Dalit Citizen Movement (DCM) presented a letter of memorandom to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today to pressurize the Nepal government to nominate more Dalit candidates in the constituent assembly from the remaining 26 seats to be nominated by the cabinet. The memorandom also stressed to include Gandarv and Badi communities whose representation is absent in the CA from the First Past The Post as well as the Proportional Representation systems of CA poll.

The nepaldalitinfo network expresses its gratitude to Jeevan Baniya, a Nepali scholar, for his Master’s Thesis, “Empowering Dalits in Nepal: Lessons from South Korean NGOs’ Strategies” which he submitted to the Graduate School of International Studies Ajou University in South Korea.

बाहुनले मात्र संस्कृत पढ्छन् भन्ने मान्यता तनहुको संस्कृत विद्यालयमा तोडिएको छ । भानुस्थित भानु संस्कृत माविमा ब्राह्मणभन्दा धेरै दलित र जनजाति छन् । यसमा पनि अधिकांश विद्याथी छात्रा हुन् ।

Krishna Kumari Pariyar, a Constituent Assembly (CA) member elected under PR system from Dalit community sewed the last pieces of cloths out of her noble occupational work as souvenirs for her neighbours in Pokhara before heading out for Kathmandu to join her new job as the CA member. The recipients of the souvenir articles will cherish them as honorable gifts from her.

International Commissison for Dalit Rights (ICDR) is organizing an Interaction Program on “Internationalize Dalit Rights Movements in Changing Society: Indian Experience” on Saturday, May 17 2008, from 3.30 PM to 5.30 PM at the American University in Washington DC.

The final list of all CA members from Dalit communities declared elected by the Election Commission under the PR system given below.

The total of 49 CA members from Dalit communities (42 members elected under PR system and 7 members elected earlier in direct elections from geographic constituencies) make up a 8.5 % of a total 575 CA seats that exclude 26 CA members yet to be nominated by the Government by cabinet decision.

The hilly and vertical trail of Maanidada of Bhojpur, from the Pakribas of Dhankuta, we may usually find, a 30 kilo’s Dalit boy carrying more than 50 kg load on his back walking bared foot. Sometimes, he has to carry double his weight in the short destination. Can we imagine? Obviously… ! that is 14 yr old-Lalchandra Charmakaar of Sikhuwa Deurali, climbing weekly there with the heavy cargo.

A total 43 Dalits have been nominated elected for CA under the PR system, making total of 50 dalits CA members including 7 members elected directly under First-Past-the-Post (FPTP) system earlier.

The nepalitinfo.20m.com, which is the original website of the nepaldalitinfo, an international network of dalit intellectuals and friends of dalits of Nepal, is five year old.

प्रत्यक्ष निर्वाचनबाट हुन नसकेको दलित समुदायको प्रतिनिधित्व समानुपातिकबाट पूर्ति गर्नु पर्ने राष्ट्रि्य दलित आयोगको माग छ ।
National Dalit Commission demands additional seats to offset the low Dalit representation from FPTP election.

“For the first time, I will see a leader from my own community,” said Sushila Nepali, a Dalit woman from west Nepal. She explained that the Maoists were the only party to have Dalit representatives elected in the assembly.
- A IRIN Asia Report

Canada Forum for Nepal (CFFN), a Canadian Non-Profit organization that advocates federal and inclusive democracy for Nepal has lauded a strong presence of women, Dalits, Janjatis, Madheshis, and other ethnic minorities in the Constituent Assembly (CA) through direct election in Nepal.

I have always wondered why the social status of so-called lower caste people of Nepal have been the way they have been. Brahmins/Chettries have been dominating and discriminating more than 30% of population of Nepal for millennia. Their well planned and well executed system of keeping lower castes away from Nepal’s cultural, religious, social, government, educational, national and international institution and opportunities has been working magnificently for thousands of years. - RKS

दलितहरूलाई राज्यका सबै निकायमा २० प्रतिशत विषेशाधिकारको व्यवस्था गराउने नारा बोकेर माओवादीका तर्फाट चुनावी मैदानमा गएकामध्ये ७ जना दलित विजयी भएका छन् ।
माओवादीबाट ७ जना दलित विजयी भएपछि नेपालमा समावेशीकरणको सुरुवात माथिल्लो निकायबाटै भएको छ । यद्यपि अन्य ठूला दल कांग्रेस, एमाले, मधेसी जनअधिकार फोरमलगायत यो प्रक्रियामा अझै परम्परावादी देखिएका छन् ।

There is an ongoing debate about whether to modernise Dalits’ caste based occupations or not. Though there are a number of the state’s efforts for overall socioeconomic empowerment of marginalised communities the Dalits’ rights have been continually violated. Dalits poverty – human, economic and structural is a direct result of the caste system and subsequent social exclusion. - Purna Nepali

राजनैतिक पार्टी संविधानसभामार्फ नयाँ नेपाल निर्माणमा दलितप्रति बढी जिम्मेवार हुनुपर्छ ।

Dalits hardly have got 4 % of the FPTP candidates and so if they cannot win any seats at all from any given geographical constituencies, they would be haing less than 5 % of the whole number of elected seats (both electoral system) in the CA.

Without proportional representation of Dalits and women in the Constituent Assembly, the aspirations of excluded people can not be reflected in new constitution.

Dalits want respect, a decent life, and end to discrimination and untouchability through adoption of the principle of proportional representation by the state based on inclusive principle and process.

- Bharat Nepali

संविधानसभामा दलित र महिलाको प्रतिनिधित्व न्यून हुने सम्भावना कायम नै छ । - भरत नेपाली