Utilise time to end deadlock: Nembang

Himalayan News Service

KATHMANDU: Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang today urged political parties to utilise the opportunity created by the endorsement of the budget in ending the political deadlock.

He made this remark after the legislature parliament passed three subsidiary bills — the Economic Bill, Bill on Raising National Debt and Debt and Security Bill (17th amendment). The main Opposition, UCPN-Maoist, let the parliament function for the passage of the fiscal budget but has announced to continue House obstruction after the task.

Nembang said the bills on Implementation of the Republic, Language and International Convention on Disability are under consideration at the parliamentary Statuary Committee. The government has not been able to table them in the parliament due to its continued obstruction.

The parties had agreed to introduce a Bill on Language to clear ambiguities on taking oath of office and secrecy by the President and the Vice President.

Vice President Paramananda Jha's oath taken in Hindi last year was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, which ordered Jha to take another in Nepali. But the Madhes-based parties have called for an amendment of the Interim Constitution to ensure that even the President and Vice-President can take the oath in their mother tongue.

The Bill on Implementation of the Republic lies dormant due to the obstruction of the parliament. This Bill needs to be passed by the parliament to remove all the "words" and "languages" used in over 100 laws that are inconsistent with the republican order.

Nembang also urged the parties to form a high-level political consultative mechanism immediately so as to create an environment conducive for drafting the new constitution and restoring peace in the society.