Karnali Province Chief Minister Mangal Bahadur Shahi called for a review of federalism’s implementation and renewed debate on constitutional amendment at the opening of the National Conference of Chief Attorneys in Rara on Thursday. He said nearly nine years of federal practice should be assessed seriously, including its achievements, problems and areas that may need reform.
Shahi says federalism’s record needs assessment
Speaking at the conference, Shahi said the time had come to examine how federalism has been implemented. His remarks framed the review as an opportunity to consider the experience accumulated over roughly nine years, rather than to focus only on one aspect of the system.
He said the assessment should take account of both what federalism has achieved and the difficulties that have emerged during its implementation. Shahi also pointed to areas where reform may be needed, placing those questions alongside the broader review of the system.
The chief minister’s call linked this assessment with debate on constitutional amendment. He said discussion on amendment should move forward, but the remarks provided no specific proposals for constitutional changes. Nor did he identify particular provisions or institutions that should be altered.
Call made at National Conference of Chief Attorneys
Shahi made the comments while opening the National Conference of Chief Attorneys in Rara. The gathering brought together chief attorneys, while the chief minister used its opening to raise the wider question of how federalism has worked in practice.
His message was that experience gained during the implementation period should inform the discussion. By naming achievements, problems and possible areas of reform, he called for a broad review rather than presenting a detailed assessment of the results himself.
The remarks do not set out a timetable or a process for carrying out such a review. They also do not specify what changes might follow from the debate. Shahi’s central point was that nearly nine years of federal practice are enough to warrant a serious examination and discussion of constitutional amendment.
Debate on reform remains open
The call places two related questions before public discussion: how to assess the implementation of federalism and whether constitutional amendment should be debated. Shahi’s remarks did not provide answers to those questions, but identified the areas he believes should be considered as part of the review.
He urged attention to the system’s achievements as well as its problems, and to aspects that may require reform. The remarks therefore present the proposed assessment as an examination of the experience to date, rather than a one-sided account of federalism’s record.
No detailed reform agenda was announced in the remarks reported from the conference opening. The next steps, the scope of any formal review and the specific issues that might feature in constitutional amendment discussions were not outlined. Shahi’s call was for the assessment and debate to proceed, with the implementation of federalism examined after around nine years of practice.
