No serious business in 125 days

BY BISHNU BUDHATHOKI

KATHMANDU, Oct 6 - The Constituent Assembly (CA), which has the major task of drafting a new constitution within the next two years, held its meeting just 10 times in the past 125 days. Ironically, it could not finalise its own rules and regulations during that ...

In the 125 days since its first sitting on May 28 this year, the CA declared Nepal a federal democratic republic, endorsed its interim working procedures, formed a rules and regulations drafting committee and elected the country's first president and vice-president.

Also, the CA, in its capacity of Legislature-Parliament, held its meeting 42 times. It amended the Interim Constitution for the fifth time as well as the Medals Act, endorsed a vote on accounts bill and elected a new prime minister. Five various bills including finance and appropriations and a bill concerning domestic violence are still under discussion at the Legislature-Parliament.

Parliamentary business and inter-party feuding have relegated the crucial task of drafting a new constitution to the back burner.

Bhimarjun Acharya, an expert on constitutional affairs, criticises the political parties for squabbling over power-sharing and over parliamentary activities while ignoring the issue of drafting a new constitution.

"Their (parties') past performance has raised a serious question whether or not they are sincere about drafting the constitution within the stipulated timeframe," he said.

He charged that the ruling coalition partners were trying to use the CA as an instrument for fulfilling their own petty interests.

He, however, claimed that drafting of a new constitution can still be completed in next 19 months provided the parties start working on it in earnest.

A senior official at the CA Secretariat also charges that the parties were engaged more in political issues than in issues related to constitution drafting.

He argues that the CA could not proceed effectively due to lack of rules and regulations.

Furthermore, the Rules and Regulations Drafting Committee (RRDC) chaired by CA member Narayan Man Bijukchhe is facing a tough time finalising the draft rules and regulations as the political parties are sharply divided between use of party whips in the CA and allowing voting by conscience.

Compared to the expenses incurred by it, the CA has failed pitiably in fulfilling its mandate. According to the CA Secretariat, the state has already doled out Rs 100 million to the CA.

Rs 3.6m collected from members as monthly levy Eight major political parties in the CA - CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, MPRF, TMDP, RPP, RPP-N and Sadbhawana Party -- collect Rs 3.6 million from their CA members as monthly levy. The amount is deducted from their monthly salary of Rs 45,598 each.

According to a source at the CA Secretariat, CPN-Maoist, the largest party in the CA, which earlier used to collect Rs 15,000 from each member as monthly levy (Rs 3.4 million monthly from its 227 members), has scaled this down to Rs 10,000 per lawmaker effective from August last.

Similarly, the CPN-UML collects Rs 7,000 monthly levy from its each lawmaker whereas the NC, the second largest party in the CA, collects just Rs 1,200 from each of its CA members.

The MPRF and TMDP have slapped Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively as levy on each lawmaker elected through direct polls. The two parties have set Rs 4,000 and Rs 7,000 as levies for each lawmaker nominated through the proportional electoral system.

Likewise, RPP has charged each of its lawmaker Rs 11,550 as levy, RPP-N Rs 15,000 and Sadbhawana Party Rs 5,000.

The source said that the political parties concerned had written to the CA Secretariat asking the latter to deduct the aforesaid amounts while providing the monthly salary of Rs 45,598 to each CA member.