Obligation

Prime Minister Deuba and the coalition partners have a duty to allow the process of impeachment against Chief Justice to be fairly completed in the parliament. They have to convince people that they were serious when they initiated the move against the top person of judiciary. It is their obligation to clarify that they did not commence such a great step just for fun or for making tactical gain from political circumstances or for fulfilling their petty alliance-partisan interest. The issue of impeachment is a very serious one and requires a sense of commitment to justice to all: the judiciary as a whole, those who brought charges against the CJ, the suspended chief justice and the complex questions raised through the charges. Since it is linked with the high issue of separation of power and the institutions exercising the same, it cannot be treated in a light vein or explained away under one or another excuse of shortage of parliamentary time or compulsions of the legislative agenda. Moreover, keeping in view the ruling coalition’s pledge to restore the constitutional process including democratic way of doing politics and allowing parliamentary functioning in a normal way, efforts should be made to reassure the public that the impeachment process will be facilitated to take its normal path in the parliament. The confusion triggered by abrupt end of parliamentary session without allowing the impeachment process to go forward to the recommendation committee gives birth to other serious questions about intention behind the impeachment and should be clarified through convincing reason, logic and action. The government’s democratic orientation should be completely reflected in such action. If this is not done, people will lose faith in those who advocate democratic principles but fail to practice the same. The purpose behind reminding the coalition government of its obligation towards parliamentary democracy and independent judiciary is: to ensure people’s trust in those who talk democracy and pledge to practice the same. The institutions such as judiciary and parliament play important role in making democracy work and any question related to them should not be taken lightly and in just fun. All actions taken for or against them deserve seriousness and commitment. Those who work as head or part of the institutions should be equally serious. They should be perceived by the people that they are aware of fulfilling their obligations.