Kathmandu. It has been a year since I was elected as a member of the National Assembly. This is my first experience in the federal parliament. I have spent a lot of time in the past year studying bills. I am also studying old laws and regulations. Accordingly, I have been active in lawmaking. At the same time, I have been working to convey the issues of the people to the government through the parliament.
A member of parliament is not an executive position in itself. A minister is an executive position. A member of parliament has to take the initiative with the government for the development of his or her area and the entire country. But the people understand that after becoming a member of parliament, their place will develop. I am experiencing this issue now. The main job of us members of parliament is to make laws. It is important to explain this to the people.
Looking at the nine years since the promulgation of the constitution, we still have a lot of work to do. The laws that need to be made to strengthen federalism have not been made. The ‘Bill to make provisions regarding the formation, operation and conditions of service of the Federal Civil Service, 2080’, the ‘Police Bill, 2081’ and the ‘Bill relating to the Federal Education Act, 2080’ have not been completed.
Many other policy-making tasks that need to be developed to strengthen the federal system are still pending. Laws under fundamental rights are also yet to be formulated. The implementation of the constitution has not been at the pace that it should have been.
Generally, it is believed that the constitution should be reviewed after ten years of its promulgation. In that context, the issue of amendment is arising in political circles. It is not that amendments should not be made. Some issues need to be amended. The amendment is to be made based on the difficulties seen in the implementation of the law.
The constitution has provided for an inclusive, proportional representation and electoral system. Due to this inclusive and proportional system, it seems that no party will get a single majority anywhere in the union or the province. The government is becoming unstable due to the lack of a majority for any party.
The issue of amendment should be discussed in a way that there are no shortcomings in inclusive and proportional representation on how to make the government stable. In a democracy, everyone can play their role. They can speak about the issues they care about. They can express their opinions. However, the government and party leaders should be aware to prevent such an environment.
The state leadership must reform itself. The leadership must be able to explain to the people about the right things they have done. Parties need to reform. The activism of former King Gyanendra Shah has increased because the parties are not united. Parties should give up the arrogance of saying that they are right and everyone else is wrong. When the parties do not reform, the former king and those around him are in trouble.
A federal democratic system is the best system for our country. There is no alternative to reforming this system. Good governance can be maintained in the country through this system. The condition of the people can be changed. To strengthen federalism, all the laws that the federal government needs to make should be made quickly.
There is a need to empower the provincial and local governments. The powers that local governments should have should not be kept at the center. The authority of the Singha Durbar has not yet reached the villages. The provincial level should be made a little more agile and dynamic.
We need to fulfill the commitments we made to the people for good governance. Leaders of all parties told the people yesterday that we would end corruption. But corruption is still the same today. We have not been able to fulfill the commitment to maintain good governance.
We have not been able to change the situation of the people either. Therefore, for good governance, there is no alternative but for the government to be accountable to the people. Political party leaders should be honest with the people. All those involved in corruption should be prosecuted according to the law. No one should be given immunity.
To improve the condition of the people, they should be made self-reliant. They should be provided with employment. The government should focus on production. We have not been able to produce in a way that creates employment. We have not been able to operate industries and factories in the country. Now it is time for the government and leaders of all political parties to focus on improving the condition of the people.
The provincial government and local government also have an important role to play in improving the condition of the people. The local government itself should increase its sources of income. My role now is to focus on making laws. My role is to take initiative with the government to make laws.
Now, it is not only a matter of putting the issues of people’s livelihood in parliament, but also of making the government aware of the implementation. My role is to take initiative for development and job creation.
Introduction of National Assembly Member Kiran Babu Shrestha
Nepali Congress, Gandaki Province General Secretary Kiran Babu Shrestha has been a member of the National Assembly for a year. He started politics from a student organization in 2028 BS and became a member of the District Working Committee of Nepali Congress Gorkha in 2034 BS. Shrestha has since then had experience working in various positions in the Nepali Congress Gorkha Working Committee.
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