NC CONTINUES TO LOBBY SUPPORT

SUSHIL KOIRALA CONTINUES LOBBYING FOR SUPPORT

Kathmandu, 17 May: Main opposition NC President Sushil Koirala Tuesday continued lobbying for support for its demand for a national government before 28 May ousting the communist majority government of Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal to complete the peace process and draft a constitution.
NC also opposes a government proposal to extend by another one year a tenure of the constituent assembly (CA) after 28 May draft a basic law.
Koirala sought support of Narayanman Bijukakchaya during a 90-minute meeting with the Chairman of Nepal Majdoor Kishan Party at the latter’s residence in Bhaktapur.
Koirala started lobbying Monday seeking support of political parties.
Ruling UML and Maoists also began to collect support for the government support to endorse a proposal for extension of CA requiring a two-third majority support in the legislature.
A proposal has already been registered in parliament.
Government is expected to table a bill in parliament Sunday.
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IGP THAKURI CONTINUING TO DEPOSE BEFORE CIAA

Kathmandu, 17May: IGP Ramesh Chand Thakuri continues to depose before CIAA Tuesday on a Rs300 million scam for the purchase of armed personnel carriers (APCs) for Nepal Police peacekeepers with the UN in Darfur, Sudan.
He appeared before the anti-grant body Monday.
Thakuri denied any wrongdoing in procuring the APCs.
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MEDIA GOOGLE

“The county cannot move ahead with conspiracies. Going against the party’s decision, the PM gave away the Home portfolio to the Maoists. Nobody is above the party’s policies and rules.”

(K.P.Sharma Oli, The Himalayan Times, 17 May)

“After abandoning authoritarianism in Great Britain, people themselves restored monarchy; can’t say it won’t also happen in Nepal. Monarchy will be resorted in the country; it’s form can’t be predicted right now. When it will happen is only a matter of time. He [president] doesn’t have the foresight to run the country and conduct politics.”

(Gore Bahadur Khopange, founding leader of Nepal Janamuklti Party, Annapurna Post, 17 May)
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NEW WAGE PACKAGE FOR WORKERS ON CARDS
Kathmandu, 18 May: The Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) is preparing to introduce new minimum salary package, incorporating agreements to introduce social security for workers and rise in salary and daily wage signed over the past two months, Ashok Thapa writes in Republica..

Employers´ associations and three major trade unions had signed an agreement to introduce social security package and raise salary and daily wage of workers on March 24. Labor Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi signed another agreement on April 16, due to protest from two factions of pro-Maoist trade union and trade union of Madhesi parties,

“We will introduce new salary and remuneration package within a week as per the agreement signed on April 16, while the social security package will be formulated in line with the March 24 pact,” a high-level source at the MoLTM told Republica on Monday.

As per the April 16 pact, minimum monthly salary of workers will increase by Rs 1,600 to Rs 6,200, whereas the minimum daily wage will rise to Rs 231.

“We will make it mandatory for all employers and trade unions to follow the new package. This will be a win-win situation for both sides,” the source added.

The MoLTM is also preparing to set up a Social Security Secretariat, having representation from concerned government agencies, employers and trade unions, to manage the fund collected through Social Security Tax.

Employers´ associations, however, are cautiously watching the new developments. “We will present our formal response on the package once it is formally introduced,” said Pashupathi Murarka, chairman of Employers´ Council of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Bishnu Rimal, president of UML-affiliated General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions, said major trade unions were still sticking to the pact signed on March 24.

“The pact between Labor Minister Rayamajhi and representatives of fringe trade unions is one-sided. We can´t be compelled to follow that agreement,” Rimal added.



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NC BOTTOMLINE


Kathmandu, 17 May: Nepali Congress has finalised its bottomline for the completion of the peace and constitution drafting processes, which will be circulated by Wednesday for further deliberation among the major and small political parties represented in the CA. It includes a timetable on peace and constitution. NC’s new proposal includes a series of specific steps that the party expects the Maoists and the ruling coalition to fulfil in exchange for its support for constitution drafting and CA’s tenure extension, Anil Giri reports in The Kathmandu Post..
The NC decision comes at a time when the Maoist party has failed to implement its commitment made to NC leaders that it will hand over a credible roadmap for peace within 10 days, in their last meeting held two weeks ago. The NC’s bottomline is seen as the party’s condition for term extension of CA and to press the government and Maoists to “come clean on their twin responsibilities.”
On the peace front, the NC has reiterated its long-standing position that includes a time-bound integration process that begins with fixing the numbers of PLA combatants to be integrated, which is put at 5,000, “give or take some.” Also, the party wants the Maoists to come up with clear numbers to be integrated in various security forces, said General secretary of the party Krishna Prasad Sitaula. The party outright opposed the idea of creating a fifth force or a separate force as proposed by the Maoists. “After ascertaining the number to be integrated, regrouping of the combatants will begin, and subsequently the merger and shutdown of satellite camps will start,” added Sitaula.
He added that after the completion of the merger and shutting down of satellite camps, the cantoned weapons should be handed over to the government, which would then eventually take over the security of the cantonments.
“Before supporting the extension bid, we have put forward some conditions to the government,” said Sitaula.
On the constitution drafting front, the NC is learnt to be preparing its bottomline which will be circulated alongside the peace proposal—which includes its position on issues like federalism, forms of governance and electoral system.
An NC leader said that the party expects an agreement on contentious issues within a timeframe. These series of steps will pave the way for the first draft of the constitution, said an NC leader. The party’s senior leaders including President Sushil Koirala and others held meeting with more than half a dozen fringe parties and sought their help on its upcoming bottomline and asked them not to support the government’s bid to extend the CA term at status quo.
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