Kathmandu, May 20: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said political leadership is never above the law. Presenting a proposal to seek a vote of confidence before a meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today, the Prime Minister said hope among the citizens is growing for good governance and the establishment of a rule of law. “A narrative that none is above the law is being established.”
Nepal’s democracy was lately considered to be dominated by political interests. There were doubts about whether political leadership was dominating the law. This had caused the reason for increasing trust deficit and hatred towards the overall system, the Prime Minister said. But the government’s interventions against the fake Bhutanese refugee scam grabs of Lalita Niwas land, Bansbari land, and the Bal Mandir’s land and the gold smugglings have been the strong reasons for rebuilding the citizen’s trust in democracy, he added.
Though the government is achieving meaningful accomplishments on almost all fronts and is achieving pride, the Janata Samajbadi Party (People’s Socialist Party) Nepal withdrew its support to the government, he said, adding that political unity is warranted to address challenges in the nation. “I am thankful to the JSP for its support to the government since the beginning. I respect the party’s right to support and not to support the government. But I again urged the party for cooperation to address challenges in the nation.
According to the Prime Minister, the government can’t fulfill its long-term commitments in absence of the support and cooperation from the House. “I do not want to take more time in the sovereign parliament. But want to just tell you that as the Prime Minister, I expressed my commitments in my first address to the parliament. Today, at this moment, I request this respected parliament for a vote of confidence on the government’s achievements.”
Stating that the Parliament and the government have to go a long way to achieve the goals of the 16th Periodic Plans, the Prime Minister reiterated that the support and cooperation from the respected parliament is vital for the government to advance towards the long-term commitments. “We are describing the upcoming decade as a period of rapid development. For this, wider discussions and a wider vision based on a national consensus are needed. The government has already signed a power trade agreement with India and Bangladesh. There are increasing possibilities for exports to China. Many works are yet to be carried out big ‘game-changer’ hydropower projects.”
He said the macro-economic indicators are positive, but the integrated efforts of the government and the parliament were needed to make the economy fully vigorous.
“Today, I do not only seek a vote of confidence from this sovereign parliament, but also seek a meaningful support and cooperation to remove the despondency seen in the country. I seek the parliament’s intervention against efforts to use the social and political consciousness generated by democracy against democracy itself,” the PM said.
Arguing that he should be given a vote of confidence even for the genuine implementation of federalism and for a logical conclusion of the peace process, Prime Minister Dahal said, “I am steadfast in my commitment for governance reform at all the points where the citizens come into contact with the State.”
The Head of the Government sought the parliament’s intervention in unraveling the policy-related complications for achieving economic progress and employment by means of entrepreneurship. He stressed on making concerted efforts for taking a large section of population living under the absolute poverty line to a dignified life.
Stating that the initiatives taken by the government for policy and practical reforms have made a highly positive impact on the investors, the PM said the high-level visit to Nepal by Qatar’s king, the Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister, among others have expanded the nation’s prestige and its international dimension. “A situation is now created in which Nepal will take on the global leadership on behalf the mountainous countries on climate change. A record has been set in tourist arrivals. The news headlines of shortage of chemical fertilizers and school textbooks have now become things of the past,” he added.
The main opposition party lawmakers were surrounding the ‘well’ of the House meeting hall and shouting slogans in protest when the PM was making a statement seeking the vote of confidence in the parliament.
NC’s parliament obstruction is unparliamentarily: Prime Minister Dahal
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that the main opposition Nepali Congress has demonstrated unparliamentarily behaviour by not creating a comfortable environment for the Prime Minister to take a vote of confidence as per the constitution.
Responding to the queries raised on the discussions on the vote of confidence motion in the House of Representatives today, he expressed concerns that the main opposition party obstructed the Prime Minister’s efforts to take the vote of confidence, which is unparliamentarily.
“The Prime Minister to whom you supported in the past and your step today of house obstruction while receiving the vote of confidence, this incident will be established as a stigma in the parliamentary history,” said Prime Minister Dahal.
He thanked the CPN (UML) and other parties and parliamentarians who supported him in the vote of confidence motion.
