Nepal

Speaker Onsari Gharti's fiasco in House

Speaker Onsari Gharti's fiasco in House

By KESHAV P. KOIRALA

Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar begins the Legislature Parliament meeting in Kathmandu on Thursday, February 11, 2016. Photo: RSS

KATHMANDU: Speaker Onsari Gharti confused everybody when she announced that the proposal for discussion on the Bill to Raise Domestic Debts, 2073, was rejected by the Parliament. After the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party's lawmaker Prem Suwal objected to her announcement, Speaker Gharti put the proposal to voice vote again. She, subsequently, announced the proposal was accepted. Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel quipped that this probably happened due to the contrast between her manasthiti (state of mind) and paristhiti (situation). Speaker Gharti, who belongs to the Maoist party, has been accused of taking sides by the ruling coalition, which has been challenged by the Nepali Congress-CPN Maoist Centre alliance with no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister. A nervous Speaker Gharti made another mistake --  this time while announcing results of the voice vote on the amendment on the Bill to Raise Domestic Debts. She first said the amendment was endorsed, then held for a moment, and uttered: 'Eh..[no]' to correct herself. She then announced that the amendment proposal was rejected. Social media users have widely ridiculed the Speaker for today's fiasco. READ ALSO: 

Legislature-Parliament's list of agenda for today 1. Speaker to present the Office of the President's letter on bill authentication 2. Speaker to present the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Minister's letter on addition of responsibilities to Cabinet ministers 3. Speaker to announce addition of members in the Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee 4. Janardan Sharma, the chairman of Public Accounts Committee, to present the PAC's report 5. Discussion on Finance Bill, 2073 6. Amendments to Finance Bill, 2073, to be put forth for decision 7. - Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel to propose endorsement of Finance Bill, 2073; - Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel to propose clause-wise discussion of Bill to Raise Domestic Debts, 2073 8. Amendments to Bill to Raise Domestic Debts, 2073 to be put forth for decision 9. - Finance Minister to propose Bill to Raise Domestic Debts, 2073 for endorsement; - Finance Minister to propose clause-wise discussion of Loan and Guarantee Bill (With 21st Amendment), 2073 10. Amendment to Loan and Guarantee Bill to be put forth for decision 11. Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel to propose Loan and Guarantee Bill (With 21st Amendment) for endorsement 12. CPN Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to present no-confidence motion against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli as per the Article 298(13) and the Rule 160 (4) of the Parliamentary Regulations. 13. Discussion on the no-confidence motion 14. Speaker to present the no-confidence motion for decision