KATHMANDU, Jan 31: The former lawmakers’ forum is trying to assert its influence in the parliament. The forum is advocating for the inclusion of its statutory rights within the parliamentary regulations.

The former MPs have been lobbying for this but the House of Representatives regulations so far only consider their consultation.

Sources said that during the formulation of the National Assembly regulation, there was an attempt to grant the former lawmakers’ forum more extensive rights than those stipulated for the House of Representatives.

In rule number 256 of the House of Representatives Rules 2079 BS, it is stated that the committees and officials may seek consultations from former members of the parliament or organizations of former members or former lawmakers' forum, etc in the course of their work.

However, stating that this provision is not sufficient, the former lawmakers are exerting pressure to establish the former lawmakers’ forum mandatorily in the National Assembly rules.

Although the draft of the National Assembly rules is almost ready, a committee member said that the document is not yet finalized due to the confusion regarding how much authority to grant to the former lawmakers’ forum.

The HoR regulations did not initially include provisions for the former lawmakers’ forum, but the 2079 BS regulation introduced a provision for consultation. However, there is now a pressure for the establishment of a statutory body of the former lawmakers’ forum within the parliament with the authority to provide not just consultations but also their opinion and suggestion. 

Chairman of National Assembly Rules Drafting Committee, Suresh Ale Magar, said that since the HoR itself gave legitimacy to the former lawmakers’ forum, it also has an impact in drafting rules of the National Assembly. He said that they have not mentioned it in the draft yet but there are discussions ongoing on whether to adopt the language used by the House of Representatives or to explore an alternative approach.

Sources said that the members of the National Assembly Rule Drafting Committee are also divided on whether to budge in to the pressure given by the former lawmakers’ forum or to maintain their own stance.

The Parliamentary Committee currently has the authority to invite individuals to the committee as it deems necessary. An official from the Parliament Secretariat expressed concerns that providing legal status to a certain NGO in the parliamentary rules, as done with the ex-parliamentary forum, has allowed the organization to exert a more extensive influence within the parliament.

The former lawmakers’ forum is being accused of working under the guise of various interest groups.

In Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September) 2073 BS, the former lawmakers’ forum made a written proposal when discussing the bill on service facilities for former office-bearers in the State Affairs Committee that former parliamentarians should be kept as office-bearers and should receive perks and facilities from the state accordingly. This had faced widespread opposition at that time.

 
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