English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...
English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...
English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
The Remake of a Statefeel<strong>in</strong>gs of the migrants. Answer<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> disgruntled <strong>in</strong>terviewees, the Italybornastrophysicist and Nobel Laureate Ricardo Giacconi said, “Scientistsare like pa<strong>in</strong>ters. Michael Angelo became a great artist because he hadbeen given a wall <strong>to</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>t. The US gave me my wall” (ibid, p 15). A goodnumber of <strong>Nepal</strong>i migrants who are work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> India, other professionalmigrants and students who go for study <strong>in</strong> the US and the Europeancountries have a similar feel<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> share. <strong>Nepal</strong> is <strong>in</strong> a fragile transitionalphase at the moment. There is <strong>in</strong>security <strong>in</strong> social, economic and otherenvironments. Uncerta<strong>in</strong>ty exists <strong>in</strong> regular provision of services likeeducation and opportunities for jobs and other personal development.So, migration <strong>in</strong> the present situation of <strong>Nepal</strong> can be looked as a logicaldecision on part of the migrants who share similar feel<strong>in</strong>gs.Ak<strong>in</strong> <strong>to</strong> the rest arguments, the Human Development Report (HDR) (UNDP2009) also puts forth that the majority of migrants far from be<strong>in</strong>g victimstend <strong>to</strong> be successful. The report shows that outcomes <strong>in</strong> all aspects ofHuman Development not only <strong>in</strong>come but also education and healthis for the most part positive. Their argument is that migration allows<strong>in</strong>dividual migrants <strong>to</strong> have access <strong>to</strong> better pay<strong>in</strong>g jobs and <strong>in</strong> the facethat distribution of opportunity is extremely unequal. Similarly, mobilitycan facilitate access <strong>to</strong> ideas, knowledge and resources that complimen<strong>to</strong>r enhance their progress. Thus, migration is considered <strong>to</strong> be a vitalstrategy for households and family seek<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> diversify and improve theirlivelihoods especially <strong>in</strong> develop<strong>in</strong>g countries (Adhikari and Gurung 2009).UNDP (2009) shows that the poorest ones have the most <strong>to</strong> ga<strong>in</strong> frommov<strong>in</strong>g. For example, it depicts that migrants from the countries with lowHDI saw fifteen-fold <strong>in</strong>crease <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>come, a doubl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> education enrolmentrate (from 47% <strong>to</strong> 95%) and sixteen-fold reduction <strong>in</strong> child mortality (from112 <strong>to</strong> seven deaths per 1000 live births) after they migrated <strong>to</strong> thecountry of higher HDI.Besides <strong>in</strong>dividual and family level, these discourses also show that migrationis beneficial <strong>in</strong> the more meso country level. Brack<strong>in</strong>gs (2003) shows thatremittances from successful migrants feed <strong>in</strong><strong>to</strong> the social and economicstructure: the deficit with<strong>in</strong> which <strong>in</strong>fluences the decision of the migrants<strong>to</strong> migrate <strong>in</strong> the first place. Moreover, her research shows that remittanceflows may also contribute <strong>to</strong> a liberalised economic space as remittanceensures the poor aga<strong>in</strong>st the ‘kleptrocratic behaviour’ of the political officeholders. Such behaviour of the state parties is considered <strong>to</strong> be one of thereasons for underdevelopment <strong>in</strong> <strong>Nepal</strong>. This <strong>in</strong>sulation aga<strong>in</strong>st kleptrocraticbehaviour could provide the locals with the capacity <strong>to</strong> make state servicedelivery more responsible and transparent. Enabl<strong>in</strong>g the efficient deliveryof state services is one of the components of state-build<strong>in</strong>g.171