English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...

Contradiction and duality4.3 ‘Powers’ that are not powersThere is a list of ‘powers’, making it seem that the powers of governmentare being handed over to the people (Mikesell 1999), but these are no‘powers’ of governance, they are just procedural rules. Political partiesare always in conflict and contradiction in terms of empowering localgovernment, citizen participation and ensuring downward accountability.There is no autonomy in local planning as it must adhere to the instructionsgiven by the Ministry and the National Planning Commission in respect toplan formulation and implementation. Moreover, poor and disadvantagedpeople are either not able to participate or not allowed to participate inlocal governance processes. Moreover, some powerful political leadersmake the final cut and paste on whatever comes from below and thatbecomes a major part of the national budget. This sort of duality hascontinued even after the recent political changes.Power is overly centralised and top-down. There is also a question aboutwhether the political parties only have the authority without any realpowers to make changes. Why are they powerful yet so weak in defendingnational interests?4.4 Foreign interference in foreign relationsNepal is a strong supporter of the non-aligned movement in the past andits foreign policies are based on the same principle. However, the closeproximity to India and her influence over social, political and economicfronts as well as the pressure from the northern neighbor- China make itdifficult to survive independently. Foreign policy is thus greatly influencedby powerful and influential neighbours, particularly Indian interest andpolicies. With the open border, cultural and religious ties, economicdependency and the political submission, India has tremendous influenceand interference in Nepal’s foreign policy. It has created suspicion andhesitation among the ruling political elites in number of independentdecision-makings such as in dealing with Madhesi issues because of theperceived Indian interest over it. It has allowed the external forces to playwith this duality.There are no common agreements among the political parties over India’srole and interest in the political changes in Nepal in 1951, 1960, 1990 and2006. There is inferiority complex among many Nepali politicians and thishas manifested in the much debated India-Nepal Peace and FriendshipTreaty of 1950. The Maoists are of the opinion that time has changed,democracy has come in and people’s aspirations have changed so Nepal298