The government should either justify the controversial decision, or apologize and commit not to repeat the mistake. Remaining silent is a violation of accountability. The current government does not have such an exemption.
What you should know
Whether the expected speed is seen in the government's decisions and actions or not, there must be a sense of good governance. Because the failure of good governance to be reflected in the government's decisions and actions over the decades has resulted in the growing dissatisfaction in society, which has manifested itself in the form of the Gen-G movement, leading to the unexpected formation of a government led by Sushila Karki.
Being non-partisan and having a lifespan of 6 months, the government is not obliged to fulfill unwanted commitments with political and other power groups, nor to bear the burden of legacy. Therefore, there is no obligation to take opaque and controversial decisions and to resort to 'arguments' to defend them. Therefore, every decision of the government should be recorded as an example of good governance. But the opposite is happening.
The government, which has just completed two months, is caught in a trap of controversial decisions. Due to which questions have been raised about the government's intentions. Therefore, the government needs to improve its working style. That is what will provide justice to the Gen-G movement.
The first condition of good governance is transparency. Tuesday marked 68 days since the formation of the interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki. But the Prime Minister's asset details have not been made public. The asset details of other ministers have also been kept secret. Out of the ten, Health and Population Minister Sudha Sharma (Gautam) has not yet submitted the asset details to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
Even though there is a law requiring ministers to submit their asset details, it is customary to make them public. This is considered a strong basis for transparency and public evaluation of ministers. That is why interest in asset details increases around 60 days after the formation of every cabinet. It is not that some unaccountable ministers of the previous government did not ignore the practice of making asset details public, but there is no moral basis for the current government to ignore it in the same way. Because, this government should set an example of good governance and transparency every moment.
Similarly, the government's decisions have also been controversial. The Supreme Court had issued an interim order against the government's decision to recall 11 ambassadors. However, considering the order to be a polite message, the government wrote to the ambassadors to appear at the ministry. For this reason, a contempt of court petition has been filed against Prime Minister Karki.
Although the Council of Ministers decided to abolish the Land Disputes Resolution Commission and its district committees on 23 Asoj, the Supreme Court has stayed it. Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal had tried to absolve those involved in the crimes and destructive acts committed during the Gen-G movement of 23 Bhadra and the protest of 24 Bhadra by linking them to the work of the Commission of Inquiry instead of bringing them under the purview of criminal action. Regarding this, the Commission of Inquiry itself had issued a statement stating that the work of the Commission would not have any impact on the criminal investigation.
Similarly, Prime Minister Karki, who is also in charge of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, has appointed Bikram Rai, who focuses on the teaching profession and also runs a travel business part-time, as the chairman. Even when the Corporation formed a selection committee under the leadership of Tourism Secretary Hari Prasad Mainali to appoint the General Manager, it is being criticized for including controversial pilot and Rastriya Matrubhumi Party leader KB Limbu as an 'expert' member.
The decision taken by the Ministry of Finance has also been in controversy. The government has made a controversial decision to grant income tax exemption to the Dolma Impact Fund, which brought investment to Nepal through a ‘seal company’ in the ‘tax haven country’ Mauritius. The government has also opened the import permit for ‘Euro 3’ standard vehicles, which have been banned in Nepal.
The silence she is maintaining regarding Attorney General Savita Bhandari is enough to understand the state of the Prime Minister’s own accountability. Bhandari has become controversial by acquitting her own investment company ‘Hope Fertility’ in the egg smuggling case. Previous Attorney Generals have made controversial decisions to acquit based on political interests. But Bhandari has decided to fulfill her own interests.
Despite the police investigation confirming that the company she invested in was extracting and selling the eggs of teenagers at high prices, the Attorney General’s Office has decided not to prosecute the case on 31 Asoj. At this time, there are demands for Bhandari’s resignation. But neither she has resigned, nor has the Prime Minister dismissed her. While the Prime Minister was expected to take 'action' as soon as the decision of the Attorney General's Office was made public, it was within the general definition of good governance, the regular responsibility of a government that wants good governance. But the Prime Minister has tried to push such a serious issue into oblivion by remaining silent.
The government should make its activities transparent. It should be accountable. It should respond politely to the criticism being made in a public manner. But the delay in making the asset details public gives the impression that the government is not interested in transparency and accountability. On the other hand, the government's controversial decisions one after another have shocked even the optimistic group that the Gen-G movement, the formation of the government, and a political solution through this.
The standard of good governance must be maintained in every activity and working style of the government. This is not only an expectation towards Prime Minister Karki and the ministers under him, but also a respect and understanding towards the Gen-G movement. Therefore, the government should either be able to justify the controversial decision, or apologize and commit not to repeat the mistake. Remaining silent is a breach of accountability. The current government has no such exemption.
