Subscriber’s copy #182 6 - 12 February 2004 24 pages Rs 25 Weekly Internet Poll # 122 Q. One year after the ceasefire, how would King Gyanendra you describe the countrys situation? defies Maoist threats to travel to Nepalganj on Total votes:1,240 Sunday Weekly Internet Poll # 123. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. Should foreign ownership of Nepali media be allowed? Showdown WELCOME: One of the 300 welcome arches going up in Nepalganj to welcome King Gyanendra this weekend. RUDRA KHADGA NETRA KC in NEPALGANJ announced a three-day bandh throne in June 2001, and is part of Nepali Congress said: We have not starting Friday in four districts the tradition for a new king. The received any decision from the ing Gyanendra is a public adjoining districts. Violence has first two ceremonies were held in central committee, but we are not felicitation ceremony in risen: two policemen were killed in Biratnagar and Dhangadi last year. going to participate. The UMLs Nepalganj on Sunday at a explosions this week and 30 security For locals, this is a time to lie Deb Raj Bhar said the felicitation time when student-led protests in personnel were injured on the low. We have learnt not to expect ceremony was quite meaningless, support of republicanism are Mahendra Highway Wednesday. much from these official visits, said adding: It is very bad timing. All Kintensifying across the country. Security has been stepped up, with a local, Prem Bahadur Malla. this expense at a time when the More than 300 welcome arches choppers hovering overhead. Local NGOs, businesses, offices country is in crisis. Student unions have been put up along the seven Watch us, you will see from have been mobilised. VDCs and affiliated to the parties are planning kilometre stretch of road from the tomorrow how tight security will DDCs in the outlying areas, a protest program on the same day. airport to the stadium where the king be, Regional Administrator, including districts in the Maoist Not everyone is so negative. will be honoured. Potholes have Rabindra Man Joshi told us. At joint affected areas have set up Purna Lal Chuke, a Nepalganj- been hastily plugged and roads meetings to coordinate security and preparatory committees to arrange based political analyst said: This is widened. preparations, the main worry is the for people to travel to Nepalganj. a Maoist-affected region, and maybe But the mood in Nepalganj is low turnout. This is the third official The local leaders of the political when the king comes here he will subdued. The Maoist-affiliated felicitation ceremony for King parties say they will boycott the royal find out for himself how bad things Tharuwan Liberation Front has Gyanendra since he ascended the event. Krishna Man Shrestha of the are and help us. l 6 - 12 FEBRUARY 2004 2 EDITORIAL #182 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Desk Editor: Trishna Gurung, Design: Kiran Maharjan Webmaster: Bhushan Shilpakar Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Subscription: Anil Karki, [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 01-5543333-6, Fax: 01-5521013 [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 01-5547018 Diagnosing Nepal MEDIA TYPHOONS The life expectancy in Kathmandu is 30 years more than in Mugu t a time when the country is suffering from multiple crises, we have been coming to Nepal neurosurgeons who suck out the media offer no choices for a didn’t need the distraction of yet another street fight, one that annually for the last decade in brain jelly. The construction healthy society. pits rival media houses in a knockout tournament. The losers an attempt to improve surgical boom in hospitals, nursing homes So what kinds of solutions are Nepali readers who have come to expect much more professionalism than was displayed on the front pages of the services in remote district hospitals. and research centres ensures that might be considered? To begin nationalA broadsheets this last week. This gives me snapshots to make medical harm will become a with, the massive concentration We can analyse the dispute on several levels. The first is content: Icomparisons and the most leading cause of death in Nepal, of royal wealth is not conducive the coverage of this media war was itself an indication of how easily significant one last month was the as is the case in developed to justice. When three of the media owners dumped journalistic ethics and independence to employ countries. most luxurious cars in the world their column inches shamelessly for a partisan cause. The separation GUEST COLUMN The most troubling discovery are purchased with public funds, of news and opinion went out the window: inflammatory headlines, Stephen Bezruchka is how little discussion there is what kind of message does that provocative intros, incendiary pictures and text was no different than about the conflict here, or any send to Nepalis? the role of the arsonists on the streets. Contrast this with the way the BBC covered the aftermath of the Hutton Report this week that construction boom in Kathmandu. consideration of what to do Then perhaps an emergency saw the resignation of its director. And let’s not hear any of those As a medical doctor and a about it. I found lots of needs to be declared to provide ‘we are Third World so we can be third rate’ excuses. student of population health, I am published works on the Maoist basic needs as enunciated by Essentially, this is a circulation war gone crazy. One side took the amazed at how many under- conflict, especially documenting King Birendra decades ago. The irresponsible step of piggybacking on an ongoing political student employed doctors there are in its history. Even Baburam focus of such programs have to unrest to hurt its rival by igniting jingoism and pseudo-nationalism. Kathmandu, as well as how many Bhattarais PhD thesis is available. be in Mugu, Bajura and Kalikot, Better examples of shooting oneself in the foot are hard to come by, brand-new under-utilised disease But there is precious little on the three least-healthy districts. even in this day and age. So far, we have been fortunate that the unrest did not spread like palaces there are that together potential solutions. The average length of life in a bush fire across Nepal’s tinder-dry polity. Even without the tempt the well to become sick. Yes, everyone wants peace. Kathmandu is 30 years more experience of the Hrithik Roshan riots, such tactics would have been Medical schools and various But how are we going to get than in remote Mugu. termed rash. But knowing what happened then, it was a decision of colleges of so-called health sciences there? No one even has a clue Nepal can take cues from incredible recklessness. abound to produce even more about how to start. Many see the Kerala state in India or Sri Lanka Having said that, one can have a rational debate about the pros resources to treat the worried well. need for a republic, which locally and pursue an social-welfare led and cons of foreign direct investment in media. Some countries have There are few practitioners in means Nepal no longer having a development program. Those no problems with it, others feel they need restrictions. But it is clear Nepal who minister to the sick, monarchy, and having some have been incredibly successful in that in an age of economic globalisation and satellite media, the days of national control are numbered. but instead there are surgeons who semblance of democracy. Others producing a healthy society, One can argue that since television’s transboundary footprint cut, physicians who diagnose, want a benevolent despot to rule despite a protracted civil war in puts it beyond national regulation, at least print media should be endoscopists who look around, them. Some fear the army is in Sri Lanka. Both countries have a protected from foreign ownership. Fair enough. But that is for our urologists who probe and control of the non-Maoist part of health status close to Americas. law makers to decide, the country. Discussions on peace must not mobs in patriotic There are signs and stickers begin with vibrant discussion of frenzy over an advocating peace. Maybe they the primordial problem: outdated wire service want the exploitation that existed increasing relative poverty, the news item on Lumbini. Even so, are we before the troubles began to astronomical gap between rich so weak and continue peacefully. If you dont and poor and what to do about vulnerable that we know where your ship is going that. Nepal had peace from 1951 feel threatened by a then any port you end up in is to 1996, but that wasnt enough. couple of foreign fine. Only the students are The guiding principle, should be owned newspapers? marching, but they have no John Rawls Theory of Justice in Canada has taken on answers either. They just want which inequalities are limited to and beat the next-door change. Politics here is almost a those which benefit the least US media juggernaut— not by shutting it out, dirty word, suggesting only advantaged. Begin by canceling but by being better partisan discussions. the royal order for Rolls Royces and more relevant. Nepals burgeoning media are and Jaguars. l The way to beat weapons of mass distraction, as foreign ownership is they cater to prurient youth in a Stephen Bezruchka worked in Nepal to be more society that is considerably more between 1976 and 1986. He is now professional, more salacious than a decade ago.