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Kathmandu Thursday March 22, 2001 Chaitra 09, 2057.
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Parliament
begins business without Oppn
Post Report
KATHMANDU, March 21 – Things at last got
moving in the House of Representatives today. And there could be more in the immediate
future, at least judging by the pregnant statement of Speaker Taranath Ranabhat.
First, Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra
Poudel was allowed to speak from the Well of the House. Second, the proceedings continued
even after the opposition walked out. And most important, the Speaker indicated that he
would run the proceedings from now on to facilitate the government to pass two important
ordinances.
"I want to remind the lawmakers that if
it is my duty to acknowledge the opposition’s symbolic protest and respect their
sentiments, it is also my responsibility to find a way out of the indefinite disruption
(of the House) as per the rules and regulations," remarked the Speaker. One such
regulation, as some of the advocates have pointed out, is to use marshals to remove the
agitating opposition members. But Ranabhat has already ruled that out.
The Speaker said that the time for
introspection has come to ponder how long the House should be allowed to remain disrupted
and "what message we are sending to the public".
In addition to his prepared speech that
indicated regular House proceedings in the near future, the Speaker did not immediately
adjourn the House even after the all the opposition parties boycotted the House for the
day. Instead, Ranabhat gave time to the Nepali Congress (NC) chief whip Binay Dhoj Chand
to speak.
In his statement, the NC chief whip asked the
Speaker to ensure regular proceedings of the House. Chand added that the ruling party and
the government were willing to hold talks with the opposition to find a way out of the
current impasse.
Earlier, Pashupati Rana of Rastriya
Prajatantra Party, denounced the government’s move to "bypass and ignore the
parliament in trying to get the Armed Police Force (APF) ordinance endorsed through back
door". He also charged the government of politicizing the new force, which, he added,
was aimed against the opposition parties.
Rana expressed his concern over the reports
that the House would pass the ordinances – one on the APF and the other on Local
Administration under which the five regional administrators were appointed – even
without the presence of the opposition. The RPP leader asked the Speaker if he was under
pressure to "adopt unparliamentary means".
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram
Chandra Poudel objected to Rana’s charge that the new force was aimed at the
suppression of the opposition. He added that the sensitive time and the circumstances that
the country was passing through compelled the government to recommend the promulgation of
the ordinances. The DPM added that the ordinance on local administration was necessitated
to coordinate between different districts which was lacking at present.
Badri Prasad Mandal of Nepal Sadbhawana Party
too opposed the ordinances which, according to him, was aimed at "increasing police
atrocity against the people".
The two ordinances must be passed within 60
days of beginning of a parliament session if it is to retain force of law.
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