The debate of dual citizenship status comes to the forefront every October, when representatives from Nepali communities across the world come together for the annual convention of Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA).
Vision for Nepal Foundation (VIFON), as part of its research and analysis on Nepal and diaspora issues, conducted an analytical poll on the eve of the convention. [break]
The poll also meant to find out whether they were adequately aware of the benefits of dual citizenship. Questions emailed to 175 random NRNs were:
Dual citizenship
Should Nepal government continue to retain the citizenship of Nepali people living in foreign countries for various reasons until they choose to revoke it?
Of the 175 respondents, 153 said that Nepal government should award dual citizenship to its people living abroad for the benefit of both the people and the nation.
Republica
One individual from Denmark wrote, “I love Nepal to death, which is why I criticize her a lot—tough love! When it comes to dual citizenship, I don’t really care. All I care is Nepal should be an investment friendly country.”
Another respondent from the United Kingdom wrote, “If India had today’s constitution during Mahatma Gandhi’s time, India would perhaps still be under British Raj, since Mahatma Gandhi, then NRI, would have no rights to be in politics.”
“[Without dual citizenship provision] There would have been no Nepali Congress Party, since its founder BP Koirala was born in Banaras” a respondent from Qatar expressed similar sentiments.
Yet, one pollster from Boston wrote, “As long as India keeps brushing off dual nationality for overseas Indians, Nepal’s leaders won’t do anything about it, no matter what they say in public. You know how Nepal runs.”
NRN politicians
Should Nepali people living abroad be allowed to run for public office, vote and apply for government employment in Nepal?
Of the respondents, 112 said NRNs should be allowed to participate in the political process, while 42 strongly objected. Rest left the question unanswered.
Those who supported opined that Nepal’s national politics would come to a new order if that were to happen. However, 42 respondents claimed it would make politics and public administration even muddier, since money will matter more in elections and administration.
NRN ID
Do you think you can benefit from the current provision of Special ID issued to NRNs?
The question was confusing for 27 respondents, who did not respond. Of the 148 respondents, 34 were students who said the special ID was conflicting, and it did not represent concerns of all NRNs. Three did not care about special ID, while the rest said that although the idea was copied from Indian government’s provision for NRIs, it was a good sign.
Links with gov’t
Are you satisfied with NRNA officials with regards to the way they are dealing with Nepal government when it comes to dual citizenship?
A whooping 149 respondents were unhappy about the way NRN officials were addressing the issue. In the comment section, 78 of them wrote that the representatives did not actually represent the entire Nepali diaspora, they were not transparent, and were handpicked by the NRN establishment, or had secretly nominated themselves by forming a committee of their own. One respondent in Aberdeen, UK said that lack of transparency in selection was the reason behind the formation of a parallel NRN committee in the UK.
International scenario
Many other nations are also mired in the dilemma of dual citizenship. For example, although Israel offers dual citizenship to its people, it has failed to recognize and retain its crown jewels. Two of this year’s Nobel Prize winners (in Chemistry) are immigrants with Israeli lineage. One of them complained that he could not return to the homeland since he “failed to find tenure there.”
India was all set to offer dual citizenship to its million-plus NRIs in the early 2000s. However, in 2006, the Indian government ended up launching the “Overseas Citizens of India” (OCI) program, which has often been mischaracterized as a dual nationality program. An OCI card is similar to a US “green card” in that a holder can travel to and from India indefinitely, work, study and own property in India (except for certain agricultural and plantation properties).
An OCI card holder, however, does not receive an Indian passport, cannot vote in Indian elections, and is not eligible for Indian government employment. The OCI program is similar to the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card introduced by the Indian government several years ago, except that PIO holders must still register with Indian immigration authorities, and PIO cards are not issued for an indefinite period.
Dual citizenship automatically implies dual loyalties, and that raises uncomfortable questions. Perhaps this sentiment was crucial for India in deciding against the concept at the eleventh hour.
However, India has successfully hushed up NRIs’ disgruntled voices by effectively addressing their concerns. It has formed a separate ministry–Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs—with the objective of helping overseas Indians expand their economic engagement in India.
Suggestions
Dual citizenship offers a lot of advantages to the home country and its people living abroad, especially the sense of belonging and financial benefits. It’s not easy to find a sense of belonging in one’s adopted country unless one is born and brought up there. A citizenship of the home country can give the sense of being rooted as well as emotional satisfaction. For frequent travelers, it means less waste of time in getting visas, permissions, etc.
While a final decision to this effect certainly requires thorough brainstorming and a functioning parliament, the government and NRNA can lay the groundwork with the following steps:
Establish an independent non-profit institute to serve as a credible single window to lead diaspora philanthropic capital into Nepal. Start a semi-government strategic ‘think-tank’ on matters relating to overseas employment.
Establish a strong and robust electronic platform that facilitates transfer of knowledge with the objective of leveraging the expertise, skills and experience of overseas Nepali. (It’s sad to note that NRNA has done nothing to bring intellectuals under its umbrella.) And create an advisory council to draw upon the talent of the best overseas Nepali minds, wherever they might reside.
We do not know whether the dual citizenship concept will work in Nepal. What we do know is that it works very well between two peaceful countries that trust one another. For example, Canada and Britain or Britain and Australia. We need to build the mutual trust with other countries before we start on this journey.
(Roshan Ghimire helped conduct the study mentioned in this article)
The author is President and CEO of Vision for Nepal Foundation
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