The then ruling party has been accused of fueling irregularities and corruption, protecting the 'powerful' involved in crimes, and failing to conduct impartial investigations into major scams.
What you should know
Political parties have released manifestos prioritizing good governance and corruption control to sway public opinion in the upcoming elections. The parties have committed to investigating past corruption and investigating the assets of high-ranking officials.
The Congress has promised to investigate the assets of high-ranking officials for the past 34 years. But President Gagan Thapa has given tickets to people who have been convicted in corruption cases and those whose cases are pending in the Supreme Court. Those who have committed crimes ranging from embezzlement of government land to damage to government property have received tickets from the Congress.
The UML has released a manifesto in Kathmandu on Thursday, putting forward the slogan of good governance and prosperity. Chairman KP Sharma Oli has released a document titled 'UML will build' that includes the foundations of good governance and prosperity. The UML has claimed that it has worked for good governance in the past and has brought the manifesto with good governance as a priority. But the UML has sent people from gangsters to people facing cases for murder to the electoral field in the upcoming elections.
Oli himself is under investigation by the Commission of Inquiry on charges of suppressing the Gen-G movement on 23 Bhadra. The commission is yet to submit its report. Oli is also being investigated by the Money Laundering Investigation Department. Not only this, questions have been raised about the UML-Congress in cases related to major scams.
The pledge made public by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) states that it will prioritize corruption control and good governance in the 'Hundred Basis of Policy Departure for Transformation'. The 'agreement' made public by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) last Sunday included the issue of good governance. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) President Ravi Lamichhane is himself facing cases in half a dozen courts for cooperative fraud, organized crime and money laundering. He is currently a defendant who has been released on bail from all the courts in which the case was filed. The case related to dual passports against him is pending in the Supreme Court. Lamichhane lost his post as an MP and Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister in 2079 after the Supreme Court's order in the dual citizenship case.
The manifestos of the NCP, which has been in power repeatedly, the RPP, which has not hesitated to share power with republican parties despite carrying the agenda of monarchy, and the JSP, which has repeatedly entered the government as a power partner as a Madhesi force, have also made commitments to control corruption, maintain good governance, and lead the country towards prosperity. The NEMKIPA, the Progressive Democratic Party, the Ujjaj Nepal Party, and others have also brought manifestos giving importance to good governance.
Congress President Thapa has said that people in any position of power will be equal in the eyes of the law through 'Vision Ten' and the pledge. The pledge states that 'the discriminatory situation where the law is for the poor and the rich are free will end, and the doors to government service will be equally open to all.'
There is also a commitment to end partisanship in the state machinery, including constitutional organs. ‘Partisanship will end in state institutions including courts, constitutional bodies, police, universities, and other institutions, and qualified citizens with knowledge, integrity, and ability and loyal to the constitution will be appointed through a fair and transparent selection process,’ the Congress has promised. ‘The concept of Digital Nepal will be realized by making maximum use of technology in every service of the state, which will end corruption and government tardiness.’
It has been claimed that those who commit irregularities will not be ‘regardless of leaders or family ties.’ ‘To make Nepal corruption-free, the principle of punishment should be established even after 20 years for corruption in public positions, laws on authority and laws on conflict of interest in policy-level corruption will be made within 6 months, and we will make and implement laws that consider failure to act by designated officials within the specified time as corruption.’
The UML has mentioned in its election manifesto that it will maintain peace and order and ensure the rule of law. ‘We declare that we will effectively implement our commitment to control and end all forms of corruption, including irregularities, tardiness, and distortion,’ the manifesto states.
The manifesto seems silent on the issue of the weakening of the investigation, prosecution, and justice delivery bodies due to party sharing. When UML Chairman Oli was the Prime Minister, there was a Gen-G movement in favor of ending corruption and good governance in Bhadra last August. When he came to power, Oli has been accused of misuse of law, sharing in appointments/transfers, promotions, corruption in public procurement, and obstructing the investigation of offenders. He has also been accused of obstructing the investigation of those involved in the wide-body aircraft purchase, Giribandhu Tea Estate land irregularities, and Nepal Trust land rent cases.
The Nepali Communist Party (NCP) has given priority to good governance and prosperity in its 'election commitment' made public on 10th of Magh. It has included 'political stability-good governance, a new phase of economic reform-prosperity with social justice' in the commitment letter. In practice, the facts that this party and its top leaders have been active in corruption and inconsistency and protection have come to the surface.
The NCP was formed by a combination of the then Maoists, Unified Socialists and other parties. Dozens of top leaders of the NCP are involved in corruption and other crimes. Accusations of protecting middlemen and those involved in state exploitation have been leveled against the leaders of the NCP. NCP coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal himself became the Prime Minister in 2065, 2073 and 2079. Co-coordinator Madhav Kumar Nepal became the Prime Minister in 2066. The corruption case filed by the Authority against NCP co-coordinator Nepal in the Patanjali land embezzlement case is pending in a special court. He is a candidate from Rautahat-1. Even if he wins the election, he cannot enter parliament due to the pending case.
The Money Laundering Investigation Department is investigating him after details of the discovery of 'burnt notes' from Coordinator Dahal's residence on 24 Bhadra and after complaints were received on other matters. The families of NCP leaders Barshaman Pun and Nanda Bahadur Pun are 'suspected' in the gold smuggling case. The family of another leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara is also involved in gold smuggling.
In its manifesto, the NCP has prioritized corruption control, good governance, and social justice-based state governance. The NCP has announced the formation of a high-level ombudsman with the authority to control corruption in all parts of the state and take action against those involved.
The NCP has committed to bringing a time-bound action plan to get out of the 'grey list', maintaining good governance in public service delivery, and making a digital and e-governance blueprint public.
The NCP has stated in its manifesto that it will launch an 'anti-corruption campaign for policy, conduct, and institutional reform', pointing out that there is a situation where party-based exploitation of the state structure, process-centric corruption, and license raj, and that even ordinary services are forced to resort to middlemen. There has also been a commitment to make a huge improvement in Transparency International's corruption index, end partisanship, and form a high commission to investigate assets since 2046.
The Rashtriya Prajatantra Party has nominated Chairman Lamichhane, who is facing cases in various courts, as its candidate in the upcoming elections from Chitwan-2. He has been defending the charges against him as 'political vendetta'.
The Rastriya Prajatantra Party has also made public its election 'resolution' with the aim of prioritizing 'system change, good governance, prosperity, and corruption control' for the upcoming elections. The commitment letter made public on Saturday includes the slogan 'We will be destroyed, not corrupted'.
‘A high-level citizen commission will be formed to investigate the assets of high-ranking leaders and employees after 2046 BS and make legal arrangements to confiscate illegal assets, an indicator protection act will be made and implemented to protect and encourage those who provide information on corruption,’ the RPP’s resolution states, ‘A law on conflict of interest will be issued to bring public office holders under the legal ambit to end political and operational corruption and misconduct, reforms will be made in the Money Laundering Act, and arrangements will be made for constitutional appointments free from political interference.’
JSP Nepal has committed to ‘controlling corruption and maintaining good governance’ in its manifesto. JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, who emerged on the foundation of the 2063 Madhesh movement, has also become a minister several times. He himself is under police investigation in the ‘Gaur incident’. He is being investigated in the incident in which 27 then Maoist supporters were killed in Gaur on 7 Chaitra 2063 BS.
Putting pressure and influence on the existing mechanisms, not allowing the necessary laws to be passed, seeking their own people in appointments and who will believe them when they talk about good governance? The question is about intention and character, on paper everyone says good governance. : Kishor Silwal, former commissioner, CIAA. JSP Nepal also has a commitment to investigate the assets of people's representatives, high-ranking employees, security officers and officials in the Constitutional Commission since 2047. The manifesto seems silent on the issue of the collapse of the investigation, prosecution and justice delivery bodies due to party divisions.
Former commissioner of CIAA Kishor Silwal says that the promises made by the parties on paper are one thing and the actions taken after coming to power are another. He argues that there is a wrong intention hidden in the statement that all parties will investigate high-ranking officials since 2048 and form a separate commission for that.
‘Who will believe in putting pressure and influence on the existing mechanisms, not allowing the necessary laws to be passed, seeking their own people for appointments, and talking about good governance?’ He says, ‘The question is about intention and character, everyone says good governance on paper.’ Silwal says that even though all parties have promised corruption control, good governance and prosperity on the eve of the elections, there is no way to believe them.
Former chairperson of Transparency International Nepal, Padmini Pradhananga, says that the country’s international image in the matter of good governance has been tarnished due to the leaders who have reached power.
‘How can we believe those who have been in power for decades and are unable to work for good governance, who are only involved in corruption and resource exploitation, and who say they will work with commitment on the eve of the elections? Have they done the work that we believe in yesterday?’ She says, ‘What stopped them from working until now? Why is there a need for commitment now? That is why there is no way to believe that the slogans of good governance brought on paper will be implemented.’
