MCC Compact, budget and ordinances: Three major businesses of the Parliament

KATHMANDU: The government has convened meeting of the federal parliament against the backdrop of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s growing interest in ratifying the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact.

On recommendation of the government, President Bidya Devi Bhandari has convened the meeting of the House of Representatives and the National Assembly on September 8 at 4 pm. According to government officials, the the House session has been called to approve the MCC agreement.

There are also other 15 ordinances to be passed by the parliament. The most important is budget ordinance , which is yet to be passed from the parliament. However, the government’s prime interest is in the MCC and its ratification from the parliament.

Meanwhile, Minister for Law, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, said that the ratifying different ordinances, especially the budget ordinance, was the main agenda of the parliament. ‘There are 15 ordinances in the parliament. There are other bills under discussion in the parliamentary committee. We will have to move forward all these ordinances and bills on the basis of consensus, ” said Karki, adding, “The government is preparing to give ample business to the Parliament.”

Until leader Madhav Kumar Nepal got the status of a separate party, it was not certain that the government would get a majority in the parliament. Therefore, Prime Minister Deuba had brought an ordinance to ease the division of the party by abruptly ending the ongoing budget session on July 13. On that basis, the UML is legally divided. Now the government’s focus is on the MCC.

Minister Karki, who signed the MCC agreement as the Finance Minister when Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister in 2016, is now the Minister for Law. The grant agreement of Rs 55 billion received by Nepal for investment in power transmission and road infrastructure was supposed to be implemented within five years, but the agreement has not been approved by the parliament though it has been almost four years since the agreement was signed.

MCC Vice President Fatema Sumar and Assistant Vice President Jonathan Brooks are coming to Nepal on Monday, almost four years after the agreement was signed. Against these backdrops, Prime Minister Deuba is preparing to ratify MCC Compact from the Parliament.

Deuba also discussed the issue at a meeting of the ruling party last week. He that the US grant aid to Nepal could be withdrawn if its approval is delayed. He also said that inability/delay in approving the US grant would give negative message about Nepal and investment here in the international community.