Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who has secured the support of a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives, has proposed a new approach to advancing politics in Nepal.
On Sunday, before presenting the vote of confidence proposal to the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Oli responded to questions raised by members of parliament, proposing a new chapter in Nepali politics. “Let’s truly start a new chapter. A new chapter in Nepali politics. Let’s start this,” Oli stated.
The proposal for a new chapter from Prime Minister Oli is particularly focused on building national consensus on constitutional amendments. “I believe that this (constitutional amendment) will be done with the consensus of all. Previously, during the second amendment, this honourable house reached a unanimous decision,” said Prime Minister Oli.
Prime Minister Oli recalled the background when national consensus was achieved during the second amendment, which included the new administrative map incorporating Limpiyadhura. He expressed confidence that consensus could again be reached among all parties due to the content of the amendments. While tabling the vote of confidence, Prime Minister Oli made efforts to justify the necessity of the constitutional amendments.
Prime Minister Oli argued that instability is the main barrier to development and that constitutional amendments are necessary for stability. Hence, he proposed that the entire country should move forward in unison on the amendment proposal. “I hope the entire country will unite on this matter. There will be a national consensus on this,” Oli asserted.
He also took a clear stance that constitutional amendments would proceed even if some opposed his proposal. “I am always a person who moves forward; I do not know how to put the gear in reverse and move back,” he stated in his characteristic style.
However, during the vote of confidence, opposition parties uniformly opposed the agreement on constitutional amendments between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML. They argued that the primary source of political instability was the Congress and UML, not the smaller parties, and accused the amendment proposal of attempting to undermine the inclusive and proportional system.
Rabi Lamichhane, the president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), argued that the government had changed to close the corruption files that had been opened. He suspected that the new government was formed not to end political instability but to close these files.
Standing at the rostrum to respond, Prime Minister Oli defended himself against the allegations and emphasised the national consensus proposal for constitutional amendments. During the division of votes, 188 members of the House of Representatives voted in favour of Prime Minister Oli, 74 voted against it, and one vote was neutral.
Despite having the necessary numbers to amend the constitution, Prime Minister Oli aimed to show a different approach than in the past. He committed to avoiding a process of constitutional amendment driven solely by majority pressure.
In his address to parliament, Prime Minister Oli aimed to demonstrate his sincerity in the new chapter proposal, even while being cautious about smaller parties supporting him. “While the Nepali Congress and UML are the main parties, there are other parties as well. Today, it might seem as if there are only two parties, but there are other parties here too,” Oli stated.
Prime Minister Oli tried to show a different approach from the past not only on the agenda of constitutional amendments mentioned in the agreement with the Congress on June 30 but also on other proposals. Presenting the seven-point agreement made with Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba at the parliamentary meeting was another example of this.
After public questions arose about the seven points, Prime Minister Oli informed the parliament during the vote of confidence.
Previously, there was no formal information even within the respective parties about the agreements made by top leaders while forming power equations. The lack of implementation of such agreements led to continuous changes in power equations and prime ministers. However, Prime Minister Oli has now recorded the seven-point agreement made with the Congress leadership, including the constitutional amendment and the rotational prime minister agreement, in parliament.
Determined Oli
By recording the seven-point agreement in parliament and seeking national consensus on constitutional amendments, Prime Minister Oli presented some negative indicators of the country to justify the change of government.
Specifically, he concluded that even with the cooperation of the Congress and UML, the Maoist Center-led government could not provide an outlet for the country. “This government was formed to remove the deep despair prevalent in the country, to instil hope and enthusiasm among the people, and to lead the country towards rapid economic growth,” Prime Minister Oli said at the beginning of the House of Representatives meeting.
To emphasise this, he presented additional facts, stating that the people were in despair, development projects were in disarray, 6 million people were below the poverty line, industrialists were struggling, and the number of youths going abroad had not decreased. Prime Minister Oli argued that these problems necessitated the change in government.
To address these issues, Prime Minister Oli’s government has set five priorities. These priorities are notably different from the commitments made during his previous tenure as prime minister.
- Completing Ongoing Projects
Prime Minister Oli stated that the priority of his government is to complete ongoing projects. Projects that have been stalled for years or have not been completed will be the main priority.
“We will concentrate all our efforts on completing all the projects that have been started under all ministries on time,” he pledged. Prime Minister Oli’s commitment to this is a new approach.
During his first term as prime minister on October 12, 2015, Oli promoted large projects like railways, tunnels, and Dharahara. This has almost become his identity. Even in Sunday’s House of Representatives meeting, the opposition criticised “Oli’s development model.”
However, Prime Minister Oli had already informed that the first task of his priorities is to complete the ongoing projects. He mentioned that to complete these projects, four tasks need to be done: capacity enhancement, evaluation, policy reform, and release of blocked funds.
- Increasing International Trade
Prime Minister Oli stated that the second priority of his government is to increase production. Highlighting that the country currently faces a trade deficit and relies solely on imports, he emphasised the need to focus on production.
He mentioned that identifying different sectors of production, arranging investments, and coordinating among six ministries would be prioritised.
- Ending Poverty and Hunger
Prime Minister Oli stated that the third priority of the government is to end poverty, scarcity, and hunger. With 6 million people still below the poverty line, this priority is ranked third, he mentioned.
The prime minister mentioned that the government has already started this campaign by providing shelter to children living on the streets.
- Budget Amendment
Prime Minister Oli stated that the fourth priority of the government is to amend the budget for the current fiscal year. Although the government is a continuous institution, necessary programs, policies, and budget amendments are prioritized.
- Intent, Not Stunts
Prime Minister Oli stated that the fifth priority of the government is legal action against corruption. “We will neither engage in nor tolerate corruption. We will investigate and take action on matters related to corruption and misuse of authority,” he said.
The government will prioritize taking legal action against any corruption and corrupt individuals from any period, he stated.
“For good governance, it requires intention, not stunts. This government will not attempt to elevate itself by lowering others. It will not throw mud on others’ faces to appear clean,” Prime Minister Oli said. He also mentioned that anyone involved in the misuse of cooperative savings will face legal action.
While informing parliament about the five priorities of his government and the four immediate tasks, Prime Minister Oli pledged to correct past mistakes and drive the country in the right direction.
“We have done good work, and there have been shortcomings. We need to correct those shortcomings and drive the country in the right direction; that is today’s necessity,” Prime Minister Oli said.
