NO Ethnic Federalism

The country and its chauvinist people are celebrating the new change of ethnic based federalism. There are three parts of people, one in the support of ethnicity based federalism, next in the federalism not on the basis of ethnicity and third totally against federalism. When I was coming back from my workplace to my house, I was obstructed by the people of Sherpa community who were demonstrating and chanting the slogans pleading for ethnic federalism and blocked the way completely even for pedestrians like me. I was haunted mentally as they did not let me pass through the road. Are rights demanded violating the fundamental rights of others?

Nowadays many ethnic communities are mushrooming with the nation going towards ethnic federalism. Those who support this come to the streets and get their issues heard but people who are against ethnic based federalism are only expressing their opinion or denouncement through social networks and writings which I think are not valid to get their kind of voices heard in this country where protest, slogans, and mass movements have been common.

The people belonging to different community are in illusion that federalism based on ethnicity brings their ethnic identity at large. I don’t think that ethnic people’s rights and identity was made paralyzed as they think. If all ethnicity goes on claiming the unity of only their particular ethnicity then the feelings of national unity, integrity and sovereignty is ruined hindering the age old patriotic and nationalistic feelings of nepali. Ethnic federalism will be one of the promoting social stratification that will divide the people of a society in different strata causing terror for the minority people in the province.

One has to rise above one’s caste and ethnicity for national development, unity, peace and harmony. For entire nation’s development every people have to embrace the feelings of nepali then only there can be social security, unity in diversity and harmony that has been paralyzed these days. The recognition of Nepal in international arena has been changed from peaceful nation to the country of strikes. Nepal, a small county in geography, in my view does not need ethnic federalism. I wonder why our political leaders can't think alternatives to ethnic federalism. Geography based, urban-rural based, and others can be their positive alternatives.

Maoists are more blame worthy for this as it used the tool to reach in power, from the jungle to the regime which now has become a hanger for them. Nepal is the common garden of all the ethnic groups so why the identification and recognition is needed at this juncture when nation is facing serious crisis of constitution making and taking the comprehensive peace agreement to logical end. Nation’s issue is far more crucial than other issues. Time has now come for every nepali to promote nationalism, national sovereignty, harmony and tolerance. Every people who are against ethnic based federalism should come to streets now peacefully just to raise pressure as that’s only good means in Nepal to get our issues heard.