Returning to Nepal by Tony Baldry MP
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Last year, 2008, was the 50th anniversary of the work of Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO).
As part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, VSO invited a number of Members of Parliament to go and help support VSO projects in various parts of the world. These MPs were described as “political volunteers”, or Polvols!
I volunteered to go to Nepal under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to help work with Dalit members of the Nepal Constitutional Assembly, doing work on Nepal’s draft constitution, and also working with Dalit NGOs.
At the beginning of August this year, I am returning again to Nepal for two weeks, to continue this work with VSO.
Nepal is a fragile state.
It is poorest country in Asia.
Nepal is still trying to recover from years and years of violent Maoist conflict.
Nepal is important to the UK because its fragility risks spreading instability to an area in the world of critical importance to UK interests.
We all want to see Nepal achieve the Millennium Development Goals and disturbance in Nepal risks the currently stable recruitment to the Brigade of Ghurkhas and the provision of pensions and support to ex-Ghurkhas.
Fragility and stability in Nepal also poses increased risks to British citizens working, travelling and living in Nepal.
Nepal has a number of challenges, including regular civil unrest and in addition, live within one of the world’s most seismically active zones – Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, is ranked first in earthquake risks amongst all the cities of the world.
Nepal has issues with Climate Change, given the melting Himalayas, and Nepal’s extreme vulnerability to water and forestry stresses.
The UK remains Nepal’s larges bilateral aid donor.
A new three year Country Assistance Plan was launched in April 2009 and is worth £172 million. Priorities include public security, health, education, job creation, skills, tourism and agriculture.
Nepal is fascinating country. The Nepalese are a fantastic people and it is a country and a people which has a long association with the UK.
“For years we have been greatly indebted to those Nepalese who have joined the Brigade of Gurkhas”, said Tony Baldry . “However, Nepal has serious political problems, and the political situation is worse now than when I was last in Kathmandu last year. Maoists have been disrupting proceedings in Parliament, blockading Parliament and Nepal now has the 19th Government since 1990, with a Prime Minister who leads a 22 party coalition. However, coalition members cannot agree on the allocation of Cabinet seats. The overall picture is gloomy. Not only are the political parties in Nepal wary of each other, but there are serious divisions within their own membership. However, work on the new constitution is still going ahead.
The deadline for promulgating the constitution is May of next year although there are still fundamental disagreements.
Nepal is a Hindu state and still has a fairly strict caste system.
The Dalits tend to be at the bottom of the social pecking order – they were often referred to as “untouchables”, but of course a caste system in the 21st century is completely ludicrous – one can’t condemn people to poverty simply by accident of history, and the country is potentially losing an enormous amount of skill and talent.
Elections to the Constitutional Assembly did ensure that a significant number of Dalits, many for the first time, are in positions of responsibility, both men and women.
For almost all of these Dalit MPs, this is the first time that they have actively been involved in Parliament and actively involved in drafting a constitution, and it is a great privilege to be able to help them in that work and also to help the work of Dalit NGOs in the country.
Last year I helped set up a single umbrella group for all Dalit NGOs and I am looking forward to helping take forward that work again this summer.
Positioned as it is, between India and China, Nepal is in an interesting geographical location and if Nepal isn’t a stable country, the region isn’t stable.
So I a grateful that VSO are enabling me to put such experience as I have acquired over the years in Parliament and in the past as a UK Government Minister, to help fellow Parliamentarians in Nepal and my work in Nepal also helps me better understand the challenges that some of the poorest people in the world have to face and deal with daily.”
Tony Baldry
July 2009
