Parliament's Bill Session

Parliament is the supreme body of elected representatives. In a multiparty democracy, the people choose their representatives through periodic elections, the main yardstick of a democratic setup. Fair, free and peaceful polls ensure the entry of genuine deputies into the parliament where the people’s problems, issues and concerns are well-discussed for their solution. Parliament constitutes one of the three organs of the state. It runs as per the principle of separation of power. Amending and enacting the laws form its main task. Laws are framed based on the need of time and urgency. Emerging social challenges can be dealt with by enacting appropriate Acts and regulations. Many development works hit a snag and invite conflict in the absence of laws required to address them.  

Against this backdrop, the ongoing winter session of the Federal Parliament is focused on endorsing the crucial Bills that have a direct bearing on the lives of the people. On March 5, the House of Representatives endorsed five ordinances out of six introduced by the government in January.  They included ‘Financial Procedures and Fiscal Responsibility (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2081’, ‘Economic and Business Environment Reform and Investment Promotion Amendment Ordinance, 2081’, ‘Privatisation (First Amendment) Ordinance, 2081’, ‘Ordinance to Amend some Nepal Acts related to the Promotion of Good Governance and Public Service Delivery, 2081’ and the ‘Ordinance to Amend some Nepal Acts related to Cooperatives, 2081’. These ordinances have paved the way for the amendment of more than three dozen existing laws. They aim at improving governance, attracting foreign investment, and streamlining bureaucratic functions.

The opposition groups have put their reservations about the issuance of these ordinances, citing that the government brought them by bypassing the parliament. However, the constitution has allowed the executive wing to issue ordinances to address the urgent needs of the nation. These ordinances have eased the government to implement its plans about business operation, land management and financial regulations. As the present government holds a two-thirds majority, it is in a comfortable position to approve the much-needed Bills from the ongoing winter session, also known as the 'bill session'. It is plugging away to endorse as many Bills as it can. For this, the ruling parties have engaged their lawmakers in deliberating and finalising their contents. It has sought to amend 80 different laws under the Nepal Act. Altogether, 12 new Bills have been tabled in the parliament in addition to the pending ones that have been stuck for years.   

However, the Federal Civil Service Act holds top priority for it is essential to manage civil servants under the new federal arrangement. The enactment of the Federal Civil Service Act is long overdue. In its absence, a systematic federal bureaucracy has not evolved and become functional.  Likewise, the Water Resources Bill and the Customs Bill are also in the pipeline. The government is determined to pass the new Bills in 15 to 20 days from this session of parliament, which will last another month. It is commendable that concerned ministers have been instructed to play a proactive role in pushing the important Bills. The parliamentary committees should be active and serious. There should not be conditions in which the meetings have to be postponed for lack of quorum. In the past, House disruptions and disagreements among the lawmakers hampered the effectiveness of the parliament. As a result, Bills were not passed in time. At the same time, the government should make maximum efforts to forge consensus on the Bills as they become laws once both chambers of parliament endorse them.