepal will be promulgated on May 28, 2010.


Source: Xinhua