If people are politically conscious, money will not influence the election results
The Election Commission (EC) has fined parliamentary and provincial assembly candidates who did not make public their election expenditure details, and those who did not submit the election expense details to the EC. Each of the erring candidates were fined Rs 15,000 for failing to making public the election expense details within 35 days of the announcement of the final poll results. Those who were fined Rs 15,000 each for failing to make public the election expenses details include leaders of the Nepal Congress, CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist Centre, Janata Samajbadi Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party, Rastriya Swatantra Party and others who failed to represent themselves in the federal parliament and provincial assemblies. Earlier, the EC had also imposed a fine of Rs 500,000 on each of the candidates who failed to submit the election expenses in time. But a cabinet decision had waived the fine, citing the fine was too much. A total of 2,435 – 1,037 parliamentary and 1,398 provincial candidates – were fined for not making public the poll expenses in time. The EC had to impose the fine on the candidates after they failed to abide by the Election Act-2017, which has given the EC the power to impose a fine not exceeding Rs 15,000. The provision of imposing fines for failing to making public the poll expenses and submitting the same to the EC was made mandatory to ensure transparency in the election process.
The EC has also clarified that the EC would remove their names from the list if the candidates had already made public their poll expenses through media outlets, their own or their parties' websites or social networking sites. The law requires that the candidates should also tell the public how much money they had spent during the election. The EC's decision to impose the fine against the erring candidates shows its resolve to enforce the election laws. The EC has also warned that they would be barred from contesting one election if they failed to pay the fines. Out of the 2,411 candidates who contested the parliamentary elections, only 1,337 had made public the poll expenses details, and 37 candidates have not submitted the election expenses details to the EC as of April-end.
It is an open secret that the candidates had spent far more than the spending ceiling fixed by the EC. But those who submitted the poll expenses details to the EC said they had spent within the limit set by the EC. The EC also does not have any proper mechanism based on which it can effectively monitor the funds a candidate raises during the elections as most of them are collected through informal channels. A clear picture of the election expenses will not come out as long as the election laws allow them to raise money from outside the banking channels. Despite having weaknesses in the Election Act and the EC's inability to enforce the law effectively, the general people have started electing their representatives on merit basis, not on muscle, money power. If the general people are politically conscious, money and muscle will not influence the election results. This was proven during the by-elections held in three constituencies on April 23.There have been predictions that the political scenario will be completely different in the next general elections as money will play a lesser role than the social media.
Madhes water crisis
Madhes is reeling under an acute water crisis with water channels, wells, deep wells and deep boring drying up this season. If immediate measures are not taken to remedy the situation, there are fears that people would soon be fighting over water there. The problem has suddenly surfaced, and given the erratic rainfall due to climate change, which does not allow the aquifiers to recharge to replenish the groundwater, Madhes is likely to see a repeat of the crisis year after year. The Tarai is dependent on groundwater, and there is no alternative to recharging the groundwater through whatever way possible.
The water crisis in Madhes should be an eye opener to the need for conserving the Chure region. Part of the water problem is due to the degradation of the Chure region, where crusher industries have flourished unabated to remove stones, sand and boulders.
Imagine what will happen to Madhes if the plan to exploit the region for the export of stones and boulders is carried out, which is said to fetch the country revenue worth billions of dollars a year? The government should implement the President Chure-Tarai Madhes Conservation Programme seriously for the future of the southern plains.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 27, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
