KATHMANDU: It has been four years in the making, but finally, and many wonder how, politicians in Nepal has agreed on a new constitution. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, has many Nepalis hopeful that the infighting and politicking can come to an end. “It's good,” began one waiter in the capital. “I just hope it means that they can start on getting this country better,” he told Bikyamasr.com. In many ways, the end to the constitution debacle, or rather, the creation of the constitution, now opens a whole new set of problems and issues that everyday Nepalis will want answered. Among those are infrastructure and power. For a country that receives annually some $300 million, cities do not have adequate electricity. In Kathmandu, a good day is 18 hours of power, but that's a good day. “I believe we can be a wealthy country if we get rid of corruption and start to build our roads and buildings,” said restaurant owner Sunil Paudel. He runs a popular hang-out spot in the Thamel tourist area of the capital, but fears money will be spent on projects focusing on foreigners. “I came back from Dubai one-year ago and believe in Nepal, but we need roads and water and sewage stations and all that, but the constitution had dominated everything for so long,” he told Bikyamasr.com in near flawless English. “I want to help build the country.” All the excitement and hope comes after the Constituent Assembly and Nepal's political parties finally reached an agreement on the major contentious issues related to the future of the country's political structures. The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) along with the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) decided to adopt a ‘mixed' form of government, create a bicameral central Parliament, and have 11 states in a future federal system. The pact, expectantly, has however sparked immediate protests. The parties are still debating the overall look of the constitution and how much power each body will get. And of course, the infighting will continue some in the next two weeks until the deadline. For most Nepalis however, a new constitution is a sign of change and hope for a country that less than 100 years ago had been barred by the King of reading. Today, for those in tourism life is good. But move outside the major touristy places and the struggle to make ends meet continues daily. “This is Nepal,” a mid-50s man on the Bagmati River told Bikyamasr.com last week as evictions of slum-goers persisted. “We want a country, but the politicians want money so what can we do?” he asked.
