Nepal: Leaders pay tribute to former House Speaker, day of mourning announced

LALITPUR [Nepal]: Grieving leaders, fellow MPs and supporters paid their last respects to Subash Chandra Nembwang (70), former House Speaker who passed away on Tuesday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest. Ministers and MPs laid flowers over the body of the late Nembwang at the party office of the opposition CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist).

Leaders paid floral tribute to the fallen leader known for his politeness and knowledge on a variety of topics with a special focus on legal issues. “I am saddened by the news of the untimely death of Comrade Subas Nemwang, Chairman and former Speaker of the Constituent Assembly. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family while paying my heartfelt respects to the late comrade Nemwang,” Nepal PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Later in the afternoon, PM Dahal reached the party office of CPN-UML to pay tribute to former House Speaker Nembwang. Former Prime Minister and President of Nepal’s largest party in parliament on the basis of the number of seats - Nepali Congress’s Sher Bahadur Deuba also reached the party office at Chyasal in Lalitpur to pay tribute to the fallen leader of the opposition.

“I am shocked by the death of Subas Nemwangji, Vice Chairman of CPN-UML and Chairman of the Constituent Assembly. Wishing his soul eternal peace, I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” Deuba wrote on X. Other leaders from the ruling alliance as well as the former Prime Ministers- Baburam Bhattarai, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal also reached the UML party office to pay tribute to the incumbent deputy chairman.

The opposition CPN-UML has decided to observe a three-day period of mourning in honour of its Vice Chairperson- Subash Chandra Nembwang conveying an emergency meeting of the party secretariat. Commemorating Nembwang’s legacy, the party has decided to establish condolence booklets at central, state, and district party offices, which will be available for signing over the next three days, beginning from Tuesday.

Additionally, as a symbol of respect, the party flag will be flown at half-mast. Conveying a cabinet meeting, the Nepal Government has decided to bestow state honours upon Nembwang and observe a day of public holiday in his memory. The final rites of the opposition leader will take place on Thursday as his sons are flying back to Nepal from UK and Australia.

The party has decided to keep his mortal remains within the party premises till mid-day of Wednesday and will then be taken to his home in Baluwatar until next day. As per the family, the final rites will be performed only on Thursday. Nembwang served as HoR Speaker from July 27, 2008 to May 27, 2012.

He also served as the HoR Speaker for the second time from February 18, 2014 to October 14, 2015. Nembang had played an instrumental role in his capacity as chairman of both the constituent assemblies. A senior political figure in Nepali politics known for his polite behaviour, as well as, a constitutional and legal expert, Nembwang also played the role of a consensus chairman of the Constituent Assembly that had 31 political parties.

Nembwang was elected under the First-Past-the-Post election system from Illam-2 in general elections held in November last year. The 70-year-old politician has been active in politics for the past 52 years starting in 1971 (2028 BS). He was elected Chairman of the All Nepal National Free Students Union of Ilam Multiple Campus in 1971/72.

He became a UML standing committee member in 2018. He was a National Assembly member from 1991 BS to 1995. Nembang served as State Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs in 1994. He also worked as Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister for General Administration and Minister for Local Development on different occasions.