NEPAL
A plan by the Nepali Government to propose legislation depriving retired Public Servants of their pensions if they criticise the Government has caused a storm in the country’s Parliament.
Minister of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Lalbabu Pandit told a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee (SAGCC) that the Government was in favour of the measure.
“We will deprive retired Civil Servants of their pensions if they are convicted of any criminal offence or crime against the State, hold a permanent residence card of any foreign country, express inflammatory views or leak any information that they are supposed to keep secret,” Mr Pandit said.
A staffer at the SAGCC said the committee had tentatively agreed on the provisions. However, Opposition lawmaker, Dilendra Prasad Badu said the issue had not been finalised.
“Ruling party lawmakers and the Minister brought a proposal to introduce a restrictive clause in the Bill to punish retired Civil Servants for criticising the Government. I told them that I am against their proposal,” Mr Badu said.
“How can it be fair to punish pensioners for criticising the Government? If retired Civil Servants can go into politics, why can’t they be allowed to criticise the Government?”
Secretary of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Yadav Prasad Koirala (pictured) said the Government wanted to incorporate the restrictive provision in the Bill not to prevent retired Public Servants from criticising the Government but to prevent them from doing arbitrary things and inciting hatred, conflicts and violence.
“Retired Civil Servants, who get pensions from Government coffers, are just like serving Civil Servants. The Government does not want to allow retired officers to do things that they were not allowed to do when they were in service,” Mr Koirala said.
Chair of Nepal Civil Service Employees’ Union, Gopal Prasad Pokharel said retired Public Servants were free to join politics and they should not be barred from criticising the Government on any grounds.
Kathmandu, 19 November, 2019
