EDITORIAL: Troubled days ahead

The rift is likely to have its impact on the provinces also, where the NCP has formed six out of the seven governments

The dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Sunday, on the recommendation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has triggered countrywide protests, portending troubled days ahead for the country and its people. Those hitting the streets are not only activists of the opposition or other smaller parties in the now dissolved parliament but also cadres of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), a sure indication that the move has not gone down well with the people. The PM’s move comes amidst growing feud between him and the rival faction led by the party’s co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who wants Oli to either step down as the PM or as the party chair. While the decision to dissolve the House was taken by the Council of Ministers invoking Article 76 (1) (7) and Article 85 of the constitution, legal experts have challenged its constitutionality. Thirteen petitions against the PM’s move have been filed in the Supreme Court, and the decision of the apex court could affect Nepal’s politics in more ways than one.

Following the dissolution of the HoR by the President on Sunday, the Constitutional Council had sent the names of 45 members and chairpersons of several constitutional bodies to the Parliament Secretariat.

They were appointed under the controversial ordinance issued only last week that escalated the intra-party bickering to a point of no return. Among those recommended include Prem Kumar Rai to the high post of Chief Commissioner of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), and their parliamentary hearing must be conducted and their candidacy approved within 45 days, failing which they are appointed automatically.

Therefore, the verdict of the Supreme Court and its timing will decide the fate of the recommended names to the different constitutional bodies.

Given the changed political scenario, seven ministers loyal to the rival faction in the NCP have resigned.

Of course, no one is shedding tears over their resignation – they were ministers who were more in the news for their incompetence than anything else – but it exhibits schism in the ruling party that will not heal that easily. And the rift is likely to have its impact on the provinces also, where it has formed six out of the seven governments. For a party that was boasting of a near two-thirds majority in the parliament, the division spells doom for it at a time when the main opposition party, the Nepali Congress, is already in the mood to go to the mid-term polls, called for April 30 and May 10. The new constitution of Nepal was said to have made provisions to see to it that the government ran a full five-year term, and the people believed in it. How a mid-term poll could have been called within less than three years of the general elections has bewildered the people. If we are to continue with political instability as in the past decades, what was the point of writing a constitution by a Constituent Assembly, following a bloody decade-long insurgency? Therefore, no matter how good a constitution, unless there is political culture in the parties, we could be in for many similar political hiccups in the future.

Mountain guide licence

The Department of Tourism (DoT) has prepared a rule under which mountain guide licences will be issued to eligible persons to strengthen mountaineering activities and make the profession secure. Any person conducting an activity in the mountains without the DoT’s licence will face legal charges. It has also made it mandatory for every mountaineer to include a mountain guide during his/her expedition. Earlier, the government used to recognise those recommended by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) as mountain guides.

Now, only DoT-recognised guides will get a chance to work as guides.

There are around 2,000 mountain guides currently working in Nepal. The government decided to introduce this provision as a mountain guide is now a much sought-after profession. The licence will be given based on a person’s expedition records and training maintained by the NMA. The DoT had to take this measure after it came to light that some foreign mountaineers were climbing Nepal’s mountains without including licence holders, putting their own lives at risk and also diminishing chances of income for high altitude climbers. While the measure is welcome, the licensing process should be hassle-free.

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