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They may be seasoned politicians but when it comes to parliamentary business?drafting bills and ordinances, researching and identifying areas of public concern? they need help.
Hasina Miya Begam, UML member who can read but can't write Nepali, takes the help of her daughter. Dhan Raj Gurung of the NC and the UML's Ram Nath Dhakal, like a majority of the house members, do not think it is necessary to have a personal assistant (PA).
Every CA member gets a monthly allowance of Rs11,000 to hire a PA. However, the secretariat has found that most CA members without PAs register the names of relatives and take the money.
Personal assistants are needed to help the CA member to manage schedules, plan appointments and research issues. They are supposed to correspond with the public and the government, reviewing documentation, researching, scheduling committee hearings and briefing journalists.
Gagan Thapa, at (left in picture) NC nominee in the CA admits that a majority of the CA members do not hire PAs. "It is either their own relative who assist them or no one at all," he says.
Parliamentarian have more duties than just attending house sessions. They are expected to help cadres and constituents in Kathmandu and run personal errands around town, pay phone bills, drive or help in the household.
"There is no way they can do all this without an assistant," he says, "and this could be one reason why our representatives are so inefficient."
Thapa is the only CA member who has set up an office in Baneswor and is looking for interns interested in parliamentary affairs and politics. He says: "When I was preparing the proposal on the fuel crisis to be presented in the legislature, I felt I could have done lots with additional help to research the topic."
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