Empower the House

The Interim Legislature-Parliament formed on 15th of the first month of this year has already shown some traits of an inefficient and malfunctioning body. The performance of the House that has been expected to form rules and regulations to hold elections to the Constituent Assembly and ensure law and order situation in the country has been lackluster. The House's lethargy to formulate electoral legislation was also a major reason for the Election Commission to announce its inability to hold CA elections on time. However, the eight-party leaders have been least bothered to empower the House. They have converted the House simply into a rubberstamp to approve whatever document comes from the PM's quarters, signed by the leaders of the eight parties. Thankfully, some members of the parliament are showing indications of having some dignity. The Maoist, Madhesi and Janajati MPs are raising issues strongly, but their modus operandi has been quite wrong. Their protests only ruin the image and influence of the House that is already being undermined by the party leaders.

Thankfully, Speaker Subash Nembang has initiated moves to resolve the impasse in the House. The speaker's initiative to meet with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the Maoist leadership and the hospitalized home minister has shown a ray of hope because the leaders are responsible for their party members obstructing the proceedings. The leaders should convince the MPs that the earlier the electoral laws are passed the earlier the CA polls will be held. Their duty is to pass electoral laws, not to stall proceedings in the House. Similarly, the Madhesi parliamentarians obstructing the House demanding non-implementation of the recommendations of the Election Constituencies Delimitation Committee is also going to delay the date for CA polls. Ironically, parliamentarians are obstructing the House for demands which can be fulfilled if they expedite the proceedings.

In the meantime, the Maoists have provided training to their MPs on their roles and responsibility in the parliament. This process can be expected to improve the situation somewhat. Without the Maoist MPs knowing certain norms and agreeing to follow them, ordering the House is simply impossible. Until now the Maoist lawmakers were seemingly under the belief that the House was only a place of bourgeoisie chit-chat. Now they have to unlearn what they thought they knew. We believe the Madhesi MPs should also be more rational about their demands. If they do not agree with the constituency delimitation, they have to express it properly, in a proper system. If we believe in parliamentary democracy and consider parliament as the focal point of the people's faith and belief, we have to empower the House, and not denigrate it. In this regard, even the government has undermined the parliament by brining the common minimum program only with the signatures of the eight-party leaders, who are neither ministers nor parliamentarians. So, the onus is on all to make the House supreme.

Source: The Kathmandu Post, April 22, 2007