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Kathmandu Monday August 13, 2001 Shrawan 29, 2058.
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House passes APF, Regional Admin Bills
UML reaches secret understanding with Congress
By Damakant Jayshi
KATHMANDU, Aug 12 – In a surprising turn-around,
the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) dropped its
opposition to the Armed Police Force Bill today in parliament, helping the government to
win approval for the controversial Bill in the House of Representatives.
Alongside the APF Bill, which was passed by a majority
voice-vote thanks to UML support, the government also succeeded in passing the Regional
Administrator Bill in the same sitting of the Lower House today.
The Bills will now be tabled in the Upper House, which is
almost certain to pass it given the understanding between the Nepali Congress and the UML.
Once both the Houses endorse the Bills, they will be sent to His Majesty the King for his
assent. After the royal assent, the Bills will take form of Acts.
While the Armed Police Force Bill – 2001 was passed with
a majority vote, the Local Administration (4th Amendment) Bill, 2001 was passed
unanimously. These two Bills are the replacement for the controversial ordinances which
were initially opposed by the entire opposition, nevertheless, passed last week by
parliament despite opposition walk-out, including by the UML.
Both the Bills are aimed at quelling the Maoist insurgency
which has ravaged parts of Nepal’s countryside. While the APF envisages setting up a
well-equipped and well-trained paramilitary force to fight the rebels, the regional
administrator Bill envisages better coordination of security and development activities in
the five regions.
The UML support to the APF Bill comes as a surprising
turn-around in the party’s long-held position. Just last week, the UML walked out of
parliamentary proceedings to protest the passage of the royal ordinances pertaining to the
Armed Police Force.
UML and Nepali Congress leaders later made it clear that the
controversial Bill’s passage came about after a secret understanding between the two
largest parties in parliament. The main opposition party, in conjunction with the Nepal
Sadbhawana Party, had attached more than a dozen amendments to the APF Bill, which was all
accepted today by the government side.
"The government accepts all the amendments,"
announced Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka just before the Bill was tabled to the vote in
the House.
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