Forum for Participatory Democracy
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PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY Practices and Reflections Forum for Participatory Democracy CONTENTS Abbreviation............................................................................................................................................................i Foreword ................................................................................................................................................................iii Bimal Kumar Phnuyal Acknowledgment .................................................................................................................................................v Prologue ....................................................................................................................................................................1 Mukti Rijal Building State for Democratic Governance .............................................................................................9 Chandradev Bhatta FES Nepal Civil Society and Democracy in Nepal ..................................................................................................... 17 Kalyan Bhakta Mathema Freelance Contributor with Special Interest on Civil Society and Democratization Local Governance and Democratization in Nepal ............................................................................... 31 Mukti Rijal, Ph.D Institute for Governance and development (IGD) State, Women and Democratization in Nepal ...................................................................................... 37 Seira Tamang Women Rights Leader, Expert on State Building and Social Inclusion Nepal: Transition from Cast Based to Multicultural Society ...........................................................47 Uddhab Pd. Pyakurel, Ph.D Assistant Professor, Kathmandu University Participatory Democracy and Social Inclusion in Nepal .................................................................63 Yam Bahadur Kisan, Ph.D Lawyer, Social Inclusion Expert Participatory Democracy in Equator and Bolivia ................................................................................77 Jorge Osvaldo Romano Gerardo Cerdas Vega Fabricio Henrique Omelczuk Walter Ricardo Dias Participatory Democracy Initiatives in Europe ................................................................................. 109 Gordon Crawford and Mirjam D. Werner Abbreviation AAN ActionAid Nepal CA Constituent Assembly CBS Central Bureau of Statistics CONAIE Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador CPN-UML Communist Party Nepal (Unified Maxist-Leninist) CSO Civil Society Organization FPTP First Past The Post System FWLD Forum for Women and Legal Development DDC District Development Committee GESI Gender Equity and Social Inclusion GoN Government of Nepal HLSRC High Level State Restructuring Commission IGD Institute for Governance and Development IMF International Monetary Fund LGCDP Local Governance and Community Development Programme LSGA Local Self Governance Act MJF Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum NEFIN National Federation of Indigenous Nationalities NGO Non Governmental Organizations NC Nepali Congress PCI Communist Party of Italy PD Participatory Democracy SAPs Structural Adjustment Policies SI Social Inclusion SUV Sports Utility Vehicles UCPN (Maoist) Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) VDC Village Development Committee UNFPA United Nations Fund for Population Activities WID Women in Development i ii Foreword ‘Democracy’ must deliver! That means, democratic governance. Deepening democracy is key approach governance should facilitate a continuous process of to our governance works from local to national level. democratization - otherwise it becomes just a formal ActionAid together with its partners and wider civil electoral process and ritualistic parliamentary affairs. society alliances facilitate political advancement of Democracy reduces itself as the unproductive and people living in poverty and marginalized sections ritual exercise of the ‘people’s representatives’ and they of society to hold duty bearers to account, develop become alienated from and oblivious the interests of propositions for national development strategies. common citizens. In order to make ‘democracy’ work, Therefore, the vision of ‘participatory democracy’ citizens must actively engage in holding the elected provides an ‘umbrella perspective’ for our overall representatives accountable and make them work in the governance works aimed at poverty eradication. interests of most marginalized sections of society – we can also call it the process of ‘democratizing’ a democracy. We, in ActionAid and IGD, feel really encouraged to see In other words, what is needed in today’s world is to that the initiative for creating ‘Forum for Participatory build robust social movements towards transforming Democracy’ has been appreciated widely in the country. ‘elitist democracy’ to a ‘participatory democracy’. Apart from the national forum, two sub-regional forums in the eastern and western region of Nepal have ‘Forum for Participatory Democracy’ aims at creating attracted hundreds of social activists, CSO leaders, social platforms to build and strengthen the discourse and movements, academics, journalists and politicians practices of democratization, by bringing together to get involved in ‘democracy discourse’. Some community activists, social movements, public interesting and important publications have emerged intellectuals, human rights campaigners, policy makers, through these forum reflections. I hope this particular media professionals and politicians from local to anthology will also add an important value towards national to international level. The spirit of creating future deliberations and actions for democratization. such a ‘forum’ is to invite diverse views and practices for On behalf of AAN, I would like to appreciate the efforts critical and meaningful reflections, which can contribute made by paper contributors, commentators and also the to ‘democratic praxis’. As we have been advocating forum participants who provided their valuable insights it, democracy cannot be purchased or sold; it cannot and critiques. My special gratitude goes to Dr Mukti Rijal be imported or exported; nor can it be indoctrinated. and the team at IGD, whose hard efforts for editing and Democracy is to be built through authentic and effective coordinating made this publication possible. My special social-political processes and popular mobilizations thanks to all ActionAid Nepal colleagues, especially in the given society. Critical reflections and praxis are Govinda Prasad Acharya, who made contributions in crucial for building such an authentic movement. various forms. Finally, on behalf of ActionAid Nepal colleagues, I would like to commit that we will keep ActionAid has been involved in Nepal’s anti- engaging with you all and do our best efforts towards poverty campaign through its grassroots level social deepening and widening democratization processes empowerment programmes; community organizations from local to national to the international level. and transformative social mobilizations, human rights based policy research and advocacy initiatives and Bimal Kumar Phnuyal also engages with governmental agencies from local to Country Director national level; for promoting participatory democratic ActionAid Nepal, 2014 iii iv Acknowledgments This publication presents, like the previous one, the outcome of the cooperation between Institute for Governance and Development (IGD) and ActionAid Nepal for a conference on Participatory Democracy held on Dec 12-13, 2013. In the meet, experts, scholars, researchers and civil society practitioners from Nepal and abroad had shared their ideas and reflections on the ways and means of deepening and widening democracy at a time when the mechanism and practice of much avowed liberal democracy has come under sharper scrutiny and criticism. In fact, discussions are going around both in the developed and developing world as to how to make democratic process and institutions more meaningful, substantive and relevant to the life of the ordinary citizens. For taking lead and providing support in enhancing discussion and deliberation on participatory democracy in Nepal under the auspices of Forum for Participatory Democracy for some years now both at the local and national level in Nepal, a very special thanks goes to Bimal Kumar Phnuyal, ActionAid Nepal Country Director for not only helping to conceptualizing the strategy of the conference but interacting and sharing with the authors of the papers- that form the body of the book- to ensure that the contributions dwell at and examine the notion of democracy, development and participation from a multifaceted lens and perspectives. Likewise, I put on record my gratitude to Govinda Prasad Acharya, programme coordinator, ActionAid Nepal and other ActionAid colleagues and volunteers who lent their valuable support and reliable cooperation in the process of convening conference and bringing out this publication. With all humility and gratitude, I would like to thank authors and presenters of the papers reproduced in this work, commentators and chairs whose contribution is invaluable in making the conference deliberations a success. Colleagues from IGD especially Mahendra Lamsal, Shushila Sherchan, J.S Mishra, Devi Rijal owe thanks for their hard work and support. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the conference participants and stakeholders whose contributions to the deliberation in the conference