CMP's Implementation

Despite the ideological differences among various political parties, there are some common national objectives in which every party should converge on their political programmes, mostly for the promotion of national interest and improvement in livelihood of its people. The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) has now acquired prominence in Nepal since coalition governments have become the norm in lack of single party majority in the parliament under the new election system. Not only in Nepal, the issuance of CMP document is also being practised in India where coalition government has been a culture for long time. In Nepal, formulation of CMP has not only been important to consolidate the priorities of the coalition government but also to institutionalise the culture of coalition and ensuring political stability.

Like the previous governments, the current coalition government, led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda,' has also formulated a 21-point CMP document as a guiding principle of the government.  As per the news report published in this daily on Tuesday, the CMP of the government focuses on solving the issue of citizenship, control corruption, enhance healthcare, education and service delivery and introduce a system of time card to reduce crowding of service seekers at government offices, among others. In the CMP, the government has prioritised the consolidation of democracy, political stability, development, prosperity and good governance. The coalition parties have pledged to immediately tackle the citizenship problem and have promised to bring an end to the circumstances currently preventing eligible Nepali citizens from obtaining their citizenship certificates. The CMP also promises to end inflation, widen market monitoring with strict action against black marketing and reduce government expenses.

Similarly, the coalition parties have stated their plan to enact or amend at least a dozen legislations in the first session of the House of Representatives. These include the Public Procurement Act, Citizenship Act, Local Administration Act and e-governance law. To instil public faith in state mechanisms, the government has vowed to crack down on corruption. Furthermore, it has expressed its commitment to make the tax apparatus friendlier to taxpayers and eliminate redundant structures to vitalise the economy. The government will also implement the ‘Make in Nepal’ campaign. On the health front, the document states that the government will provide free testing and treatment to individuals aged 60 and above suffering from hypertension and diabetes. It will also establish basic hospitals in all local levels and specialised hospitals in all provinces. Through the CMP, the government has also announced its plans to provide every household with 10,000 litres of free drinking water every month. 

Likewise, every domestic consumer will also be given 50 units of electricity free in the summer months and 30 units in winter. In the next five years, the government aims to increase electricity production to 6,500 megawatts and per capital consumption to 700 kilowatt-hour. The governing parties have also reiterated their commitment to public welfare and non-aligned foreign policy. The 21-point CMP document tries to address the commitments of those political parties with people in the focal point. Though the priorities of the CMP document covers most of the areas where the government's immediate intervention is needed to address the people's aspiration expressed through the recent elections, the implementation of the promises is still questionable. Procedural delays and hassles, and the lack of readiness for change in bureaucratic system, among others, are likely to be the major challenges in materialising these pledges. An effective monitoring mechanism is required to overcome implementation challenges of the CMP.