Dual or joint citizenship has become a genuine demand of time, not an option in the 21 st century. Global citizenship is not only necessary to find new ways of addressing global problems, such as climate change, food crisis and financial crisis but also local problems, such as poverty, hunger, malnutrition, social exclusion, having global implications. The more we interact as global citizens, the better solutions can emerge.
The concept of citizenship is changing with increasing transnational mobility of human beings and greater concerns for our planet earth. This urges us to redefine citizenship in new ways, and subsequently challenging the conventional view of citizens as residents of a particular country. In its simplest meaning, citizenship is the state of being a member of a particular country or a group of countries and having rights and responsibilities because of it. For example, dual citizenship provides membership of two countries at a time, joint citizenship presents association of an individual with two or more countries, and global citizenship relates to self-declared responsibility to our planet earth. Indeed, we are global citizens.
Dual or joint citizenship has become a genuine demand of time, not an option in the 21 st century. Global citizenship is not only necessary to find new ways of addressing global problems, such as climate change, food crisis and financial crisis but also local problems, such as poverty, hunger, malnutrition, social exclusion, having global implications. The more we interact as global citizens, the better solutions can emerge.
International migration is one way to facilitate human interaction as global citizens. In this process, both sending and receiving countries can benefit from transnational act of learning and innovation, the former can benefit more than the latter, specifically if the sending country is less developed. Dual citizenship is one way to facilitate this process. But how is the country like Nepal that sends immigrants benefits more than a receiving country?
Based on a study of the World Bank Institute, in an earlier Nepalnews guest column I had discussed five major ways the Diaspora can contribute the building of national innovation systems of a sending country, with specific example of Nepal: remittance, donation, investment, learning and innovation, and institutional reforms. How does a provision of dual citizenship to Nepalese Diaspora facilitate these ways of building new Nepal, and what implications would it have for a receiving country like Canada where dual citizenship is a long tradition? Why should sending countries like Nepal keep on bothering about dual citizenship if they are gainers in this global exchange of knowledge and skills?
Within the economic realm, sending countries need to change their preoccupation that Diaspora is simply the source of remittance. Remittance flow can continue without the provision of dual citizenship as long as individuals hold loyalties based on privately held identities, such as religion, race, ethnicity, kinship and ideology.
Similarly, human beings as global citizens are free to donate money irrespective of citizenship. Official grants for international development come through the tax payers, the citizens of developed countries who may not have traveled to developing countries. Moreover, an individual citizen in a developed country like Canada sponsors a child in developing countries irrespective of his or her citizenship. However, citizenship matters for investment, innovation and institutional reforms.
Then how joint or dual citizenship facilitates innovation and growth in a low-income country? Individuals are more likely to invest in a country where they have continuous connection and belongingness, let alone a citizenship. It is a way to give back.
The first generation Diaspora is more obliged to give back because the sending country invested a lot on them. The subsequent generations of Diaspora would also consider giving back to their ancestral land provided enough connections are maintained. This is why the first generation Diaspora is seriously concerned to raise their kids in between two cultures, teaching values of both sending and receiving countries. Joint or dual citizenship can facilitate this process.
Regardless of the provision of dual citizenship in sending countries, receiving countries like Canada have substantial investments for developing language and culture of people with diverse cultural heritage. This is an expression of tolerance in a receiving country. It would be ironic if a sending country fails to express similar tolerance against her Diaspora community. Professor Richard Florida writes that technology, talent and tolerance (3T) are three key ingredients for the prosperity of an economy.
In the 21 st century, if nation states are competing for anything, it is mainly for talents. The new source of international competence lies on learning and innovation. Specifically, English speaking countries, such as Canada, the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, encourage their international graduate students to stay after graduation. Joint or dual citizenship can be a way to retain or attract talented people. While people are inherently on the move, a provision of joint citizenship of sending and receiving country is very important to maintain two-way human mobility and to facilitate transnational learning and innovation. But how can we increase our tolerance in terms of citizenship?
Citizenships are either based on jussanguinis (based on blood or race as in Germany) or jus soli (based on birth right as in most other countries). If Nepal’s new constitution adopts a mixed approach to define Nepalese citizenship integrating these two bases, Nepalese Diaspora would automatically fall under the new definition of Nepalese citizenship.
Wherever people travel for whatever reasons, they are recognised based on the cultural heritage of sending countries, such as Nepalese Canadian, Nepalese American, Nepalese German and so on, ever after several generations irrespective of their specific citizenship status. Citizenship is just a piece of legal document and our outlook and value systems matter in everyday life. For example, the US president Barrack Obama has become first African American president although he was born and brought up by a white American mother. One of the sources of tolerance in the 21 st century is to acknowledge mixed identities, and one way to recognize this is through joint or dual citizenship.
Naturalisation of immigrants in receiving countries is equally beneficial for sending countries. For example, Canada grants dual citizenships to her landed immigrants after three years of residence, and this is one way to express tolerance to multiculturalism. Moreover, Canadian citizens and immigrants exercise equal rights and responsibilities except their participation in political processes and some federal employments. This facilitates naturalization of immigrants speeding up their integration into to Canadian society.
In Canada, once an immigrant becomes a citizen, he or she can unconditionally participate in political processes, employment in federal ministries including military service no matter whether one carries the citizenship of the sending country or not. Since professionally established immigrants are more likely to facilitate learning and innovation is their ancestral land, constitutional activists ask that why sending countries hesitate to grant dual citizenship to their Diaspora. Is it a potential threat to national sovereignty?
In Canada there is no realised threat of the constitutional provision of dual citizenship to her immigrants from all over the world. There is not realised threat to national sovereignty. Since immigrants are loyal to both sending and receiving countries, unconditional citizenship of two or more countries does not provide a threat to national sovereignty of neither receiving nor sending country.
There are also evidences that federal services including military service, can be offered to foreign citizens even before foreigners are granted citizenship. For example, Gurkhas have been serving in the British Army for decades and it is an excellent example of how British sovereignty is maintained despite the recruitment of Nepalese citizens in the military service. Only recently they have been offered permanent residence in the UK. Any kind of restriction to Nepalese Diaspora to serve their ancestral land is ironic and will be against the demand of time.
Research finds that when sending countries like Nepal do not have a provision of dual citizenship, immigrants hesitate to denounce citizenship of his or her country of origin and they subsequently delay or never become a citizen of a receiving country. For example, there are instances that one of the spouses remains citizen of the receiving country even after decades of residence in a receiving country simply to maintain legal attachment to their country of origin. This practice can have several negative implications including ones involvement in political processes and institutional reforms. Gender equity is another concern arising from this practice.
Since the sending countries are usually the winner of the provision of a dual citizenship, the constitutional provision of Nepal should meet the genuine aspirations of Nepalese Diaspora for a provision of unconditional dual citizenship. Diaspora should be allowed to involve in political processes, policy formulations and government employment including military services. One way to attract the pool of talents among Diaspora is to remove the age limit to recruit in government services and facilitate lateral entries based on educational qualification and experience. This helps transnational learning and innovation.
In addition to the provision of unconditional dual citizenship, low-income countries should attract the worldwide pool of talents through various other means. Ghana, one of the countries of Sub-Sarahan Africa, not only passed Dual Citizenship Act (2000) but also the former president Jerry Rawlings is in favour of allowing African Diaspora the rights to apply for Ghanaian citizenship while maintaining their foreign citizenship recognising their potential to invest and innovate in Ghana. This was a call to grant citizenship to all African Diaspora based on race and blood, not just Ghanaian Diaspora.
In Nepal, there can be constitutional provision to grant permanent residency to people of not only Nepalese heritage living in developed countries, but also to citizens of the industrialised countries as some of them may choose Nepal as their destination. For example, Barbara Adams, an American lady who first came to Nepal in the 1960s, patiently wanted for nearly five decades before she received Nepalese citizenship.
Who knows Nepal can regain the name of Himalayan Shangri-La through charismatic political leadership. Constitutional provisions need to be strategic and farsighted without any potential compromises in the future. Let us think beyond what is obvious in the present time. The new constitution of Nepal may include a provision of global citizenship to our fellow human beings, not just dual or joint citizenship to Nepalese Diaspora.
(The author is completing a PhD at the University of Guelph, Canada. His PhD dissertation investigates innovation systems in agriculture in Nepal and India. Write to him: laxmi_pant@yahoo.com)
(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to editors@mos.com.np)
Katti kich kich.. just give it to them. If you don't want to give them Nepali citizenship, its not going to hurt them. Just gonna hurt our foreign investments which hurts our economy which hurts how much that momo pasal in baneshwor makes which in turn leads to them putting dog meat in momos. I say just give them Dual Citizenships, think about the number of people who are Nepalese but not in Nepal right now. You don't have a right to take away their nationality. Our nationality.
Dekchi bro, Bishal and everyone, eutai pokhari ma rakhidiyo bhane thulo machha le sano machha lai khanchha bhaneko suneko chha? When you open dual citizenship for foreigners from industralized countries (by the way, how do you define industralized or developed country? again, why not open this for the citizens of some less develop country such as Saudi Arabia, Pakisthan, Malasia if they have money, skills/expertise, etc who can really invest their money and skills?) Foreign investment in all the sectors where Nepalese themselves can do business/investment is not good; I believe those Cocacola, Pepsi Inc have made more harm than good to Nepalese economy as they take away millions of money every year from Nepal; you need to provide good investment opportunities only in certain sectors where Nepalese lack enough money and skills for investment. Dual citizenship to foreigners will affectcountry's policy of protecting it's own industralists, businessmen, and helping poor people, etc. Government works only for rich, educated, skilled foreigners. Analogy is the same - internal and external policies of the country are also affected and country's independence can be at risk. See Chinese were working, investing, migrating in to Tibet since long ago and finally Tibet ceased to exist as an independent nation. Some Tibetan might have become rich along with many migrant Chinese, but there is no point if Tibetan voice can not be heard within Tibet and foreigners rule over Tibet. When British went to India long ago, they went for business and investment and eventually India lost everything. So, if you have a strong country, it may be a good idea to invite foreigners, otherwise you are likely to lose your identity and everything in a long run. Having your own home (an independent country) is more important than anything else. We don't want to become second, third class citizens in our own country by granting foreign born people citizenships and making conducive environment for them to invest in Nepal.
Yes, for sure it is going to hurt our foreign investment for our MOMO pasals across the country, especially some MOMO pasal in valley area are shutting down just because we do not have dual citizenship system, r8? Dekchi, do you know Dafe Restaurant in N. Baneshwor, does it exist now ( shahi bhaisi ko MOMO paintho yar theha).
Sajhakohero, I disagree with you on a point - most of the American/Canadian/Europian, etc now who were born and grew up in Nepal are not traitor, they still love Nepal more than Nepali crook politicians residing in Nepal doing nothing but throwing sweet promises all the time do. If Nepal has to be protected from foreign intervention or if Nepal has to be developed, these non-residential Nepali can do far more than Nepali politicians who are taking the reign of saving Nepal in every aspects. So, it may not be a bad idea to grant citizenship with some conditions to non-residential Nepali.
But, author of the article who is arguing for granting dual citizenships to those who were not born and grew up in Nepal is damn wrong. Those people my invest in Nepal for monetary benefits only without loving Nepal and helping Nepal when she really need help.
yeah ctal of course we can have dual citizenship but provided the person is like Sir Edmund Hillary.
Who could have forgot about him.
But in this case, what i am referrring is that we should not GIVE dual citizsenship blindly.
strictest background check should be met ESPECIALLY to foreign nepalis wanting dual citizesnship.
too many foreigners in nepal and soon nepal will become like usa.
usa no roots, no cultures, too many jews, hindu marry muslims, muslims marry christians, too many divorce, lesbians/gays will then walk freely, sex b4 marriage, too many abortions, ........the society will slowly crumble!
as the ramayana text reads, society without dharma will fall apart.
therefore to protect the interest of nepal and the local nepali people, we should not give dual citizenship to
you win. momo pasals arent closing because of people of nepalese origin not getting dual citizen, its because of Al gore and his fears of global warming ;)
anyways bro, don't take me too seriously, or literally :) I was just of the opinion that if someday I get myself a greencard and I can't go back home to visit my parents all because some smucks didn't want to give me nepali citizenship, it would suck.
All this in the name of misguided patriotism?
And Sajhakohero FYI for a lot of cases that I have seen, its wife in NEPAL, mistress in US :) hardly seen the other way round ;).
"work like slave in US, live like king in nepal" - Do you not have trust in the experiences gained by working like slaves that people will suddenly start wasting all their hard earned treasures lavishly once they come to Nepal? The people who are already rich in nepal are still rich in US (they are the minority tho).
"3. live in small room room maybe 10 people in 1 room, -------own many acres of land in nepal" - how logical! I'm so superstitious you know, so ure telling me that if I room with 9 other people here, I am guaranteed acres of land if I come back to Nepal? I think I deserve a whole mountain range in that case.
"4. same class usa,----------1st class in nepal pushing nepali into middle, third, fourth level" - the gist of what I get from your points is that .................................. you like imagining things (like me :D ) and its normal.
"keep foreigners away from Nepal.". Alrite, lets say that you have the power to deny me my citizenship because I left the country following my dreams, (we all like to imagine don't we?) and now I am a 'foreigner'. And you, sajhakohero, and people who follow your idealogy are running my beloved ex-country.
Would it be a good decision to "keep foreigners away from Nepal"? A country who's economic backbone rests on the tourism industry? If you still think its a very good idea, and you and your band of merry men can celebrate your misgoten pride of patriotism and call the rest of the world and the people who live in it 'pathetic fools' who are dying to get a Nepali citizenship.
sry SKH for the suddent burst of flames, but I couldn't digest wht you wrote up there. Hope you can forgive me.
Dual citizens is a good thing.......we all love Nepal and having dual citizenship.......most of us will invest money In Nepal, buy properties make it a vacation home, Bring friends home to Nepal....Tourism will rise. Open businesses, Vote, AND WE CAN AND WILL ALWAYS REMAIN NEPALI..... I would support dual citizenship..........I already have a green card........Its called ALien Resident. SO I want to be a US CITIZEN but I dont want to GIve up my Nepali citizen.......Thats why I havent applied to be a citizen of USA ....I love Nepal too much to give it away.....But Dual Citizen will solve it...I wont loose anything but gain another home.
I wanst going to write anything about this ass sajhakogeda but I cant help it.
this is what he wrote..........that made my tempers flare.
"Bisal and stopthewar must be in usa that's why both of you are so excited to be there working in gas station, or working at some dhoti restaurants...!! Keep it Up man............!!
white maggots~ 1st class black chimps~2nd hispanic~3rd asians~4th nepalis~unclassified or "Untouchable" version of India"
let me correct this sajha ko HERO..actually ZERO and put some brains in his round thing stuck above his head..........
NEPALI =.....ASIANS..ok do you even know we are in ASIA.????
do you know anything about Dignity of labor??? NO the same NEpali mentality........wont work if it doesnt meet class standards........I know...Ive been there.....thought working in restaurants in Nepal was third class...NO DIGNITY OF ANY WORK.......
SALA CHOR do you know that people here working in Gasstations, restaurants etc earn about Nepali 2 lakh a month..........DO you even earn one rupees or your papa still gives your tifin money????
Do you know how hard it is to survive in America??? ANd How people hide their nepali ego and work so hard???? YOU hyprocryt and jealous SOB always come up with the stereotype that all Nepali here are working tyhe lowest jobs..and even if some are ..........WHY DOES IT BOTHER YOU.....?????? I know many many Nepalese people who worked in restaurants.....have now opened their own.....people who worked in Gasstations ......opened their own....and making money that YOU will never see in your pathetic lifetime. There are students who worked all kinds of Jobs to pay school...NOW they are working corporate jobs, managing firms, government jobs, NASA, software companies.......MAN you dont know how many Nepalese have achieved success and are thriving for more.......WANNA KNOW WHAT I DID BEFORE??....restaurant, convienient store, caterring, landscaping, cleaning, lifted goods of a truck in a loading dock. I worked it all( good money$$$$)..........in the mean time I studied and majored CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND LAW. Now I Own and run a CORPORATION........I am the Owner. AND I worked my a s s off JUST like ALL THE NEPALESE HERE ARE WORKING.........I respect their courage sacrifice and their dignity of labor......Dont disrespect our blood sweat and tears you LAZY SOB.............first class citizen of Nepal??? what have you done for Nepal??? you are in Nepal and sitting on your ass bi t ching about life and disresapecting others............SALA CHOR GADHA................prachanda ko chhora ho Ta??? Hola hola.....
MadDogg say "Dual citizens is a good thing.......we all love Nepal and having dual citizenship.......most of us will invest money In Nepal, buy properties make it a vacation home, Bring friends home to Nepal....Tourism will rise. Open businesses, Vote, AND WE CAN AND WILL ALWAYS REMAIN NEPALI..... I would support dual citizenship..........I already have a green card........Its called ALien Resident. SO I want to be a US CITIZEN but I dont want to GIve up my Nepali citizen.......Thats why I havent applied to be a citizen of USA ....I love Nepal too much to give it away.....But Dual Citizen will solve it...I wont loose anything but gain another home"
as i said earlier you buy properties make it a vacation home, so local people sleep at the footpath is it.!!
you bring friends home to Nepal.....what kind of friend may i ask??
a friend with criminal record who comes to Nepal and do heinous crime to local nepali....oh my god!
Vote??? vote to sell Nepal to America who is holding dual citizenship of Nepal/USA
or vote to sell Nepal to India holding Nepal/India
if you have green card good for you. you earned it maddogg. truly you work
really hard for it.
well i have green passport..........and i am proud of it.
i didn't know you were call alien resident in usa.....!!! wtf! are you happy to be called alien!
But here i am call
Nepali, Gurkhali, JanaJati.
last but not least if every nepali have mentality like yours to work just as hard here in Nepal as USA,
guess where Nepal will have reach by now.....!!
You and all other Nepalis work very hard upon reaching usa..........it's because they got no other choice.
no hard work, no $$$$, no food, no shelter, no clothes, no drinks, no sex,.....
anyway i respect your hardwork in USA. Hope you get US citizenship soon.
Hope you become American, but don't forget your roots.!!
ctal, You said: "But, author of the article who is arguing for granting dual citizenships to those who were not born and grew up in Nepal is damn wrong. Those people my invest in Nepal for monetary benefits only without loving Nepal and helping Nepal when she really need help."
I hope you realize that you don't need to be born in US to get a US citizenship. And all those Nepalis who apply for US citizenship, you think they do it for the love of the country. They do it for their personal benefit! Nothing more. That's not stopping US from giving the immigrants a citizenship status.
On the second note about foreigners running business in Nepal, isn't it a good thing if we can get investment from these 'foreigners?' Nepali or foreigners, I wouldn't mind as long as people are investing and helping the economy (e.g. by paying taxes ).
Jedi Master, US is giving you citizenship because it will gain more from you than it loses to you. Most of the money you make in the US again returns to its economy because everything is expensive here and the little money you earn here and send to or invest in Nepal is nothing for US economy. America is the most powerful country so it's internal and external security is not affected by granting citizenship to foreigner. It is also the largest economy in the world and immigrants can not do any harm or influence American policy or whaterver to America whether they love to America or not. America is a large fish and you know large fish in a pond always survives so it does not worry about mixing up with small fishes. But, being a small fish, you should always be alert and take precaution well in advance. Expecting whatever applies to America applies to Nepal exactly in the same way is just stupidity and we, as a small and weak country, should avoid taking any such risk.
I didn't offend against your msg, I was chilling out with some humors. Ewww, it is frigging weather in MN, I can't even try to go to the Wall Mart. ...... Gana Bajana cha ki rokiyo?
WOW Sajhako hero....you have such a small idea of reality.......you have this mentality that will get you nowhere..............
lesson one..........People returning from America...SPEND MONEY IN NEPAL.......regulate their money in much needed business in restaurants, shops, family. Luxury costs money and Hotels, shops needs spenders who have money. I know many friends who have openend schools, travel agencies, resaturants after returning to nepal with the hard earned dollars here. Nepal is a tourist based country too.......ANd Nepalese are well liked by Americans because of our loyal, friendly and trustworthy character and THEY would love to visit Nepal........and ALL YOU CAN THINK IS CRIMINALS????? which century do you live??? I tell all my friends how beautiful Nepal is .....SADLY I CANNOT TELL THEM THAT ITS PEACEFUL TOO......Long time ago about 12yrs when I first came to USA I would tell them how peaceful Nepal was. Lesson twoBeing in America doesnt make me any less NEPALI THAN YOU.....I am GORKHALI, I AM PURE NEPALI. I will not Be American if the dual citizen gets denyd...........I want To be a Nepali for life.....If the choice is to be American or nepali...........my choice is easy.......Its NEPALI TILL I DIE.........I have a green passport too....and I want to keep it. I am proud to be Nepali BUT I hate what the MAOISTS CRIMINALS HAVE DONE TO NEPAL......how can Nepal ever feel the same with the unjustified deaths of Thousands of Nepalese??????.....Dont doubt my partriotism.....bieng away from my home and loved ones showed me how much I love my country and how much I miss bieng there everyday. YES I have been accustomed to the American life and ways.......I came here merely as a teen and now in my late 20s......still there is not a day I want to be home in Nepal......BUT WHAT HAS BECOME OF NEPAL and what have you done for her??? I have donemany things ok.......I have donated to charity orgs, schools, and helped friends to start businesses and I now respect every form of jobs and Im not ashamed to do it even in Nepal. WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DISRESPECT NEPALI PEOPLE IN USA???? Think Positive and see how nice things are and can be........SO much can be achieved .........sky is the limit.
We are Assssholes There are 3 types of people-Diiick, Pusssie and Asssholes. We're simply ASSSSHOLES. We want to shit all over on everything.
Everybody knows what is best for Nepal, a nation of nothing but talks. We are so arrogant, ignorant and stubborn, we think we are the best. We are raised by moral less, corrupt and ethnocentric parents with fake pride and Mt. Everest size insecurities. We are nothing but a nation of ASSHOOLES. We point our finger to others and call them DIIICK and PUUUSSIES.
2nd class citizen? what do u think you're right now. Leaders are Dhoti,wearing Dhoti and taking oath in hindi, you think you're living 1st class life? It is just a matter of time,you'll say "Jai Hind" soon. You love to kiss Indian ass but bitchh about them at the back. You know,I will live under 2nd class American than being a servant to Indians, for many good reason. What exactly do you think you have in Nepal that America will be interested to take over? We ain't got a diddly squat. I'll poke your eyes if you say any more of Mt. Everest and Buddha shit, nobody cares. Do not talk Cheya Pasal gaaf, try to get a job instead. It is people like you who are born to stubborn Nepali dimwit, who think from their ass and speak from their ASSSSHOLE. We are nothing but ASSSHOLESSS. Remember NOT Diiick nor Pussssies (of course- Bir Gorkhali can't be that), just simply ASSSHOLES.
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