Parliament likely to decide on six ordinances today

By Pallav Bhusal,Kathmandu, Feb. 6: Both Houses of the Federal Parliament on Thursday are set to debate and potentially pass all six ordinances introduced by the government.  

The ordinances issued by the President on the government’s recommendation cover a wide range of reforms, from economic policies to public service delivery, but they faced backlash from opposition parties stating that they were issued without forging a broad consensus. 

With opposition parties preparing to register numerous rejection notices, the fate of the ordinances hinges on the vote of the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal in the National Assembly.

The opposition parties in the House of Representatives have issued 51 notices of rejection for the ordinances while the National Assembly has issued 13 similar notices. 

The ordinances include the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Good Governance Promotion and Public Service Delivery, the Economic Procedures and Financial Responsibility (First Amendment) Ordinance, the Privatisation (First Amendment) Ordinance, the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Economic and Business Environment Improvement and Investment Promotion, the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Cooperatives, and the Ordinance to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Land. 

“The government has the constitutional right to issue ordinances, and since the previous House session was stalled for a long period, the government issued these ordinances. The opposition parties have put forward some proposals of rejection, which will be presented during the session. But I can say with full confidence that the ordinances will be passed by the National Assembly,” said Krishna Bahadur Rokaya, Chief Whip of the Nepali Congress in the Upper House.

The powerful coalition government of the CPN (UML) and the Nepali Congress introduced the ordinances. However, the government has to exercise to endorse them from the Upper House as the two major ruling parties lack a majority.  In the 59-member Upper House, the NC and UML have 27 members in total and one member of Loktantrik Samajwadi Party will support the government while 30 votes are needed to pass them.  

Both the opposition and the ruling parties, thus seeking help of the JSP-N to endorse them from the Upper House.

“The ordinances will be passed tomorrow. The government brought the ordinances with its constitutional right, so we are confident that they will be passed and sent to the President tomorrow,” said Bhagwati Neupane, Chief Whip of CPN-UML in the  Upper House.

However, the CPN (Maoist Centre) is not sure about the move of the JSP-N.

“We, the opposition parties, share a similar opinion. We will protest the process of how the ordinances were brought. We have already presented notices of objection and will present our opinion in the session. However, it lies in the hands of the Janata Samajwadi Party- Nepal. If they vote in favour of the ordinances, they will be passed. If they remain neutral or vote against them, they will fail,” said Gopi Bahadur Sarki Achhami, Chief Whip of the CPN (Maoist Centre) in the National Assembly.

The Janata Samajwadi Party has now been the key party that could decide the fate of the six ordinances in the National Assembly. But the ordinances will be passed in the House of Representatives as the two big parties enjoy a comfortable majority.

“We have studied the ordinances carefully, and they consist of both positive and negative aspects. However, we will hold a parliamentary party committee meeting on Thursday to decide whether to vote for or against the ordinances,” said Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav,  leader of the JSP-N in the Upper House. 

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Devraj Ghimire, held a meeting with the Chief Whips and Whips of all parties to discuss the agenda for Thursday’s meeting at Singha Durbar on Wednesday.

“We discussed the agenda for tomorrow’s session with the Speaker and other Chief Whips and Whips of all parties today. The session will proceed with the opposition parties presenting their notices of rejection of the ordinances. However, since the ruling parties have a majority in the Lower House, I am confident the ordinances will be endorsed,” said Shyam Ghimire, Chief Whip of the ruling Nepali Congress.

Opposition parties have strongly opposed the ordinances since the day of their issuance.

“The opposition parties have submitted 51 notices of rejection against the ordinances, and six of our representatives will present their rejection proposals before the parliament. Our parliamentary leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, is also scheduled to speak during the session. Other parliamentary activities, including special and zero hours, are also scheduled for Thursday’s session,” said Hitraj Pandey, Chief Whip of the CPN (Maoist Centre) in the Lower House.

According to Article 114 (1) of the Constitution, the ordinances issued by the government must be presented in both Houses of the Federal Parliament and should be passed within 60 days, otherwise, they will automatically become invalid.