By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
Remember the bad days when king Gyanendra Shah assumed executive power following the then prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba dissolved the parliament, a sovereign assembly of the people’s representatives, but failed to meet the general elections deadline, more than two decades ago! There was a massive uproar among the political leaders expressing dissatisfaction over the king’s move. They seemed restless thinking that hard-won democracy is at stake. To mount pressure on the then-king to reinstate the parliament, the political leaders, irrespective of the political ideologies and differences, came under one umbrella and launched movements. Their bloodless and peaceful struggles compelled the king to reinstate the parliament on 24 April, 2006. This clearly illustrated that leaders will shun their ideology and political differences and join hands together when democracy is at risk.
But now, almost over two decades later, the same political leaders who claim to be the torchbearers of democracy are hell-bent on making the parliament hostage. They prioritize personal hidden agenda over norms, values and ethos of democracy. Their ego and arrogance have adversely affected the smooth functioning of the parliament for which they fought the repressive forces in the past.
In any functioning democracy, the parliaments are revered as the sovereign assembly of the people’s representatives. The parliament offers a space for making laws and overseeing the government via hearings and enquiries. The parliamentarians are responsible for drafting and shaping the rules that govern society. In parliament, the parliamentarians debate over bills and issues that directly affect the lives of the citizens. Conversely in Nepal, the parliament has been used as a platform by parliamentarians not to make laws aimed at the welfare of the people. Instead, our lawmakers are embroiled in a political tussle, effectively holding the people’s sovereign assembly hostage to their political interests.
Look at the latest episode of tug of war between the Nepali Congress and Home Minister and RSP Chair- Rabi Lamichhane. Their confrontation has adversely affected the smooth proceeding of the parliament which does not bode well for a country like ours which is still transitioning to democracy. But why Nepali Congress has been disrupting the smooth functioning of the parliament? Here, I will try to provide close to perfect answer.
The main opposition, the Nepali Congress has been demanding the formation of a probe panel to investigate the cooperative fund scam. The grand old party says that it will not hinder the smooth functioning of the parliament only when a probe committee is formed to investigate the fund misappropriation. On the other hand, Rabi Lamichhane, the Home Minister and RSP chair, flatly denied the allegations and strongly opposed the formation of the probe body, resulting in a House impasse.
The house impasse has continued for one and a half months. The first day of the parliament’s budget session was disrupted by the enraged Nepali Congress legislators. Now, it has resorted to pressure tactics embracing the adage “Parliament belongs to the opposition while the government belongs to the ruling parties”. One wonders when their tussle will come to an end allowing the smooth functioning of the parliament.
While the Nepali Congress has intensified its pressure, the Home Minister, Rabi Lamichhane, has challenged the grand old party to prove his guilt. Not only this he also has promised to leave the politics if found guilty. What surprises this pen pusher is that the Nepali Congress General Secretary, Gagan Thapa, has joined the bandwagon saying he will leave politics if he could not leave Rabi Lamichhane guilty for the same. Either Rabi Lamichhane or Gagan Thapa will leave the politics. This is for sure.
Back to parliament issues. If the media reports are any guide, the government and two coalition partners opposed the setting up parliamentary committee to probe into Rabi Lamichhane’s alleged cooperative saving misappropriations. The report also says that RSP Chair issued a warning to his government allies threatening that his party would withdraw its support and leave the government if it agreed to form a parliamentary probe committee. Lamichhane and his party’s departure from the coalition could spell disaster for the government, as the RSP, with 22 lawmakers, is critical to the government’s survival. Amidst this paradoxical stage, the Prime Minister will be walking on the eggshells. Neither he can afford to upset Rabi Lamichhane nor can he endure the opposition’s pressure any further.
No saner mind would disagree with the fact that the opposition has the responsibility to act as a watchdog in any functioning democracy. It is supposed to oppose the government if it introduces any flawed policies and programs. At the same time, it is supposed to support the government if it has any good plans. It is for this reason, the opposition is often called the government in making.
Our ancestors fought against the king to give us what we call democracy enabling us to elect our representatives to script our future. They expected that elected parliament would offer the venue for the political leaders to debate on issues and make and shape laws to govern the society.
Our present leaders have done injustice to the parliamentary system by preventing it from functioning by constitutional provision. They have been engaging in a blame game ever since the dawn of democracy in the country. There will be differences and arguments in the functioning democracy. They should be engaged to find the solution to the problem through consensus and constructive dialogues and not resorting to disrupting the parliament. But sadly, this is not the case here
As things stand now, our parliament has transformed into a venue for political heavyweights to fight and display differences and for their political goals. This is where we have failed and failed miserably.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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