Government Prepares New Appointments Amidst Controversy

Kathmandu. The government, which has abolished political appointments in most bodies, is now preparing for new appointments in the vacant positions.

Out of approximately 1600 political appointments, appointments have been made in only a few institutions so far. While the process has started in some places, it has not even begun in others. Most bodies see some form of dispute and dissatisfaction.

Let's look at some examples:

Complaints have been filed at the Prime Minister's Office regarding irregularities in the appointment of a board member of Nepal Airlines Corporation. Other applicants have filed complaints stating that the appointment process was not transparent and that the scores of the appointed person were not mentioned. They even went to court, and on Monday, the Supreme Court issued a show-cause order in the name of the opposing Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation.

The appointment of the Registrar and Dean at Kathmandu University has now become another controversial issue. Professors are currently dissatisfied after the acting Vice-Chancellor reappointed the Registrar and Dean who were removed by the ordinance on the dismissal of political office bearers brought by the government. Professors say that when new appointments should be made based on meritocracy, i.e., the system of merit, the government's intentions are questioned by allowing the same old faces to be repeated. They understand this not as a path to reform but as a game to preserve the old malpractices. The same situation exists in Purvanchal University. Serious allegations have been made that the Vice-Chancellor there has appointed someone who failed the professor's exam as Registrar. Professors there are dissatisfied with the arbitrary appointment of Deans.

Applications were invited on Jestha 7 for the appointment of the Chairman of Public Service Broadcasting Nepal, but the application was canceled the very next day. Although the application was canceled citing special reasons, the government has not clearly stated the actual reason. This incident shows the immaturity of the government's decision-making process.

The appointment process for the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal concluded on Wednesday. For the first time, the appointment process for the Director General was initiated through open competition, and 21 people applied. Among them, Mukesh Dangol, who is also a joint secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, has been appointed as the Director General. Dangol is the same person who was accused of hijacking the deputy directors after the arrest of Pradip Adhikari to appoint him as the acting Director General.

Out of 47 applicants for the post of Chairman of the Securities Board of Nepal, the selection committee included four names in the final list. The process is to recommend three names after removing one from the interview. Although the four selected are not controversial or unqualified individuals, the basis for selecting four out of 47 aspirants has not been made public. The discretionary power of the selection committee in the past remains the same. Even if qualified people are appointed, there is room for suspicion here due to the lack of transparency in the process.

Discretionary Power Not Abandoned by the Government

When the government brought an ordinance to abolish various political appointments, it amended all the laws and decided to abolish appointments made before Jestha 12. With the abolition of appointments through the law itself, the path for public officials to knock on the court's door was also closed.

However, the government, which announced new appointments based on meritocracy, did not create new criteria for this. The process for appointment was carried out according to the provisions of the relevant law. That is, the government has continued the same process through which appointments were made by the old parties.

After the government abolished appointments, the Public Service Commission also indicated its readiness to take the lead in recommending such appointments. The commission's chairman, Madhav Regmi, said that they were ready to work if the government assigned them the responsibility.

However, the government did not relinquish its discretionary power. Accordingly, the formed committee did not mention how many marks were obtained by whom when appointing the board members of Nepal Airlines Corporation. In the shortlist of aspirants for the post of Chairman of the Securities Board, four names were shortlisted without any reason mentioned. The same situation is seen in the appointment of CAN's Director General.

Government is Receiving the Benefit of Doubt

If the previous governments had faced the same controversies, the media and social media would have been abuzz by now. But the voices of dissatisfaction that have arisen now are fading away. Governance expert and former MP Khimlal Devkota says that although it is not yet time to conclude the work done by the new government, the problems seen in various appointments are not good. He says that the government is currently receiving the benefit of doubt.

He says,