The stalled House meeting should be called at the earliest to allow the tabling of the MCC deal for a vote
Even as the deadline for the ratification of the MCC (Millennium Challenge Corporation) compact in the parliament nears, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is unable to bag support from his coalition partners for it. The USgovernment has given the government till February end to ratify the agreement, failing which Nepal sets to lose $500 million in grants for a power transmission line and road rehabilitation.
Last week, the USgovernment had leaked a letter written by Prime Minister Deuba and Maoist Centre chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' to the MCC on September 29, which had given assurances to the US side about a positive outcome, given the comfortable majority the coalition enjoys in the parliament.
However, Prachanda seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place, having told the people time and again that the MCC deal could not be ratified without amendments in its clauses critical to Nepal's sovereignty and security.
One can sense the extreme heat that the heads of the major parties are undergoing, with the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Donald Lu, calling on the Deuba, Prachanda and UML chair K P Sharma Oli last week to remind them of the February 28 deadline for securing parliamentary ratification. In addition, the intelligentsia and the civil society have been piling pressure on the parties in recent times for prompt ratification of the agreement signed in September 2017. They are pretty clear that the agreement does not in any way undermine Nepal's sovereignty, as is made out to be by some political leaders, and that there is no hidden interest of the US in it. Moreover, MCC Vice President Fatima Sumar, during her visit in September, had clarified that the deal is not part of the Indo-Pacific strategy, or any USmilitary strategy, to counter Chinese influence in the region, a major concern of the government and parties in Nepal.
The MCC compact cannot remain hostage to the indecision of some leaders any longer. Prachanda's call on Oli the other day to postpone the parliamentary ratification of the MCC compact so as to reach national consensus on the issue is absurd to say the least. A desperate Prachanda is even talking of leaving the coalition and joining the Oli camp should the Prime Minister go ahead with the MCC ratification. If Prachanda was against ratifying the MCC deal, why did he write the letter jointly with Deuba in September? If Prachanda was unable to take a decision on the issue for so long, it is unlikely that he will be able to decide no matter how long the time extension.
Hence, the stalled meeting of the House of Representatives should be called at the earliest this week to allow the tabling of the MCC deal and put to a vote.
The Speaker, who is from Prachanda's party, does not have the prerogative to prevent the MCC deal from being tabled in the House. The parties can no longer keep dillydally on the issue. The Nepali Congress is for the MCC deal, Prachanda has given word to the US side to ratify it, while Oli had sought support from the parties for its ratification in the parliament when he was the Prime Minister. So why the indecision now?
All sectors reopen
As the cases of COVID-19 infection have been declining over the fortnight due to the massive immunisation campaign across the country, the COV- ID-19 Crisis Management Coordination Centre (CCMC) has recommended reopening all educational institutes as well as entertainment activities from Sunday, February 13. As per the decision of the CCMC, universities, schools, restaurants, cinema halls, health clubs and swimming pools can open till 10 pm. Safety protocols are, however, mandatory.
Educational institutes have been the hardest hit due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the last two years, and teaching and learning activities, which were largely confined to online classes, mostly in the urban centres, did not prove to be helpful to the children compared to the physical presence of students and teachers. More than that, the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) is also fast approaching.
Unlike the two previous years, the SEE examination should be held normally without allowing schools to take the exams on their own. Examinations of universities should also be held without any further delay so that the students do not lose precious time in pursuing higher education within the country or outside.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 14, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
