Kathmandu, May 27: The 18th parliamentary session shows that Nepal’s political parties are attaining maturity in terms of resolving national problems including development and construction works from the parliament while upholding democratic norms and values at the same time.

In the ongoing session which began one month earlier than in the previous years so that the budget could get through on time allowing development and construction work to gain momentum, discussions and agreement among the political parties and absence of any big disputes in the parliament is favourable for the growth of parliamentary democracy.

The ruling and opposition parties are found to have expressed their opinions more patiently than before about the national problems and those associated with their own constituencies. Though zero hour and special hour have not been allocated as such, MPs are drawing the government’s attention to the need of solving major problems facing the country.

Serious controversies and pandemonium that marked the previous parliamentary sessions have not been repeated this time. Rather, the ruling and opposition parties have one voice in several issues.

Both the ruling and opposition MPs have raised the same voice in matters of corruption and peace and security.

Though the rumours are flying about the low presence of the ministers and MPs at parliament, it may be because of the fact that they are trying to get more budget allocated for their constituencies.

This week, the parliament focussed its attention on the government’s policy and programme. The sessions normally begin on scheduled time and end before 8 p.m.

A total of 129 MPs of the ruling and opposition parties at the House of Representatives and 47 of the National Assembly totalling 176 have already taken part in discussions on the working paper.

The main opposition party had presented the 56-point amendment proposal at the House of Representatives and the 57-point at the National Assembly to the 23-point working paper, while the RPP, Nepal Sadbhawana Party, Rastriya Janamorcha and Samyukta Janmorcha had presented the amendment proposals at the Lower House, and the CPN-ML at the Upper House.

Unlike the previous years, the brief working paper does not have any popular slogans, real situation of the country has been reflected, priority has been given to maintaining peace and security, and emphasis has been laid on ensuring transparent administration, building a new democratic Nepal, alleviating poverty, modernizing the judiciary and ensuring free and fair elections, attaining high economic growth rate, eradicating the Kamaiya system, developing industries and water resources and increasing foreign investment.

The government’s policy document has also focussed on education and information technology, conservation of bio-diversity, commitment to the UN charter and foreign policy and other various issues including the issue of Bhutanese refugees, say the ruling party MPs.

The opposition parties have complained that the working paper devoid of any concrete programmes is nothing more than an eyewash, the spirit of the Ninth Plan has not been accommodated in the document, achievements of the talks being held with the opposition parties have not been reflected and there is no clear view on resolving the Maoist problem.

In a two-hour long statement, leader of the main opposition party Madhav Kumar Nepal commented that experiences of the past ten years of democracy have not been included in the present working to resolve various problems facing the country.

Sushil Koirala of the Nepali Congress said in the past ten years of post-democracy era, the ruling and opposition parties have become more mature.

The nearly two and a half hour long statement by Lilamani Pokherel of the Samyukta Janamorcha became a much-talked about issue in parliament.