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Bullying The Opposition On Appointment To Constitutional Bodies
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
April 26, 2010: the Constitutional Council headed by Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has recommended the names of various persons for appointing to the vacant positions at the constitutional bodies, and sent a letter to the Legislative Special Hearing Committee with the proposed eleven names for the legislative hearings on those names.
Opposition Leader Prachanda has said in public that the Constitutional Council has not invited him to the meeting on recommending the persons to fill up the vacant positions at the constitutional bodies. So, he has demanded to annul the decision on recommendation made for the persons to fill up the vacant positions at various constitutional bodies.
Protesting the unilateral decision on the recommendation of the persons to the positions of various constitutional bodies, legislators belonging to the UCPN-Maoist have boycotted the legislative session on April 25, 2010.
At the same time, advocate Shreeprasad Pandit has filed a petition at the Supreme Court of Nepal demanding the annulment of the Clause 6 (3) of the Constitutional Council Act, as its provision for the presence of five members of the Constitutional Council enough for making a quorum goes against the aspirations of the Interim Constitution of Nepal of 2007 for the consensus on this matter.
Political parties fight for their share in appointing persons of their choices to various state bodies, as it means to have their own say in the business of these state bodies and the financial benefits, too. The Nepali Congress governments repeatedly led by late Girija Prasad Koirala had set the tradition of receiving a large sum of money from the appointees. Governments of other parties have simply followed the tradition.
For example, Prime Minister Madhav Nepal has fought vigorously for appointing Dr. Yuva Raj Khatiwada to the governor of the Central Bank of Nepal called Nepal Rastra Bank. Dr. Khatiwada has opted for the position of the governor of the Central Bank quitting the position of the Vice-chairman of the Planning Commission of Nepal even though its status is higher than the position of the governor in the ranking. The reason is financial and job security. Dr. Khatiwada would need to quit the position of the Vice-chairman of the Planning Commission of Nepal as soon as the Madhav government falls but he could stay on in the position of governor.
