‘Removed the Old but Failed to Bring a New Method’: Questions Raised Over the Balen Government’s Appointment Process
Kathmandu. The government led by Balendra Shah has already removed over 1,500 office-bearers from 108 bodies by introducing the ‘Special Provision Ordinance on the Removal of Public Office-Bearers, 2083’. However, while the government has removed the old guard, it has been unable to introduce a distinct new method for fresh appointments. This signals that the Balendra Shah-led government may likewise simply replace those from the Congress–UML–NCP with those from the RSP alone.
Meanwhile, in an analytical article published today in ‘Dragon Media’, Prem Sagar Poudel, a senior journalist and international relations analyst of Nepal, has raised questions over whether the style of the government’s appointment process even threatens Nepal’s non-aligned foreign policy and geopolitical balance. Paudel, who has conducted in-depth studies on Nepal-China relations, Himalayan geopolitics, and Asian security issues, stated, “In the course of filling the hundreds of vacant posts in the government machinery, the trend that has emerged of systematically installing individuals mobilised from American educational institutions, youth networks, and diplomatic platforms gives the impression of deviating the appointment criteria from a sovereign national character.” Poudel has termed this the “dismantling of non-alignment under the guise of reform.”
The Ministry of Education has already called for applications by introducing procedures for appointing vice-chancellors at universities. Although some points in the procedure have been altered, the selection process remains fundamentally unchanged. When appointing the Vice-Chancellor of Tribhuvan University, the procedure formulated in 2080 BS did not make a PhD mandatory but provided additional marks for it, whereas now a PhD has been made a prerequisite from the outset. Similarly, a provision has now been introduced requiring candidates to be over 40 years of age.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has advanced the appointment process for the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority and the Executive Chairperson of Nepal Airlines Corporation. Interviews for the Corporation’s Executive Chairperson are scheduled for Sunday, and for the Authority’s Director General on Monday. In both these appointment processes, past practices appear to have been followed. Likewise, after Securities Board of Nepal Chairman Santosh Narayan Shrestha resigned even before the government introduced the removal ordinance, the process for another appointment has already been advanced, and here too, the government appears to have adopted the old method of selection.
On this matter, former Secretary Krishna Hari Baskota stated that he favours a clear method. “The government can adopt two approaches for new appointments: one, appointing to vacant posts according to existing law, and two, if the government wishes to appoint differently, it can also formulate a different procedure based on existing law,” he said. He also stressed the need for swift appointments to vacant posts and bringing in individuals with greater competence.
Baskota suggested that the government must pay attention to four things. “First, vacant posts affect work; they must be filled as quickly as possible. Second, after removal, at the very least someone more capable than the previous person must be brought in. However, only the process can validate that,” he said. Third, the government must substantiate how the outcome delivered by the person they appointed compares to that of the previously appointed person, and fourth, the appointee must be embraced by the relevant sector and be capable of working at the international level, he stated. He also added that if the current government can ensure that the appointed individual is not a supporter or member of the RSP, it would send a positive message. Baskota is of the view that if the bodies responsible for appointments can adopt the Public Service Commission model, which is regarded as a good practice for appointments in Nepal, the results would be favourable.
On the other hand, Poudel’s analysis also points towards the geopolitical dimension of the appointment process. “When bodies responsible for the state’s policy formulation, implementation, and regulation are dominated by individuals who have received the same type of international cooperation or training, a danger arises that the state will lose its capacity to evaluate its foreign policy and economic partnership options in a diverse manner,” the article states. Besides the above, the government is also preparing to advance the process of filling posts in many other vacant bodies, where, rather than new independent individuals emerging through competition, it appears more likely that those with access to power, as in the past, will seize the opportunity.
