‘Govt should fund parties on basis of votes secured’

 Kathmandu, Dec. 14

Dr. Swarnim Wagle, Economist and Vice-Chairman of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), said that Nepal should adopt a provision to finance political parties through the government funds delivered on the basis of the number of votes they secured.

"Elections have become highly expensive, and candidates as well as elected leaders have to manage a huge amount of money to finance their travel, public relations activities and hospitality," he said while speaking at an interaction organised on the occasion of the launching programme of a book by Dr. Mukti Rijal 'Politics and Governance of Nepal: Reviews and Reflections', on Thursday in Kathmandu.

According to Dr. Wagle, the state should make provisions to fund political parties on the basis of votes they secured as it will help in minimising corruption. He also said that those who can't earn enough from business and other sources shouldn't do full time politics.

He also said that the corruption at various levels of the government begins from the trading of election ticket. A ward chairman's ticket has been sold at a cost of up to Rs 5 million.

Dr. Wagle said that the periodic elections have become money making machines and money making has become the main motive of being in the politics.

"Political appointments, misappropriations through paperwork or policy corruption, and bargaining in tenders and bidding are the major areas of money making for politicians," he stated.

Middlemen have a power to buy the entire parliamentary committee, this is unfortunate and untoward, he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Wagle, who had also served as the vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission, said that the RSP will demolish the provincial structures but federalism will be kept intact as two-tier governance system.

According to him, the number of local bodies should be reduced while keeping the wards as they are.

Talking about the book by Dr. Rijal, he said that it is a good contribution to documenting the happenings as well as thoughts of this era.

"While we are in an age where social media has become more powerful than the traditional mainstream media, Rijal's consistency in op-ed writing is commendable. His 74 articles talk about the problems but there is also a need to recommend some solutions as well," he said.

Umesh Prasad Mainali, former Chairman of the Public Service Commission, said that politicians shouldn't mobilise resourse, and implement policies as they are the areas of possible corruptions.

"In terms of federalism, local bodies have done excellent works but negativity is propelled by the non-delivery of provinces," he said.

However, Dr. Indra Kumari Adhikari, a Board Member of the Policy Research Institute, said that it's not appropriate to judge the federal system before it is fully implemented.

"The federal government has failed to enact laws for the provinces and federal affairs, and the criticisms are faced by the provinces," she said.

Former secretaries of the Government of Nepal, Krishna Gyawali and Shankar Prasad Adhikari have also talked about governance in Nepal and the book.

The book by Dr. Rijal, 'Politics and Governance of Nepal: Reviews and Reflections', includes 74 articles published in The Rising Nepal daily in the past years. He is the columnist at the The Rising Nepal.

The articles are bundled under six different headings – federalism and local governance, electoral reforms and democratisation, democracy and institution building, governance and service delivery, rebuilding institution and reinventing leadership, and anti-corruption, integrity and accountability. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 15 December 2023.