Kathmandu. The schedule constructed by the parliament has been disrupted due to the postponement of the budget session which had already been called. The government’s policy and program, pre-budget discussions, and bill passage agendas have become unusable after the government postponed the parliamentary session called for Thursday. The Council of Ministers, in a meeting on April 8, had recommended the President to convene a session of both houses of parliament. However, the very next day, the same meeting decided to postpone the session, citing special reasons. With the government waiting for ordinances to be issued, it is uncertain when a new session will be convened.
What was the schedule?
Immediately after the decision to convene the session, the Federal Parliament Secretariat, in consultation with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dol Prasad Aryal, and the Finance Minister, Dr. Swarnim Wagle, prepared a detailed schedule (calendar) for the budget session. According to that schedule, agendas were set to provide business to the parliament starting from the session on April 17. The schedule was designed to advance the budget and bill processes concurrently from the beginning of the session. Specifically, bills passed by the National Assembly and sent to the House of Representatives were to be presented first, and discussions were to be held between the policy and program and pre-budget discussions, with the aim of passing them before the budget presentation day. The schedule included inviting President Ram Chandra Paudel between April 20 and 22 for the presentation of the government’s policy and program. The plan was to discuss the policy and program for about five days and then pass it. Similarly, preparations were underway for the Finance Minister to present the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill (pre-budget) on April 27 or 28 and begin discussions on it. The schedule was prepared with the aim of presenting the budget for the fiscal year 2083/084 on May 15, as per the constitutional provision, after completing all these processes.
Was there enough business?
The government’s argument for postponing the session is the lack of sufficient ‘business’ to provide to the parliament. Government spokesperson Sasmita Pokharel stated that the session has been postponed for now to create an environment where the parliament can be provided with sufficient business by finalizing the bills that are under preparation. While the government is postponing the session in the name of business, the Federal Parliament Secretariat has a different view. According to the Secretariat, there was almost sufficient business for the parliament from the 17th until the budget presentation day. Federal Parliament spokesperson Ekram Giri states that apart from the policy and program and pre-budget discussions, there are still bills passed by the National Assembly that have come to the House of Representatives and are yet to be discussed. He added that other bills could come to parliament and discussions on public interest issues would take place, making the business almost sufficient until the budget. ‘Although we call the monsoon session the budget session, there is a practice of carrying out discussions and passing bills concurrently in this session as well,’ says spokesperson Giri. ‘Three bills passed by the National Assembly have come to the House of Representatives, and they need to be passed. Discussions and passage of the principles and priorities of the Appropriation Bill and the government’s policy and program will also take place during this period, so the agenda was set accordingly. Considering past practices and time, this business was sufficient until the budget presentation day.’ Even if there wasn’t enough business, the government could have had sufficient discussions on its two documents. This would have provided an opportunity for new MPs to gain exposure and for the budget and government programs to receive further input. The later the session starts, the more the discussion time shrinks. This can lead to a reduction in the quality of clause-by-clause discussions on bills and pre-budget matters.
Even if there wasn’t enough business, the government could have had sufficient discussions on its two documents. This would have provided an opportunity for new MPs to gain exposure and for the budget and government programs to receive further input. The later the session starts, the more the discussion time shrinks. This can lead to a reduction in the quality of clause-by-clause discussions on bills and pre-budget matters.
Government Awaiting Ordinances
It is not yet certain when the new date for the parliamentary session will be announced. However, the government appears to be waiting for the issuance of ordinances it had recommended. Of the ordinances recommended by the government last Sunday and Monday, only two have been issued as of Thursday. So far, President Ram Chandra Paudel has only issued ordinances related to cooperatives and public procurement. Ordinances such as the one to amend some Nepal laws, brought to amend about 40 laws, the ordinance to remove those who have received political appointments, and ordinances to remove university officials are still pending. All opposition parties in parliament are united against these ordinances, and it is still uncertain whether the President will issue these controversial bills.
How will the schedule be formed now?
With the postponement of the session, there is uncertainty about when the next date will be set. According to spokesperson Ekram Giri, a new schedule will be prepared only after a new date is set. He stated that such a schedule will be determined by a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee. Nepal’s constitution mandates the presentation of the budget on May 15. Therefore, the new schedule will have no option but to significantly shorten the pre-budget discussion and the policy and program.
