Three panels to contest in Nafea election

KATHMANDU, July 1: Three panels are contesting the election for new executive committee of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (Nafea) scheduled to be held in Kathmandu on Thursday.

Kiran Kishor Ghimire, Bimal Dhakal and Saroj Kumar Pokhrel are vying for Nafea presidency. All of them have said that they will promote professionalism in recruiting business.

Dhakal-led panel is close to Nepali Congress, while Pokhrel's team is CPN-UML's favorite. Ghimire, however, is leading a panel of independent entrepreneurs.
Shamser Bahadur Gurung, Radhika Katuwal, Nawalkishor Yadav, Sujit Kumar Shrestha, Narendra Dhakal and Nar Bahadur Pun are the candidates for first vice president, second vice president, third vice president, general secretary, secretary and treasurer, respectively, in Ghimire-led panel.

Similarly, Kumud Khanal, Bhuwan Singh Gurung, Bhagirath Rai, Kamal Tamang, Binod Jung KC and Pratima Maharjan are vying for the posts of first vice president, second vice president, third vice president, general secretary, secretary, and treasurer, respectively, from Dhakal's panel.

Likewise, Govinda Prasad Thapaliya, Hari Bahadur Pandey, Muktinath Adhikari, Rohan Gurung, Rajendra Bhandari and Hari Prasad Thapa are in the race for the posts of first vice president, second vice president, third vice president, general secretary, secretary and treasurer respectively from Pokhrel's panel.

Ghimire told Republica that he is not affiliated to any political party and that his candidacy was for the unity of foreign employment entrepreneurs. "Nafea is in disarray for a long time due to the internal wrangling and disputes, largely motivated by political rivalry. The association now needs independent leadership for maintaining professionalism and fair business practice in the recruiting business," he added.

Likewise, Dhakal said that his priority would be to work toward creating a conducive business environment for overseas recruiting firms. "The business is now facing threats even from the government. I want to improve this environment so that recruiting firms can work in a conducive atmosphere," he added.

Pokhrel said that his panel seeks to work toward institutional development of Nafea. "Some of the laws, including Foreign Employment Act 2007, are in need of amendment. We will also work toward that direction," he added.

Meanwhile, the recent decision of the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MoLE) to enforce 'minimum cost' provision has featured on the agendas for all the three panels. They have tried to woo voters by opposing the provision and even promising to overturn the decision.

Source: myRepublica