Private sector demands banking channel in donation

Kathmandu, June 16: Business community and civil society Thursday urged the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) to hold the political parties accountable to every penny they collected and spent.

Speaking at an interaction on ‘Provision for election and political party funding in new proposed political party act’ organized by the National Business Initiative (NBI) and ECN, they demanded to set the threshold to be qualified for the national party and force the political parties to use banking channel for every transaction above Rs. 5,000.

They urged to include the provision in the new act that any party unable to secure at least 5 per cent of the total votes cast should not be provided any facilities or monetary incentives by the state.

“There should be a provision to bar political party from raising donation from any one. The proposed bill says that the private sector entities should donate money to the parties, it should be removed,” said Hari Bhakta Sharma, president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI).

He suggested that any individual punished for criminal offence must not be allowed to fight election or hold any position in public organizations.

Vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Kishor Pradhan expressed his concerns towards financial irregularities in the political system which had severe repercussions on the national economy.

Immediate past president of the Federation of Nepalese Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI) Suresh Pradhan said that businessmen involved in unethical business activities were forced to give more donation to the political parties in order to save their businesses.

Engineer Dr. Surya Raj Acharya said that any government employee, who enjoyed the tax payers' money, should not be allowed in any political activities.

NBI president Padma Jyoti proposed establishing an Election Basket Fund and urged the business community to donate money to the Fund which would be distributed to the political parties on the basis of votes they secured in the previous election and candidates they fielded in the current election.

“Corruption has its root in the illegal money collection by the political parties and their sister organizations,” he said.

Chief Election Commissioner Dr. Ayodhi Prasad Yadav said that the input of the private sector and civil society would be accommodated in the bill as far as applicable. He said that the ECN aimed at creating a clean political environment in the country.

Sushil Koirala, joint-secretary of the ECN, presented the major provisions of the proposed act. The programme was attended by the lawyers, retail businessmen, contractors, anti-corruption activist, engineers, policy analysts and representatives from other social organizations.