KATHMANDU, Feb 9: Eighteen parties – including three in the ruling coalition – represented in the Constituent Assembly on Monday requested the prime minister to summon a special session of the parliament and table necessary laws instead of issuing ordinances.
Meanwhile a Maoist minister told myrepublica.com that the decision of the parties was a "futile" one. Another prominent party in the ruling coalition, Madhesi People´s Rights Forum, said it is unlikely to support the call for special session of the House.
In a decision that comes as a biggest blow against the Maoist-led five-party coalition, the parties asked the government to table new bills addressing the issues the government has proposed to address through ordinances. [break]
"Since the way and tendency of ruling the country through ordinance is a move aimed at weakening democracy, this meeting objects to such a move," said the parties in a statement issued at the end of a meeting hosted by Nepali Congress at its office.
The three ruling parties – Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Nepal Sadbhawana Party and CPN (United) – and major opposition parties concluded that Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has not demonstrated its sincerity toward guaranteeing democratic system in the country through sustainable peace, rule of law and formulation of the constitution.
"This meeting agrees that the parties need to move ahead with political consensus, collaboration and unity to activate constitutional process, end serious insecurity, anarchy and impunity and maintain social harmony and rule of law" the statement reads further.
Justifying their decision to urge the PM to summon the house session immediately, leaders participating in the meeting said they wanted not to take serious action at the initial phase.
"If the prime minister does not take our request positively and declines to follow the parliamentary process," said Raghuji Pant, a leader of CPN-UML. "After our general convention slated next week, we will take further action if the house session is not summoned by then." He said the CPN-UML is always against the moves that bypasses the parliament elected by the people.
Nepali Congress Vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said the meeting stressed the need to maintain unity among the parties in the CA to attain national goal of formulating a new constitution. "If the government wants to lead the country through consensus, it must withdraw the ordinances and introduce them as new bill in the House," said Poudel.
He, however, said single stand of all the parties except the Maoists was not indication of political polarization. "It is a move aimed at stopping the Maoists from ruling the country arbitrarily," he said.
Besides Maoist party and MPRF, Dalit Janajati Party, Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) were absent at the meeting.
At the beginning of the meeting, NC President Girija Prasad Koirala said it was urgent need for the parties to stop the Maoists from running the country through arbitrary way if they wanted to avert a political disaster. "The Maoists broke politics of consensus and led the country to political polarization, so we need to act fast to bring the culture of consensus to right track and ensure new constitution on time," Koirala said.
Sadbhawana Party was against decision initially
Commerce and Supplies Minister and Sadbhawana Party leader Rajendra Mahato stood until last minute against blanket decision against the ordinances. "Since the ordinance to make the government services inclusive came after our long struggle, I could not stand against it," he said. "But I agreed the culture of ruling the country through ordinances was not appropriate."
He said he has agreed on the all-party decision as it calls for immediate introduction of the issues government was trying to address through ordinances as a new bill in the parliament.
No meaning of such proposal: Mahara
Information and Communications Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara termed the decision of the parties as futile move. "There is no meaning of a call for the special session of the parliament," said Mahara. He said the government enjoys the right to issue ordinances and the ordinances will be tabled in the regular session.
An all-party meeting called by Nepali Congress on Monday urged the government to call a special session of House immediately and table the three ordinances for discussion.
China congratulated Speaker Mahara
Our support unlikely: Forum
MPRF Spokesperson Jitendra Narayan Dev told myrepublica.com that his party is unlikely to support the call of the 18 parties. However, said Dev, it has to be officially decided by the party.
He said his party decided not to participate in the NC-called meeting as "the meeting was called with certain objectives," said Dev. "We, as a responsible party, are in the government."
(Ghanashyam Ojha and Tilak Pokharel contributed to this news.)
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