The Legislators’ Engagement in Policy-making and Post-legislative Scrutiny in Nepal Since 1991
Abstract
Parliament enacts legislation and has a role to evaluate the implementation of legislation in meeting the intended outcomes. Post-legislative scrutiny (PLS) identifies defective legislation and rectifies it. As such, it contributes to better legislation and implementation of legislation objectives. However, this requires a strong commitment by the parliamentarians in the legislation process and policymaking. Along with a range of structural factors, including lack of expertise and experience and time constraints, the main reasons for the ineffective post-legislative review in Nepal stem from the Member of Parliaments’ (MPs) shallow engagement in policy-making and legislative review processes and stronger focus on expanding expenditure related to building roads, schools, and other vital infrastructure. For example, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) provided to MPs has been continuously increased in consecutive elections since 1991. MPs appear to prioritize the political benefits of engaging with their electorate on funding and development projects, over their role in reviewing or scrutinizing legislation. This paper argues that the shallow engagement of MPs in the policy-making process and ineffective post-legislative review has resulted in not only defective and unsustainable policies but also defective legislation. This has created problems in the rule of law and accountability. This paper largely draws from reviewing contributions of delegated legislation committee for rule of law, evaluates the implementation of the committee recommendations in improving legislation and analyse the effects of noncompliance of committees’ recommendations in people’s justice.
References
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NA. 1999. Rāṣṭiya Sabhā Pratyāyōjita Vyavasthāpana Samitikō Tēsra Prativēdana 2056 (National Assembly: Delegated Management Committee - III Report 2000). Kathmandu: National Assembly Parliament Secretariat, Delegated Management Committee.
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Naya-Patrika. 2019. “Janatākō Hōina, Aphnai Kampanīkō Pratinidhikō Rūpamā Sansadmā Bōlchan Vyāpārī Sānsada (Not for People, MPs Speak for Their Company in the Parliament).” The Naya Patrika, July 30, 2019.
NLC. 1976. Social Practices (Reform) Act, 2033 (1976): Third Amendment 2010. Kathmandu: Nepal Law Commission.
Ojha, Anup. 2019. “In Biggest Protest Since the 2006 People’s Movement, Thousands of Protesters Gather to Oppose the Guthi Bill.” The Kathmandu Post2, June 19, 2019. https://kathmandupost.com/valley/2019/06/19/thousands-protest-against-the-guthi-bill-in-kathmandu.
Pandey, Devendra Raj. 2015. “Personal Interview.” Kathmandu.
Rosaldo, Michelle Zimbalist, and Louise Lamphere. 1974. Women Culture and Society. Edited by Michelle Zimbalist Rosaldo and Louise Lamphere. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Sahi, Lalit Jung. 2019. “Personal Interview.” Kathmandu.
Suman, Manish Kumar. 2019. “Informal Talk.” Kathmandu.
Sunam, Ramesh. 2017. समाबेसीताको बहस (Discourse of Inclusion). Kathmandu: Samata Foundation.
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Vrieze, Franklin De, and Victoria Hasson. 2017. POST-LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY: Comparative Study of Practices of Post-Legislative Scrutiny in Selected Parliaments and the Rationale for Its Place in Democracy Assistance. London: Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
ALJAZEERA. 2019. “Thousands in Nepal Protest against Cultural ‘Guthi’ Bill.” Aljazeera, June 19, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/06/thousands-nepal-protest-cultural-guthi-bill-190619121216425.html.
BBC-Nepali. 2019. “Interview with Ram Narayan Bidari.” BBC Nepali Service. 2019. https://www.bbc.com/nepali/multimedia/radio_programmes.
Bhattarai, Kamal Dev. 2014. “Prickly Statute Issues Land in Dialogue Panel.” The Kathmandu Post, June 11, 2014. https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2014/06/10/prickly-statute-issues-land-in-dialogue-panel.
Blair, Harry. 2017. “Constituency Development Funds in India Do They Invite a Political Business Cycle?” Economic and Political Weekly2 LII (31): 99–105.
Chaudhary, Surendra Prasad. 2019. “Personal Interview for Post Legislative Scrutiny.” Birjung.
Chautari, Martin. 2014. “Sanvidhāna Sabhā 2 Mā Upasthiti Ra Prakriyā (Attendance and Process on Constituent Assembly II).” Briefing Paper, no. 11.
Clapinska, Lydia. 2005. “POST-LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY A Consultation Paper.” The Law Commission Consultation Paper No 178.
———. 2006. “Post‐Legislative Scrutiny of Acts of Parliament.” Commonwealth Law Bulletin 32 (2): 191–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050710600907015.
Dahal, Ashok. 2016. “MPs Influencing Parliamentary Decisions in Clear Conflict of Interest.” The My Republica, July 11, 2016. https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/1810/.
Dahal, Rajendra. 2019. “Personal Interview.” Kathmandu.
Drucza, Kristie. 2017. “The Politics Behind Social Protection in Nepal.” Asian Journal of Comparative Politics XX (X): 1 25. https://doi.org/10.1177/2057891117734652.
ECN. 2016. नेपालको निर्वाचन ईतिहास (History of Election in Nepal). Kathmandu: Election Commission of Nepal.
———. 2018. Sthānīya Taha Nirvāchan, 2074 Kō Pariṇām Pustika(Election Result of the Local Eleciton 2017). Kathmandu: Election Commission of Nepal.
Erikson, Josefina, and Cecilia Josefsson. 2019. “Does Higher Education Matter for MPs in Their Parliamentary Work? Evidence from the Swedish Parliament.” Journal of Representative Democracy 55 (1): 65–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/00344893.2019.1581077.
FEG-Nepal. 2016. Improving the Constituent Development Program: Practices from the Three Districts: Sunsari, Kaski and Sindhupalchowk. Kathmandu: Federation of Good Governance (FEG-Nepal).
Ghimire, Sagar. 2016. “Bankers’ Lawmaker Blurring Line between Corporate Lobby, Lawmaking.” The My Republica, 2016. http://admin.myrepublica.com/economy/story/35228/banker-lawmaker-blurring-line-between-corporate-lobby-lawmaking.html.
Giri, Pradip. 2019. “Budget Speech Comments by Pradip Giri.” Nepal. https://www.facebook.com/setopati/videos/910295962643123/.
GON. 2007. The Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal, Nepal Law Commission.
———. 2015. The Constitution of Nepal 2015. Kathmandu: Nepal Law Commission.
Hachhethu, Krishna. 2006. “Political Parties of Nepal.” Baha Occasional Papers 1 1–65.
Hasson, Victoria. 2019. “Establishing a Legislative Scrutiny Framework The Case of Delegated Legislation in the Parliament of South Africa.” European Journal of Law Reform, no. 2.
HMG. 1951. The Interim Governmetn of Nepal Act 1951. Kathmandu: Nepal Law Commission.
———. 1959. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1959. Kathmandu: Nepal Law Commission.
———. 1990. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal, Nepal Law Commission.
HOR. 2000. Pratinidhi Sabhā Kānuna, n’yāya Tathā Sansadīya Vyavasthā Samitikō Vārṣika Prativēdana 2057 (Annual Report of House of Representatives: Law Justice and Parliamentary Management Committee 2000). Kathmandu: House of representative, Law Justice and parliamentary Management Committee.
———. 2001. Pratinidhi Sabhā Kānuna, n’yāya Tathā Sansadīya Vyavasthā Samitikō Vārṣika Prativēdana 2058 (Annual Report of House of Representatives: Law Justice and Parliamentary Management Committee 2001). Kathmandu: House of representative, Law Justice and parliamentary Management Committee.
Joshi, Bhuwan Lal, and Leo E. Rose. 2004. Democratic Innovations in Nepal: A Case Study of Political Acculturation. Kathmandu: Mandala Book Point.
Kumar, Dhruba. 2010. Electoral Violence and Volatility in Nepal. Kathmandu: Vajra Publications.
Mahato, Sanjaya, Bimala Rai(Paudyal), and Nandita Baruah. 2019. “Women in Public Life in Nepal.” In The Politics of Change: Reflections on Contemporary Nepal, edited by Deepak Thapa, 54–82. Kathmandu: Himal Books for Social Science Baha and The Asia Foundation.
Melo, Hygor Piaget M., Saulo D. S. Reis, HernaÂn A. Makse, and Jose S. Andrade. 2018. “The Price of a Vote: Diseconomy in Proportional Elections.” PLoS ONE 13 (8): 1–13. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0201654.
MOF. 1994. Budget Speech 1994/95. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal Ministry of Finance.
———. 1997. Budget Speech 1997/98. Kathmandu: Ministry of Finance.
———. 2000. Budget Speech 2000/01. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal Ministry of Finance.
———. 2010. Budget Speech 2010/11. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal Ministry of Finance.
———. 2016. Budget Speech 2016/17. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal Ministry of Finance.
———. 2018. Budget Speech 2018/19. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal Ministry of Finance.
———. 2019. Budget Speech 2019/20. Kathmandu: Government of Nepal Ministry of Finance.
MOLJCAPA. 2013. Sarvōcca Adālatabāṭa Amān’ya Ra Badara Gari’ēkā Kānunī Vyavasthāharukō Adhyayana (A Study of Defective and Invalid Law by the Supreme Court). Kathmandu: Ministry of Law, Justice, Constituent Assembly and Parliamentary Affairs.
Murray, Christina. 2011. “BUDGET BRIEF NO.12 – CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUNDS: ARE THEY CONSTITUTIONAL?” 2011. https://www.internationalbudget.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/brief12.pdf.
NA. 1999. Rāṣṭiya Sabhā Pratyāyōjita Vyavasthāpana Samitikō Tēsra Prativēdana 2056 (National Assembly: Delegated Management Committee - III Report 2000). Kathmandu: National Assembly Parliament Secretariat, Delegated Management Committee.
———. 2001. Rāṣṭiya Sabhā Pratyāyōjita Vyavasthāpana Samitikō Cauthō Prativēdana 2058 ((National Assembly: Delegated Management Committee - IV Report 2001). Kathmandu: National Assembly Parliament Secretariat, Delegated Management Committee.
Naya-Patrika. 2019. “Janatākō Hōina, Aphnai Kampanīkō Pratinidhikō Rūpamā Sansadmā Bōlchan Vyāpārī Sānsada (Not for People, MPs Speak for Their Company in the Parliament).” The Naya Patrika, July 30, 2019.
NLC. 1976. Social Practices (Reform) Act, 2033 (1976): Third Amendment 2010. Kathmandu: Nepal Law Commission.
Ojha, Anup. 2019. “In Biggest Protest Since the 2006 People’s Movement, Thousands of Protesters Gather to Oppose the Guthi Bill.” The Kathmandu Post2, June 19, 2019. https://kathmandupost.com/valley/2019/06/19/thousands-protest-against-the-guthi-bill-in-kathmandu.
Pandey, Devendra Raj. 2015. “Personal Interview.” Kathmandu.
Rosaldo, Michelle Zimbalist, and Louise Lamphere. 1974. Women Culture and Society. Edited by Michelle Zimbalist Rosaldo and Louise Lamphere. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.
Sahi, Lalit Jung. 2019. “Personal Interview.” Kathmandu.
Suman, Manish Kumar. 2019. “Informal Talk.” Kathmandu.
Sunam, Ramesh. 2017. समाबेसीताको बहस (Discourse of Inclusion). Kathmandu: Samata Foundation.
TAF. 2017. Study on the Election Campaign Finance: Local, Provincial and Federal Elections in Nepal, 2017. Kathmandu: The Asia Foundation Nepal.
THT. 2019. “Protests against Guthi Bill to Continue in Kathmandu Valley.” The Himalayan Timesf, June 14, 2019. https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/protests-against-guthi-bill-to-continue-in-kathmandu-valley/.
Timelsena, Ganesh. 2019. “सांसदले फाइल बोकेर कोठा–कोठा धाउनुपर्ने अवस्थाको अन्त्य हुनुपर्छ.” National Assembly. 2019. http://na.parliament.gov.np/np/news/file-carrying-situation#.
Vrieze, Franklin De, and Victoria Hasson. 2017. POST-LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY: Comparative Study of Practices of Post-Legislative Scrutiny in Selected Parliaments and the Rationale for Its Place in Democracy Assistance. London: Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD).
Published
2020-06-23
How to Cite
MAHATO, Sanjaya; SAH, Rupesh Kumar; CHAUDHARY, Pooja.
The Legislators’ Engagement in Policy-making and Post-legislative Scrutiny in Nepal Since 1991.
Journal of Southeast Asian Human Rights, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 1, p. 69-99, june 2020.
ISSN 2599-2147.
Available at: <https://jurnal.unej.ac.id/index.php/JSEAHR/article/view/17231>. Date accessed: 22 nov. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.19184/jseahr.v4i1.17231.
Section
Special Edition on Post-Legislative Scrutiny
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
