Speaker To Try To Smoothen House Proceedings
Speaker Subas Nemwang has said that he will start consultations to ensure that House will proceed smoothly. After he returned from Indonesia (on May 6), where he attended the Inter Parliamentary Union conference, he appealed to all to allow smooth functioning of the legislative parliament. Nemwang said that in order to fulfill demands like declaring republic through the parliament, the first condition was to allow its smooth functioning. The Maoist lawmakers as well as Madhesi MPs have stalled the proceedings of the parliament for the past three weeks. The Maoists have said that the parliament must declare republic. The Madhesi MPs have demanded fresh census and fresh delimitation of constituencies based on that census ahead of CA elections. The next meeting of parliament is scheduled for May 9. “As long as the parliament remains stalled, no agenda will enter into its discussion. I urge friends who have made demands for parliament’s action to first allow it to run normally,” Nemwang said referring to the Maoists. Compiled from reports
Passports Of Royalist Ministers Frozen
The government has informed that it has ‘frozen’ the passports of royalist ministers to stop their travel. The government informed the Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday (May 6) that their passports were ‘frozen’ owing to their role in the repression of People’s Movement. The government has also informed the apex court that the ministers have been implicated by the report of Rayamajhi commission and that they are facing actions. The government submitted its position in response to the apex court’s order for explanation regarding the case filed by former minister Dr. Roop Jyoti. Dr. Jyoti, who was Minister of State for Finance during royal regime, had filed a writ petition at the apex court saying that his fundamental right has been violated as he was forced to return from the airport as authorities did not allow him to travel abroad. Compiled from reports
Yami Wants Transparency In Melamchi Contract
Minister for Physical Planning and Works Hisila Yami, on Sunday (May 6), said transparency in the contract between the government and Severn Trent (ST) is needed for the foreign company to manage Nepal’s water management system. “We know that the Melamchi project is a must. However, we also need to know how the contract is being given,” she said, addressing an interaction in the ministry. She said the decision was made in haste when the Maoists were yet to join the government. She said the government did not have the mandate to take decisions on major issues like that, adding that “a strong monitoring mechanism is essential to let any party take over the water management’s responsibility.” Yami also said the Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) was a major department for all physical planning ministers to recruit political cadres. On the development of the controversial water project, she said the work is so slow that only 16 per cent of it has been completed in the last six years. Suman Sharma, the executive director of Melamchi water supply project, said the project has spent Rs 3,677,235,000 till date and a major work of building a 27-km tunnel and changing the pipeline network in the valley is yet to be carried out. PS Joshi, the vice-president of the NGO Forum for Urban Water and Sanitation (NGOFUWS), said the government should think once again before the contract with the Severn Trent is finalized as, according to him, the company has a bad international record. “It was penalized in England, sent back from Guyana, Trinidad, and their performance in other countries was also unsatisfactory,” he said. He demanded the government study the company’s documents carefully and make them public before taking a decision. In March 2006, Severn Trent was forced to repay £40 million to 3.5 million of its UK customers after water regulator Ofwat found that the company had provided data “that were either deliberately miscalculated or poorly supported”, resulting in inflated water bills, according to the NGOFUWS. Meanwhile, sources said the Asian Development Bank loan for the project will expire soon and the government may be bound to accept Severn Trent without pre-conditions before that. The Himalayan Times daily reports
EC Gives Three Options For New Polls Date
Election Commissioner Usha Nepal has informed that mid-November after Dashain, Tihar and Chhath festival will be the most appropriate date for holding the Constituent Assembly (CA). She said that the EC has provided three options to the government regarding tentative date for CA polls. “One is before the festival (festival season is in October), one is between Dashain and Tihar (late October) and the third is after the festival (mid November). We think the third option will be the most appropriate one. However, we also cannot go any further than mid-November as winter will then set in making it difficult for logistics movement in mountain districts,” she said. On Friday, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala also held consultations with the officials of EC regarding fresh election date. All the five election commissioners including Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Bhoj Raj Pokharel attended the consultation held at the PM’s residence in Baluwatar. At the meeting, EC officials are said to have asked the government to clarify uncertainty regarding electoral constituencies and enact electoral legislations soon. Earlier, on Friday, PM Koirala, inaugurating the three-day district presidents’ meet of the Congress party, said that he is fully committed to hold the polls. “Some have blamed me for the delay in the elections. As a prime minister, I am willing to share the blame. But I want to make it clear that I have full commitment to hold the Constituent Assembly elections,” he said. Pointing at other parties who had pinned the blame solely on the PM for the polls delay, Koirala said he does not want to comment on such statements. “The blame will ultimately bounce back to those who are making it,” he said. Compiled from reports
Mahara Draws A Flak
Information and Communication Minister and government spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara has drawn flak for making comments attempting to justify past Maoist atrocities against journalists. Bishnu Nishthuri, president of Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), raised objection against Mahara’s comment that ‘history might justify’ the past atrocities against journalists. Likewise, member of the parliament and former journalist Raghuji Panta said Mahara’s statements were dangerous. “The underlying meaning within his statement is highly dangerous,” he said, adding, “What does he mean by saying that different pictures are seen when viewed from political and/or professional perspective?” They were speaking at an interaction program during the launching of state of press freedom report by the Forum of Development Journalists. At the program, Mahara had made some statements saying that not all the atrocities against journalists by the Maoists in the past were unjustified. Stating that some actions would be justified if looked through political perspective even though they cannot be justified on professional terms, he said, “Future may justify them. After hundred years, their justification might be established.” Mahara added that mere professional analysis would not lead to correct conclusion. Mahara, however, reiterated that his party stands for freedom of the press. “Our party has always stood behind freedom of press. We readily accept our mistakes and seek apologies,” he said. Compiled from reports
Nepal’s First Catholic Bishop Ordained
Leading a flock of believers is not new to him. But on May 5, he was bestowed with a bigger responsibility: he was ordained the Bishop, and became Nepal’s first Catholic Bishop. The Episcopal ordination of Msgr Anthony F Sharma, SJ, the First Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, was solemnized at the Assumption Church in Kathmandu, which was attended by hundreds. Born into a Hindu Brahmin family on December 20, 193 7 in Gorkha district, Bishop-elect Anthony was educated in Kurseong, Indai where he converted into Christianity. After completing his education, he became a priest of the Jesuit order and has been leading the Catholics in Nepal since the country was made sui iuris (self-governing) Catholic mission by the Vatican in 1983. He was the first ethnic Nepali to be ordained a Jesuit priest. From 1984-96, he led the church in Nepal as its topmost leader as Ecclesiastical Superior, and he became the Apostolic Prefect in 1997. With Nepal being raised to the status of a Vicariate (church designated area) by Pope Benedict XVI, his has now become a Vicar. The Himalayan Times daily reports
Prachanda Criticises Ian Martin
Maoist chairman Prachanda, on Thursday (May 3), criticized UNMIN chief Ian Martin for saying that the Maoists had posed preconditions for allowing second stage of verification. “We had discussed with him a few days ago but he has said a few things beyond our agreement,” Prachanda told reporters after a program where he launched a book by communist leader Shambhu Ram Shrestha. “We have not posed any precondition. We have just said that earlier understandings regarding cantonment management should be respected,” he added. On Tuesday, Martin – who left the same day for New York to brief the Security Council – addressing a press meet had said that no precondition was acceptable to the UNMIN to start the second stage of verification of Maoist combatants. Martin had said that the Maoist leadership has not agreed to the process (of second stage verification) commencing until “other issues have been addressed: in particular, the improvement of conditions in the cantonments, government remuneration for those registered there, and the formation of the committee envisaged by Article 146 of the Interim Constitution to take responsibility for the future of the Maoist army.” Martin said, “The obligation on the CPN(M) to allow verification to proceed is unconditional, and I have made clear to the Maoist leadership that UNMIN cannot accept its linkage to any pre-conditions.” The UNMIN has been saying that it is ready to begin the second stage of registration and verification of personnel in the Maoist cantonment sites. The second stage verification is said to be essential for two purposes: to identify minors who under the agreement must be discharged, and to determine whether personnel were recruited after 25 May 2006, in breach of the ceasefire code of conduct. nepalnews.com reports
