KATHMANDU: Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ the Chairman of the main opposition Maoist Center, has stated that the government’s policies and programs have failed to inspire the lawmakers of the ruling party.
Speaking during the House of Representatives meeting on Monday, Prachanda argued that the silence from the ruling party’s lawmakers during the President’s reading of the policies and programs for the upcoming year reveals much about the government’s proposals.
“The silence that prevailed among the lawmakers of the ruling party while the President read out the policies and programs reflects many things,” Prachanda remarked.
“The pain expressed by Prime Minister about why his lawmakers aren’t supporting the policies, along with his repeated instructions to back them, speaks volumes.”
He further criticized the government, stating that policies and programs which cannot inspire their own lawmakers are unlikely to satisfy the public. “If these policies cannot inspire the ruling party MPs, they certainly won’t satisfy the common people,” Prachanda said.
“The lack of participation from some lawmakers shows who these policies are really meant for and how they are designed.”
Prachanda also accused the government of introducing policies and programs merely to maintain tradition and fulfill formalities, without any real substance or vision.
He criticized the government’s policy and program, stating that they were prepared merely as a formal and “ceremonial exercise”.
Prachanda pointed out that while last year there was an effort to finalize the policy and program through extensive discussion and debate using democratic methods, the government disrupted this process this year.
“I had tried to break the ritualistic tradition of policies and programs in this esteemed parliament, considering the opinions of MPs,” Prachanda said.
“The tradition of presenting them in the House, receiving suggestions from MPs but failing to incorporate those suggestions into the policies and programs—while subjecting them to amendments—must end. A new budget calendar was issued, making the policies and programs public three months before the budget presentation.”
He emphasized that the government ignored the fact that this method would have allowed sufficient time for the suggestions of people’s representatives to be included in the formulation of the policies and programs. As a result, the amendments could have been reflected in the budget accordingly.
“But by doing so, the tyranny of two-thirds could not have been imposed,” Prachanda added. “That is why the government showed its true nature and repealed last year’s provision. The government, with its arrogant numbers, has an autocratic mindset, believing that whatever is done will be done. This is why discussions in Parliament on policies and programs, as well as the budget, were once again reduced to mere rituals. It was presented again as a formality. I demand corrections.”
Comment