The steering committee, first of its kind in the country´s defense history, aims at enforcing “civilian control” of the national army, something political parties have long demanded, and “bridging” the existing gap between Ministry of Defense and the army, cabinet sources said. [break]
Officials say they expect the committee to cement trust between the civilian government and the army.
“As there was no formal mechanism for policy dialogue between the Ministry of Defense and the army headquarters, the steering committee will serve as formal platform for the purpose,” said a source known to the details of the steering committee.
The committee comprises the minister of defense as its head, army chief as member and the defense secretary as member secretary. Ministry of Defense will house the secretariat of the committee, which will work as a policy-making body of the national army.
“It has been mandated to take up and decide about management of the national army, good governance and human rights issues, and human resource development,” said the source detailing the terms and conditions of the committee that will meet once a month.
The Ministry of Defense had proposed to the cabinet to form the Defense Steering Committee after extensive consultations with the Nepal Army.
New to Nepal, mechanisms like the defense steering committee are common in other parts of the world. In some countries -- in the UK for instance -- such a mechanism is called the defense advisor board. In the UK, the prime minister heads the board. In other countries presidents head such mechanisms.
“It also has the power to review programs of the Nepal Army and direct the latter to introduce reform if deemed necessary,” the source further added, “It has also power to identify weaknesses in the existing military laws.”
Bringing the national army, which was commanded by the monarch until April 2006, under civilian control was a major demand of political parties and general public alike expressed on the streets during April 2006 movement. This aspiration is also reflected in Article 144 of the Interim Constitution.
In a related development, the political committee of the cabinet headed by the prime minister informally approved a plan of action aimed at democratization of the Nepal Army. The committee has decided to distribute the draft plan of action to all political parties represented in the Constituent Assembly and State Affairs Committee of the parliament for their feedback if any.
The 15-page document obtained by Republica has proposed eight time-bound plans of action for democratization of the army.
The plan proposes to enforce civilian supremacy and control over the national army within three years. It also has scheme to restructure the army within eight months and strengthen the military-citizen relation continuously. Amending existing military laws to make them timely within two years is yet another plan to usher in democratization in the Nepal Army.
The plan also proposes to make the army institution accountable and transparent. Protection and promotion of human rights is another component of the plan. Making the national army inclusive and strengthening the army´s relation with the Ministry of Defense are other plans.
“The cabinet decision is a significant step toward democratization and bringing the army under civilian control. But the desired results rest on its honest implementation,” said an official at the Ministry of Defense.
Related story
Nepal, UN hold first Annual Joint Steering Committee meeting to...
