Bills on Anti-Money Laundering: Stalemate continues as Dahal yet to make his position clear
KATHMANDU, FEB 17 -
At a time when Nepal is making a last-ditch effort to avoid blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), differences between Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Puspa Kamal Dahal have raised doubts over the passage of the three bills on anti-money laundering.
Amid reservations from the Maoist hardliners, Dahal is yet to express his clear view over the endorsement of the bills. He says it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the bills’ passage.
Bhattarai plans to refer the bills on extradition, mutual legal assistance and organised crime for theoretical debate to Friday’s session of the parliament and pass them through the regular procedure.
During his discussion with top leaders of three major parties at his office in Singha Durbar on Thursday, Speaker Subash Nembang said the opposition to the bills by the lawmakers from the ruling parties has raised serious question and requested the leaders to make their positions clear.
Top leaders from the Nepali Congress and CPN-UML have committed that they are ready to help the government suspend the parliamentary rules and pass the bills on a single day. But Maoist Chairman Dahal offered a ‘vague’ position, saying that ‘the Prime Minister should offer his position on the bills’.
The hardline faction of the UCPN (Maoist) led by Vice Chairman Mohan Baidhya had boycotted the last parliament session, expressing reservations over the bills. The differences within the Maoists have surfaced amid debate at the FATF plenary in Paris about blacklisting Nepal for its failure to meet the deadline.
Speaker Subas Nembang held a separate meeting with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Thursday to seek the government’s position on the bills that were tabled in the parliament on Monday. Prime Minister Bhattarai replied that the government failed to forge a consensus on passing the bills through a shortcut process and has agreed to follow the regular parliamentary procedure.
Under the regular process, lawmakers will be allowed to register their amendments to the bills for 72-hours and the amendments will be referred to the bill committee for consensus. The process would be lengthy and require time for settling contentious issues.
At the meeting, responding to Nembang’s queiry about whether the delay in passing the bills would create any complexity, the Prime Minister said the government has made diplomatic efforts to ensure that the country does not face any problem.
Earlier, Nembang had urged the Prime Minister and top leaders of the three major parties to explain to the people about the possible consequences of the country’s failure to endorse the bills on anti-money laundering.
The Mohan Baidya faction of the UCPN (Maoist) has claimed that the bills are against the national interest and are being imposed on the basis of the direction of the ‘imperialist forces’.
Nepal has to pass the three bills to avoid blacklisting by the FATF. If blacklisted, Nepali financial institutions will lose their credibility in the international arena and foreign banks may not approve the letter of credits issued by Nepali banks. The blacklisting will also deteriorate Nepal’s image and could reduce foreign aid and investment.
Source: Kantipur
