Federalism in Nepal - a reversal of Nepal's political progress.

Its a constant source of anger for me to see Nepali politicians talking and implementing a federal system in Nepal. Usually, federal states are created by much larger countries to allow for local level governance. They bring about many benefits when the country implementing is one which needs it, an apt example being our two huge neighbours India and China. However it is almost comical to see a country as small as Nepal allowing for the fragmentation of its society and peoples for the most illogical experiment of its leaders. The first time I had any discussion about this issue was in a car journey through the rolling hills of Nepal. I was in Nepal for my Bartabanda (coming of age ceremony) and my cousin could not understand why I was so baffled at the idea. The current system which was already in place and had just started to find its footing would be re-shuffled and the civil administration would have to re-invent itself. Knowing the pressures of Nepali governance, I will leave the timescale to your imagination. 

Currently, there is the need for unified national policies to be adopted to combat nation-wide poverty, illiteracy, poor education, high child mortality rates and a plethora of other issues. With the constant political, economic and social pressures Nepal faces due to its geographic location and sometimes difficult neighbours, many would argue that federalism isn't the answer to this. The pre-existing divisions of Nepali society of caste, religion as well as it's geography means that the states which will be implemented will always be discriminatory and marginalise one group or another. As such Nepal needs to work as one unit to tackle the issues discussed as a country to make sure there isn't disparity in the work and funding within the country. Nepal at this point in history cannot continue to leave some of its people in the middle ages. 

When Nepal was first unified as a country by our founding father, Prithivi Narayan Shah, it was fragmented into many little kingdoms all ruled independently with regional interests at heart. There was local fighting for resources and constant threats from foreign forces. I would argue that the current climate which is being created is not one suitable for the National progression of Nepal as a whole. There is a possibility of the Madesh being separated with some calls for independence from Nepal. I concede that this is a tiny minority, however this extreme protest would not be necessary under a national system as it only came about with the new divisions being created. I am sure our neighbours to the south are keeping a close eye now more than ever on the political climate. 

As a foreign onlooker I cannot pretend to understand the situation in Nepal properly. However, I hope that the analysis that I can present with the best interests of all parties involved  shows that the federal system isn't necessarily the best option for Nepal. It would be a joke for me to think this would even reach the politicians ears' in Nepal but for those who care about this issue I hope it was of interest.