NC’s Code Of Conduct
Problem Lies In Its Implementation

By Narayan Upadhyay

"HONESTY is the Best Policy" must have been the motto in the minds of NC high priests when they discussed and passed unanimously the new code of conduct during its 10th General Convention.

It is imperative of all the Congressmen, who revel in public high offices, to adhere to the new code of conduct. The approval of the code of conduct, needless to say, is meant to bring a cleaner image to all party workers holding top offices and, of course, to the country’s oldest democratic party that has been at the country’s helm of affairs for almost nine years during the ten years’of the restoration of Democracy.

One of the most important new Nepali Congress codes of conduct envisages that Congressmen with advantageous posts must make a submission of his/ her property statement along with family members’. The Congressmen in question and their family members also need to disclose their sources of income to the NC’s Disciplinary and Code of Conduct Committee. They should also update such statements every year. In its bid to check the irregularities by the NC appointees, the code of conduct also forbids partymen to illegal and unfair financial gains.

It was once the fashion that ministers and other holders of high offices of every government—whether it was minority, coalition or majority—had to make statements to disclose their property. Past experiences were in abundant amount that these holders of high offices, it seemed, were more lenient in disclosing their "meagre" amount of property while they were making an entrance into their offices.

But more often than not, these poor fellows forgot to show their swelled fortunes while leaving such offices. It is not just the Congressmen with advantegeous posts, but also ministers of Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxists Leninists), of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and of other political parties seemed to have their hands full when they completed their tenure at the high offices. NC’s Narahari Acharya is the only person to show his properties after leaving his office.

In between to and fro the offices, many personal mansions and lavish bungalows have been erected, many Pajeros and Toyotas surfaced into Kathmandu roads and family members swelled with new found fortunes as the faces of the holders of advantageous posts gained new radiance onto their once wrinkled and bony faces.

Many of them are also accused of having gained upper hand over the party’s other poor workers through the use of might of money that even influenced decisions of the party at many occasions. Instances suggest amply that the greed of gaining such filthy lucre is so strong among the party workers that they even send the government into the edge of total collapse.

Remember the days of the majority of Congress and of coalition governments? At the first occasion, the 36 rebels Congressmen who were allegedly bargaining for ministries led to the ouster of the party’s majority government in 1994. At the second time in 1996, it is the two Congressmen, who were supposedly angry of not having appointed as ministers, played truant from the critical moment of voting on censure motion and led the collapse of the Sher Bahadur Deuba headed coalition government.

The blatant show of avarice repeated few months ago when Deuba led Congress faction almost
derailed Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s government. At all occasions, the greed for high posts, covertly has overtly, has played the significant roles.

The maxim that "the danger for NC lies not outside, but within" evinces the truth of the Congress internecine wrangling which has somewhat to do with Congressmen’s bludgeoning wish to gain high posts and privileges. Avarice had put all the Congress governments on rocks. And all mishappenings of past and present direct to one obvious fact: when the rule is in your party’s hand, you must have at least one single opportunity to enjoy the trappings of high offices because it gives you and your relatives ample opportunity to swim into the murky water of many advantages.

Positively, the Congress code of behaviour focuses mainly to check financial irregularity by the Congressmen with advantageous posts, there are other codes to be followed by them.

The conduct code requires that the NC workers should refrain from recommending or influencing appointments, transfer, promotion and personal gains. It also discourages holders of high offices for financial gains for helping someone for getting things done, lavish expenditure and display of pomposity during festivals and cultural occasion, showing social misconduct like sexual harassment, making remarks for character assassination, hurting others self-pride and instigating disenchantment and drinking alcohol in public places.

The need of new code of conduct has been arisen out of the fact that those holding public offices have come under the cloud of corruption and other abuse of authority, which have proven detrimental to congress well-being.

Hence, he Congressmen needed to be reminded to lead a chaste and unblemished career while they are playing some important roles in national politics. Their good behaviours and restraint are the ultimate ways that would lead the party to project it as the real guardian and promoter of the Nepalese society. Against these backgrounds, the NC high priests attempt to save the party from ignominy and guide the party as the part and parcel of Nepalese through many past and present happenings are laudable one.

The party and its Discipline and Code of Conduct Committee must work in tandem as the strict watchdog over the workers who have the inclining to veer off from good conducts. However, time will tell whether the Congress code of conduct is implemented in letter and in spirit and Congressmen have taken the mantra—"honesty is the best policy"—seriously or not.

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