Minister Gurung for creating public opinion in favour of proportional, inclusive elections

Kathmandu, Aug 29: Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, has said it is high time to create public opinion on the proportional inclusive electoral system.     

Addressing the book launch programme organised by the National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) today, Minister Gurung emphasised the need to create public opinion in favour of maintaining the proportional inclusive electoral system, as its removal would undermine the main spirit of the constitution.     

Minister Gurung, who is also the government spokesperson, said that since leaders have recently been trying to weaken the inclusive and proportional system, the concerned parties must unite to defend it.     

"According to the understanding of some leaders, the inclusive and proportional election system is to blame for the lack of political stability in the country, and this is not a reasonable argument. The obstacle to a stable government is not the inclusive aspect, but rather the lack of 'working style' of the leaders, and there is a need for improvement in their leadership style," he argued.     

He opined that the federal governance system has been established in the country due to the struggle and sacrifices made over a long time, but an inclusive system has still not been adopted during the formation of the government.     

Stating that the movement of the indigenous nationalities has been focused only on social and cultural areas, he expressed the opinion that now political and economic activities should also be emphasized.     

Minister Gurung suggested conducting a study backed by data on the achievements obtained by marginalised communities after federalism was implemented.     

NFDIN Vice Chairperson Resham Gurung expressed grievances about the state's 'insensitivity' towards indigenous communities, emphasising the need for further studies, research, discussions, and advocacy to secure and ensure the rights of indigenous peoples, while also informing that efforts are being made to develop more effective and robust institutions.     

Various books related to indigenous nationalities were released on the occasion, where Professor Krishna Hachhethu and Professor Yogendra Gurung shared analytical insights on the status and identity of indigenous communities. (RSS)