KATHMANDU, May 29: Lawmakers have complained that the draft of the Federal Parliament’s Joint Meeting and Joint Committee Regulations has neglected the small parties and independent legislators in the Parliament.
They expressed this view in the course of the clause-wise deliberations on the draft report (with amendments) of the Business Operations Regulations of the Joint Committee of the Federal Parliament-2080 BS in the joint sitting of both houses of parliament on Sunday.
Lawmaker Khim Lal Devkota viewed that the Regulation needed to be amended as it was being brought in a way to bypass the small parties and independent lawmakers.
"The draft of the Regulation has come in such a form that it overlooks the independent lawmakers and the smaller parties. It does not take into account the National Assembly as well. This revised regulation should have been better than its previous version, but I don't see that," he commented.
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Lawmaker Devkota also suggested amending the Rule 26 of the Regulation, saying it has retained the same provision as in the previous regulation which goes something like the appointment of office-bearers of the Constitutional Council would automatically be endorsed without the parliamentary hearing.
He contended that this provision of the regulation which proposes that the office-bearers of the Constitutional Council can be appointed without hearing has made the governance system weak. "This provision was the most-discussed one in the past. It seems that the parties have not paid attention to this weakness at present," Devkota said, adding that the parliamentary activities should be carried out in such a manner that they reflect the effectiveness of the implementation of federalism.
Lawmaker Amaresh Kumar Singh demanded that the opinion of all individuals and ideologies should be represented in parliament. He said the 'big parties' in parliament sometimes act as if they have ‘monopoly’ over issues related to service delivery to the people.
"The parliament is not just the venue to represent people on the basis of a number. It is indeed the place for the representation and recognition of people's opinion, ideas and needs. I know pretty well how political parties prevent their lawmakers from telling the truth before the House. The situation makes us the representatives of parties not of the people," he said. He sought the representation of all ideologies while forming parliamentary committees.
Putting an amendment proposal over the regulations draft report, Jitendra Narayan Dev said that the Federal Parliament is the integrated form of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly and the regulations are applicable to the entire business operations of the House.
“The participation of a 12:3 ratio in the Parliamentary Hearings Committee is not mathematically appropriate. That is not appropriate politically and in terms of cluster-wise, too,” said Dev, presenting an idea of 11: 4 ratio in the committee.
He was of the view that chairing of the joint sessions of the Federal Parliament by the NA Chairperson and the Speaker on a rotational basis would send a message that both assemblies in the bi-cameral parliament are of equal importance. This provision should be incorporated in the regulations, too, he asserted.
Prabhu Shah said the provisions relating to the draft committee failed to recognize the issues of small parties.
