EDITORIAL 

The single MP and chair of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Rajendra Lingden, protesting the government's decision for extending the tenure of the House of Representatives, announced his resignation from the post of the member of parliament. At least, we found one political leader who resigned from the post saying that the present move of the government for extending HoR's tenure is unethical and unconstitutional. It is a big satire on those leaders lauding for ‘offensive move”, who are neither ready to listen to the constitutional experts nor abided by the democratic norms. After a massive protest from all sectors and the resignation of Lingden, the government is compelled to rethink the tenure of parliament. The present government, already converted into a caretaker one, had decided to extend the tenure of the present parliament and MPs and also the tenure of the province assemblies by amending the existing law from parliament through a fast track. Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Gobinda Prasad Sharma registered a bill for parliament’s ratification proposing the tenure of the present parliament until the first sitting of the next federal parliament. Such an idea is obviously against the parliamentarian practice and also an idea for exploiting the government coffer as much as possible. Keeping alive parliament and province assemblies until the first meeting of the House is intended to organize a daylight loot on the government fund. Constitutional experts believe that along with the announcement of the election of the federal parliament the tenure of the present parliament has been ended. Violating the existing norms of the parliamentarian democracy, the government is running Parliament and giving business to it. The present government has also turned into an election or caretaker government which is allowed only for carrying out day-to-day works and denied making any decision having a long-term impact. Violating democratic norms, the government is presenting bills in parliament which have a long-term impact. The five-party alliance government without any hesitation and shame, even discarding the President’s quest for reconsideration on the citizenship amendment bill, ratified it from both houses without an amendment, which is unethical, illegal and unconstitutional. Democracy is based on rule of law but the Nepali “loktantra” is based on severe violation of democratic values. It seems the five party leaders in the present coalition government believe that they are all-in-all and above the constitution and they are less bothered about democratic norms and values. Perhaps, they believe, this is an offensive move and those willing to follow the democratic norms are the regressive elements. The leaders of the alliance government should be aware that even during the “autocratic” panchayat days the practice of formation of an election government existed for conducting free and fair polls. The parliament used to be ended along with the announcement of the election. The timely election was obvious. Today, the parliament is functioning as per the wish of the leaders. The Election Commission is not authorized even to announce the election date and waits for the government's decision. After all, what type of democracy are we practising?