Maoist Center proposes to pass TJ bill through parliament sooner than later

Published On: April 6, 2023 04:30 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, April 7: The ruling CPN (Maoist Center) has proposed to speedily pass the Bill on Transitional Justice (TJ).

The Maoist Center has formally put forward such a proposal in the discussions with the chief whips and whips of the political parties in parliament chaired by the Speaker before the meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) on Thursday.

The chief whip of the Maoist Center, Hitraj Pandey, mentioned that it had been discussed in the past as well and put forward the option of passing the bill after discussing it in the House.

However, other parties have rejected the proposal of the Maoist Center. The CPN-UML has agreed that it should be passed as soon as possible, but they have a clear opinion that the parliamentary committees should discuss on a regular basis. Padam Giri, chief whip of the UML PP, said that the option of forming parliamentary committees quickly and moving forward the bills in the House would be appropriate.

Three bills have been registered in the HoR and are in the process.

A bill to amend the Commission for Investigation, Truth and Reconciliation of Disappeared Persons Act is in the HoR.

A bill to amend some laws related to prevention of money laundering and promotion of business environment has also been registered in the House of Representatives and is in the process.

The Maoist Center has proposed to fast-track the passage of all these three bills. However, the UML has said that they have a clear disagreement on the process of passing the bill after discussion in the House.

The CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) have also said that due to lack of consensus, the debate on the bill will be held in the parliamentary committee. Santosh Pariyar, the chief whip of the PP of the RSP, said that when it is taken to the committee for quarterly discussion, there will be only a little delay, so we should be prepared for that. However, he suggested that one should not have the intention of prolonging it forever.

Metmani Choudhary, chief whip of CPN (Unified Socialist), also said that the issue of quarterly discussion in the parliamentary committee should not be taken otherwise. Nepali Congress MPs were absent from Thursday's discussion.