Off The Record (Spotlight Weekly)

UML's Doublespeak

One of the enduring traits of the main opposition CPN-UML is its mastery of the art of doublespeak. Inside parliament, hardly anyone can predict how the UML would vote on bills. This element of consistency on the part of UML Mps was reflected during the recent voting on anti-corruption legislation. Following intense pressure from the UML, the government tabled two anti-corruption bills in the lower house, which were passed unanimously. In the upper chamber, UML MPs were among the first to register amendment proposals. After hectic consultations, the upper house passed the bills with certain amendments. When the legislation returned to the lower chamber, the UML stalled proceedings for more than two hours, pressing the government not to endorse the upper house's changes. In 24 hours, UML MPs showed a bewildering array of faces.

Thapa's Roar

Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Surya Bahadur Thapa raised his trademark roar in the concluding sitting of the winter session of parliament. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and main opposition leader Madhav Kumar Nepal delivered concluding statements in relatively mild language. As soon as the deputy speaker called out Thapa's name, the former prime minister's voice reverberated across the chamber. Although Thapa did not have anything substantial to say, the manner of his presentation echoed through the House of Representatives. The supremacy of style over substance, perhaps.

Bijukchhe's Pride

At the final sitting of the 21st session of parliament, leaders of all political parties represented in the chamber offered concluding remarks. As soon as deputy speaker requested Nepal Workers and Peasants Party president Narayan Man Bijukchhe to speak, he fired off a long list of concerns. While the leaders of the three main parties had kept themselves within half a dozen points, Bijukchhe couldn't stop rolling out his thoughts. Bijukchhe may be the sole member of his party in parliament, but he is its president, after all.

Speaker's Favorite

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba seemed very busy on the last day of the winter session of parliament. This is probably why deputy speaker of the House of Representatives Chitra Lekha Yadav had to postpone the concluding session by more than two hours. When Deuba entered the chamber in the second leg of the session, a lot of people couldn't help recalling that Yadav is a key supporter of the government. Who cares about parliamentary procedures as long as the speaker doesn't mind?

Frustrated MPs

Members of the upper house were frustrated when the lower house sternly rejected their amendment proposals. At issue was the upper chamber's amendment barring individuals convicted of corruption from contesting elections. It was easy for the upper house MPs to have passed such a drastic rider, since they don't have to contest elections. The upper house MPs, who are nominated by the king or by the party supremos, were seen as harassing members of the lower chamber. Now that is not an invalid concern. From royal nominee Ramesh Nath Pandey to the RPP's Balaram Gharti Magar to the UML's Dr. Ram Man Shrestha, no upper house MP would have been affected by the disqualification clause.