House impasse may cost democracy: Speaker

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Feb 17 - Speaker of the House of Representatives Tara Nath Ranabhat today warned that the continuing disruption in House could cost the nation its nearly 11-year-old democracy.

He said, "The Prime Minister (Girija Prasad Koirala) has already challenged the Opposition parties to oust him constitutionally. If the PM feels extremely impatient then the Parliament could be dissolved. Or else, the ongoing impasse in the House could cost us our nearly 11-year-old democracy within next seven days. That’s what my instinct tells."

Ranabhat was addressing a function here Saturday, which was organized to mark the 51 National Democracy Day.

His comments came two days after the House adjourned till Monday. Since the winter session of the 19th session of Parliament started last Friday, the House has remained tense with the lawmakers of the opposition parties trooping onto the rostrum and demanding Koirala’s resignation. They have been charging Koirala of involving himself in the controversial RNAC-Lauda Air deal.

The House is due to re-convene from Monday.

On the state of Parliament and the ruling party, he said, "The three dozen-odd ministers do not want to comment on the present parliamentary exercise. And the remaining 37 to 40 dissatisfied ruling party lawmakers are sitting mum, and are not in a position to oppose the Opposition party lawmakers’ demand."

A visibly depressed Ranabhat also warned that the jungle force (underground Maoists) could soon make it to the streets. "I am foreseeing that absolute darkness which lies a little bit ahead of us," he said.

Meanwhile, in another development, the dissatisfied lawmakers of the ruling Nepali Congress met veteran leader and former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.

They are understood to have put their case loud and clear: that there cannot be any other alternative to the PM’s resignation to end the House impasse.

The friend-turned-foe of the NC President and PM had also invited a few incumbent ministers and opposition party lawmakers at today’s meeting. They include, Ram Krishna Tamrakar, Kamala Panta, Siddha Raj Ojha, Suresh Malla and Surendra Hamal.

Prior to this, the septuagenarian leader had invited intellectuals for discussions, during which the latter had called on Bhattarai to initiate steps to end the House deadlock.

‘Women taken only as vote bank’

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KATHMANDU, Feb 17 - What is it that hinders women from coming to the forefront and playing a decisive role? Intellectuals and political leaders blame it on many factors: from social to cultural to poverty, to lack of education, reservation, political commitment and women’s own lack of interest.

"But above all, it is the mentality of men, who feel that women cannot take sole responsibility for anything and give a subordinate’s position to them," said Kapil Shrestha, member of the National Human Rights Commission at a programme organised in the capital today to mark 50 years of democracy. "Women are taken as a mere vote-bank by men."

At the programme "Woman’s minuscule representation is a democratic deficit," organised by 135 Academic Group, a group of intellectuals/academicians, Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat called the political parties "hypocrites" for their lack of commitment to pass the Bill that grants women equal right to parental property. Ranabhat, however, added confidently that the Bill will be passed by the current session of the parliament.

The Bill brought to amend "Muluki Ain 2020" that allows women to inherit an equal share of parental property was brought in the 11th session of parliament and has been making rounds at the committees of the parliament. The on-going session is the 19th session of parliament.

Professor Suprabha Ghimire, president of the Academic Group said that society under-values women’s works and contribution. "This attitude has not only been detrimental to the advancement of women but also for removing stagnation and underdevelopment of the country," she said.

Ghimire also demanded that a minimum of 40 per cent of either sex should be nominated by parties for filing nomination for the general election. The Constitution states that political parties should nominate at least five per cent female candidates to file candidacy for the general election.

"This five percent provision, however, has been taken by almost all the political parties as an upper limit for female nomination," said Narahari Acharya, spokesperson for the ruling Nepali Congress. "Women also need to fight for the recognition of their capabilities and contribution." Currently, there are twelve women lawmakers in the House of Representatives. "We need to increase women’s representation in every sphere and the number of women MPs ," said Kamala Pant, State Minister for Child, Women and Social Welfare. "This is essential because the voice of the meager number of women in the parliament is not heard , thus ignored. Only a quantitative increment could be crucial at least to make our demands and voices heard," said Pant.

Dr Sangita Rayamajhi, general secretary of the Group said that women’s inability to articulate loud and clear is taken as an acceptance, adding "this insignificant representation is a face saving device for those at the helm of decision making, and makes a mockery of democracy."

"The imbalances between the rights of men and women persist in legal provisions too, particularly for property, and in the interpretation and application of the law, " said Dr Samira Luitel, in her paper Social World of Nepalese Women. Unless the Constitution, legislation and its interpretations do not act to change the overall situation of women, the programmes aimed at empowering women would remain just political propaganda rather a tool to benefit them, she said.

‘No alternative to PM’s resignation’

BUTWAL, Feb 17 (RSS) - General Secretary of CPN-UML and leader of the Opposition party Madhav Kumar Nepal says that there is no alternative except the resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to free the country from a crisis.

Speaking at a meet-the-press programme organized by Himalayan News Agency in Butwal today, General Secretary Nepal said as the prime minister was also implicated in the Lauda Air deal scam, it is not appropriate for him to continue his duty as a prime minister.

He accused the prime minister of failing to fulfill his commitment of maintaining law and order, providing good governance and arresting corruption.

General Secretary Nepal also expressed concern over the fear of despondency among the general people towards the multiparty democracy as the prime minister’s actions were aimed at destroying every infrastructure of the state.

He said that prime minister’s resignation was necessary to pave the way for a probe into the Lauda jet lease deal.

Chairman of the Himalayan News Agency Madan Poudel was on the chair.

Govt to probe teachers’ forged certificates

By Kiran Bhandari

KATHMANDU, Feb 17 - The government has started investigating the educational qualifications of those teachers suspected of possessing forged certificates and plans to take action against them.

The move comes with the realization that the standard of government-aided schools will not improve if such incompetent and ineligible people are allowed to remain in the school system. Minister of State for Education and Sports Dilendra Prasad Badu expressed the government’s determination to take action to make the standard of education more competitive and in tune with modern-day challenges.

Minister Badu told this to The Kathmandu Post at a programme organized by the parliamentary Population and Social Committee (PSC) to solicit suggestions from educationists and political personalities in an attempt to make the Education Bill (Seventh Amendment) 2000 more effective.

"We are looking into the legal possibilities of probing into the certificates of those suspected of cheating the system," said Badu. "Instead of highly qualified people taking up the teaching profession, we are now facing an unfortunate situation." He also said that the State Affairs Committee (SAC) might be requested to take up the issue.

The SAC is investigating the personnel in the bureaucracy who are suspected of having submitted forged mark-sheets and certificates for the past one month. This probe was launched after it was found that more than 35,000 employees, including high officials had presented forged certificates.

The body that appoints the teachers and deals with the hike in their salaries, National Teachers Service Commission, has no jurisdiction to either probe or take action against those possessing the forged documents. "We have not been given any authority," said the Secretary at the Commission, Baikuntha Das Shrestha. "Unless authorised, we can’t probe the documents of the applicants." At present, some 86,000 people are competing for 14,000 teaching jobs through the Commission.

Various teachers’ organizations have demanded a probe into the forgery and called for strong action against the guilty. Teachers’ organizations have committed to help the government if it starts the investigations into the malpractice.

"If the concerned agency starts the probe, we are ready to help collect all the information," said Ramakant Sapkota, general secretary of Nepal National Teachers’ Organization. "The image of this profession has been tarnished with some entering this profession under political and administrative backing."

There are about 131,000 teachers in different government schools, imparting education to some five million students. According to Birendra Prakash Shrestha, secretary of Nepal Teachers’ Organization, the main agenda at the fourth convention will be the probe into the forged certificate of school teachers.

At today’s programme, many of the participants demanded the scrapping of the clause in the Education Bill that provides for the election among the parents/guardians for the formation of school governing body. The participants felt that this provision contradicts the stated objective of preventing the educational from being politicized. They expressed the fear that if elections were conducted to appoint the representatives, it would be like the elections for the local bodies. According to the participants, some 24,000 schools are without governing bodies.

42 ropanis of public land encroached

By Kulchandra Neupane

DAMAULI, Feb 17 - The local residents of Panchase, Belaute and Jamune of Tanahu, Khairenitar Village District Committee Ward no -9 have been fighting against the local authority after 42 ropanis of government owned land here was registered in the name of a family.

The government owned forest land was registered in the name of Suryamani Subedi and his three brothers. It is learnt that the family is also trying to register another 500 ropanis of land boardering the forest area in its name.

The locals have filed two different complaints at the local revenue office and the forest office. They also organised a press conference in order to inform the people about the encroachment.

The locals not only expressed their anger over the Subedi family but also doubted the intentions of the local forest office as no official showed any interest in the matter even after the complaint was filed.

"We have filed complains against the family many times but the local forest office has not shown any concern," said Padam Raj Paudel, a local resident.

The locals also say that because the local authorities did not show any concern national property worth millions has been abused. Suryamani Subedi and his family is said to have fell and sold around 1962 trees from the same forest area.

The forest which lies at around 30 min walk north from Prithivi Highway was used by the residents of ward No -7 for collecting firewood and fodder to feed their cattle. It is being encroached upon by several people since a long time, locals say.