Kathmandu. Chief Whip Krishna Bahadur Rokaya of the Nepali Congress in the National Assembly has said that it is now necessary to seriously review the provisions that have not been used and have not been used in the context of the implementation of the constitution.
Stating that a constitution amendment is necessary to remove such impractical issues in the constitution, he said that the issues of proportionality and inclusion should be further ensured. He said that there is also a need to pay attention to the questions raised about the number of federal parliamentarians, provincial assembly members and local level.
National Assembly member Rokaya, who entered politics as the founding president of the Nepal Students’ Union Rukum in 2057 BS, served as the president of the same organization for two terms, and became the Nepali Congress Rukum District Secretary for two terms from 2047 BS to 2067 BS. Currently, he is the party’s general secretary of Karnali Province and is the Chief Whip of the Congress in the National Assembly.
Edited excerpt from a conversation with Chief Whip Rokaya:
How are you viewing the political practices taking place in the country?
The movement that the Nepali people waged in 2007, 2056 and 2062. 63 for rights and change has resulted in the establishment of a federal democratic republic. In this, everyone, including Dalits, indigenous peoples, Madhesis, women, Tharus, has rights. The main challenge is to implement those rights organized in the constitution.
Various opinions are being made public in the process of implementing the constitution. It has been 10 years since the constitution was made. The issue of protecting the rights obtained through the movement by implementing the constitution is still everyone’s priority.
What are the challenges in implementing the constitution, and what issues do you think need to be amended?
An important point in the seven-point agreement reached when the current government was formed is the amendment of the constitution. The two major political forces of the country with a historical political background, the Nepali Congress and the CPN (UML), are in a joint government. The constitution states that the constitution will be reviewed every 10 years.
Let us improve and amend the shortcomings and inadequacies seen during the exercise during this period so that the rights obtained can be further ensured. It is necessary to review where the constitution went wrong, where it was not used and where it could not be used. In the context of constitutional amendment, the issue has also been raised in connection with the electoral system.
There is a question of an electoral system that does not provide a majority for a particular party and is expensive. A situation has arisen where people who have been loyal to politics for change all their lives cannot contest elections due to expenses. The research conducted by the Election Commission has accepted that this is the most expensive election in the world. We say that a constitutional amendment is necessary to remove such impractical issues.
There is also the question of which law prevents political parties from pleasing the people and bringing a majority?
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## As long as the current electoral system exists, no matter how popular any party is, there is no situation where a single party can form a majority government. We all have to accept this. There are statistics that the Nepali Congress has won up to 36 percent of the votes in the elections. The same is true of the UML. When the number of seats obtained from the current proportional electoral system is added, no one gets a majority.
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## There is a debate in society from the angle that the number of MPs can be reduced in the upcoming elections, further ensuring proportionality and inclusion. The issue of reducing the number of provincial and local levels has come up.
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## The number of ministers in this government, whether federal or provincial, has become large. Such issues raised by the people should be accepted. The issues raised should be reviewed honestly and seriously.
How do you take the point that politics has become a means of earning income and a business in recent times?
That is almost what you said, but it is not all true. When I entered politics in 2057 BS, my understanding was that politics was a social service. It is that people who do politics should become the standard in society. But now we have to accept that it has become a profession, not a service.
Some people involved in this field have defamed politics by committing various acts and illegal activities for their own interests. This has increased the disillusionment of the people towards politics and parties. It is necessary to bring cleanliness to politics. People should be raising the issue by linking the facilities provided by the state to the ward chairpersons and the Prime Minister.
If a public representative is truly responsible to the people, he or she must be accountable and transparent. It is difficult for us MPs to even survive in Kathmandu with the services provided by the state. When I go to my district Rukum twice a month and return, the facilities for one month are exhausted.
Living here is not easy. It is difficult to meet room rent and other expenses. The facilities received are not enough to run a normal daily life. I believe that any public representative should be made fully accountable to the people by providing the services provided by the state.
Why is a public representative, whose first responsibility and duty is to make laws, going to the ministry saying budget and development?
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## In fact, we are legislators. Our main and first job is to make quality laws. We need to study, debate and discuss it. But the people’s view is different.
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## It is customary to say that they did not come to the ‘honorable’ district, and that development work did not take place. The issue of trusting and relying on people’s representatives did not arise otherwise. I represent Karnali. As a member of the National Assembly, my voters became members of the Provincial Assembly and mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities.
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## They should play a role in addressing the problems they have encountered in the course of their work through lawmaking. They are obliged to be more active in issues such as building dams, irrigation, health posts, roads, bridges, schools and providing employment. Due to public expectations, Nepal’s legislature has to play both a legislative and a developmental role.
The promises made during the elections must be fulfilled. Because at that time, promises for development were made. Although development including infrastructure construction falls within the purview of the ward, local level and province. We should only focus on making pure laws, due to the situation of the country, the understanding of society and the time situation, we are forced to play both roles.
What is your opinion on the statement that the system and government are changing through movements, but there has been no fundamental improvement in the living standards of the people?
## Of course, distortions have been rampant in the country and society. After the formation of any government, whatever the ruling party does and says, it opposes it when it is in the opposition. It forgets it when it reaches the government. The issues raised while in the opposition cannot be completed while in the government. This means that we have not been honest.
First of all, a political person holding the position from ward member to Prime Minister should be honest. Since it is the era of science and technology, the people understand what a leader and worker is saying and doing. The people observe the opinions expressed regarding good governance when in the opposition and the steps taken and working style for good governance when in the government.
This contradictory character of saying one thing and another has led to a decline in the weight and public trust of the party leadership. We should be able to accept the side that has not been able to speak the truth and do it.
How was your one-year experience in the National Assembly, how will you make the remaining term fruitful?
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## This is my first experience in the National Assembly. I am going to make the dignity of this assembly even more dignified. Unlike the House of Representatives and subordinate thematic committees, the National Assembly does not have the problem of the minimum number of people required to conduct a meeting (quorum) so far.
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## Similarly, it is not a situation where the meetings of subordinate committees are stopped due to the lack of a quorum and the discussion is not passed on time. The National Assembly has been following the time properly. The meeting starts on the scheduled time.
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## This is a specialty of the National Assembly. Discussions on every bill are held in a polite and civilized manner. There is a practice of passing bills unanimously. On the other hand, our voters are representatives of the provinces and local levels. That is why the problem is that provincial issues are debated in the National Assembly on the last Friday of every month.
Such an exercise has increased the effectiveness, dignity and importance of the Assembly. The Assembly has already made a schedule to meet and discuss with the voters twice a year. Laws will be formulated based on the suggestions received through such programs.
What is your response to the comment that the National Assembly was not formed according to the spirit and spirit of the Constitution, but was brought to the Assembly with the aim of compensating some people?
That is a statement from the angle of protest for the sake of protest. The members present there have not made any changes in the country. A person’s age does not make a difference in honesty, competence and ability.
Every person who has reached the National Assembly is a person who has suffered and sacrificed to establish the rights of the people. There are people who have made special contributions to political change and various sectors of society in the country. People who have contributed to the establishment of peace in the country to the drafting of the constitution have been selected.
What is the development priority of Rukum, my home district?
The district’s priority is to blacktop the built roads to make them permanent so that they can operate for 12 months. Like other districts, Rukum also has a situation where education, health, drinking water, tourism promotion and employment issues need to be taken together.
Any citizen living in the corners of Rukum will feel relieved if road access and agriculture can be connected. Roads have reached the village but have not been regularized. If the roads are stable, the supply of agricultural produce will be easy. Even today, if agriculture and roads can be connected, it will be a great relief for the people of the district.
What are the plans to prevent young people from migrating abroad and keep them in the country?
Since I came from student politics, I understand the sentiments of the youth and students. I am responsible and accountable to them. Now there is potential in Nepal, honesty, commitment and willpower are necessary in political leadership.
If the political parties and the state are honest, there are many possibilities to keep the youth in the country. If new technology can be used, there is great potential for promoting herbs and tourism in Karnali. There is potential for water resources. The state should pay attention to the mobilization of these resources of agriculture and tourism.
The government can not only prevent the youth from going abroad, but also bring back those who have gone abroad and create an investment environment.
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