DANG: Nepali Communist Party leader and lawmaker Barshaman Pun has warned that any attempt to use constitutional amendments to roll back political achievements secured through the sacrifices and struggles of the Nepali people would be unacceptable.
Addressing a program in Deukhuri, Dang, on Monday to mark the Magar community’s Bhume Festival, Pun said there were indications that ongoing discussions on constitutional amendment could be used to curtail rights already enjoyed by citizens.
He said issues raised before the promulgation of the Constitution in 2015 but left unaddressed could be incorporated through amendments. However, he stressed that rights already guaranteed by the Constitution must not be weakened or taken away.
Pun expressed concern that the current government and ruling parties could retreat from commitments to federalism, inclusion, and the protection of community languages and cultures.
“The debate on constitutional amendment began after the government formed a task force to prepare a discussion paper. The government, political parties and state institutions could step back from previous commitments,” he said.
“Unfulfilled rights can be added, and unresolved issues can be addressed. But if there is any attempt to weaken federalism, inclusion, or the rights related to community languages and cultures, the people will raise their voices against it.”
He urged stakeholders to remain vigilant and pressure the state not to backtrack on rights already secured through political movements and public struggles.
Calls for expansion of rights
Pun argued that the Maoist insurgency launched in 1996 helped uplift historically marginalized communities and contributed to the social and political awakening seen in Nepal today.
He said the focus should now be on expanding political, economic, social and linguistic rights rather than reversing gains achieved through past movements.
The former finance minister also criticized the government’s decision to reduce funding for the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.
Pun also objected to the Language Commission’s decision not to recommend the Magar language as an official language for government business in Lumbini Province despite the Magar community being the province’s largest ethnic group, accounting for 14.1 percent of the population.
“From the people’s movement to constitution-making, the state accepted that Nepal belongs to all communities living here. The Constitution has guaranteed their rights and recognizes all languages spoken in Nepal as national languages,” he said.
He noted that provinces such as Bagmati and Koshi have already begun using national languages in official government work and questioned why the Magar language had not received similar recognition in Lumbini Province.
Pun said he would continue to press state agencies and the government to recognize Magar as an official language for government business in the province.
He also emphasized the need to promote entrepreneurship alongside the preservation of language and culture, calling for greater commercialization of indigenous attire, traditional foods and cultural products to support the economic development of indigenous communities.
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