2 EDITORIAL 27 SEPTEMBER - 3 OCTOBER 2000 NEPALI TIMES FFFIDDLINGIDDLINGIDDLING WHILEWHILEWHILE D DOLPOOLPOOLPO BURNSBURNSBURNS For the first time in five years of armed insurgency, a district headquarter has borne the brunt of a frontal attack by Maoist guerrillas. This could prove to be an ominous start of a long, cold winter of continued conflict. Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and Jajarkot are all “Category-A” Maoist strongholds by the government’s classification and hence the concentra- tion of forces there. Government presence in the district headquarters meant that it could show a semblance of control by keeping the national flag flying above the Chief District Officer’s building. The Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister flew in and out on helicopters on largely symbolic visits to denounce terrorism. Everyone knew that the Maoists roamed freely in the hinterland. They had their own administration, collectives and courts in place. It was convenient to pretend everything was normal. Dunai is a remote, poor and sparsely populated town four hours’ walk from the nearest airfield. It was vulnerable, and the firefight seems to have been short and bloody. But the attack has sent a significant symbolic message: the solution STATE OF THE STATE by C.K.LAL to the Maoist crisis lies in Kathmandu not in western Nepal. The Maoist leadership is just taking advantage of petty politicking between factions of the ruling party and between the rulers and the opposition. Then there is the lingering and potentially destabilising struggle Freedom to be irresponsible between Singha Durbar and Narayanhiti for supremacy. The friction between the Royal Nepal e may not be shooting the The three branches of government are Army and the Police is just the messenger yet, but messengers outward manifestation of this www are getting enough hints from ganging up against the fourth estate. dangerous game. the executive, legislative and judicial The Maoists would be foolish branches to lay off. Even for journalists, The independent press does not run we live, which is the pursuit of knowl- not to capitalise on this disarray it seems, no news is bad news. Consider on government grants, which is actually edge that others would like unpursued, at the centre. They are playing a the recent spate of bad omens for public money. It should run on its own and making of comment that others carefully calibrated game: having scored a major propaganda victory the press: resources, and is accountable to no one would prefer unmade.” with their audacious attack on a district headquarter, they left without • The Public Accounts Committee except its readers, listeners or viewers. If If the Public Accounts Committee capturing it for it could have pushed the government to make one more of parliament summons the the media’s foot soldiers break laws while wants Prateek Bhandari of Radio effort to send in the Army. The military has been marking time. Army station manager of Radio pursuing that objective, then prosecute Sagarmatha to reveal his sources, why Chief Prajwal Sumsher Rana warned two weeks ago that the Royal Sagarmatha and wants a news source them by all means. But any call by don’t they first make a law to that Nepal Army could not idle away and watch the country go to rot. But he revealed government officials for the media to effect? The Honourable Jai Prakash, has also succeeded in putting obstacles to police weapons • Communications Minister Jai pursue some “higher mission” rings who happens to be an ex-journalist modernisation and the formation of a paramilitary force. He will now have Prakash Prasad Gupta fumes about hollow. Even the gutter-press and sewer- himself, would do well to reflect over to answer why policemen in Dunai weren’t better armed. ‘anti-democratic reporting’ and channels will rot if they don’t have a whether or not he was once responsible. The fall of Dolpo should galvanise the government’s resolve to deploy wants the press to behave itself readership. The very idea of responsibility reeks of the army for peacekeeping if it becomes necessary. And for it to be • Our learned judges guard their The press does not need the commu- authoritarianism when it is imposed taken seriously, the ruling party must put its own house in order and end privileges with the threat of nication minister fuming about what a from outside. Responsibility is some- a power struggle that has paralysed governance. Factions within the Contempt of Court against any newspaper should or shouldn’t publish. thing that comes from within, and ruling party and the opposition parties must all realise that democracy’s hack caught sniffing around He is free to choose what he likes to members of the press are no less future in Nepal is much more important than their narrow-minded It appears that the three wings of the read, or what he wants to write. In the responsible just because they do not squabbles. Very soon, if they are not careful, there may be nothing left to state are ganging up against the fourth same way, he should not be offended if agree with one interpretation of squabble about. estate. The media should just be a other writers and readers exercise a “national interest”. mouthpiece, amplifying their proclama- similar freedom. The press is not There is some truth in the allegation tions, toeing the line, buttering the boss, accountable to him, it is answerable to that a section of the Nepali press (of the being the propaganda organ. Old habits the public directly. And it does so at extremist fringe in particular, and other HHHERITERITERITAGEAGEAGE TTTODAODAODAYYY, GG, ONEONEONE TTTOMORROW die hard. regular intervals, at least more regularly Trojan Horses in general) is not There will always be the scornful who will say that Nepal is too poor to be The tradition of a drummer going than he answers his own constituency. adhering to its own code of conduct. worried about maintaining some crumbling old temples. Why, when around the village announcing the The press is on trial every time it But that is too specious a ground to Nepali children don’t get enough to eat, should we spend money on the wishes of its chief continues to this day publishes, broadcasts or telecasts pour scorn over the entire media, as upkeep of termite-infested courtyards? This argument is disingenuous. even if the message is coming in through something, it does not have to Honourable Jai Prakash has been doing To begin with, there is now strong evidence that Nepal is in fact not a the cable or dish antennae. In hierarchi- wait for an election to face its lately at every opportunity. Honourable poor country at all. Reports published in this paper and elsewhere point cal societies, the media—be they the old electorate. Minister, are there no black sheep in out that huge amounts of cash are being pumped into the informal bhat and katuwal or the modern reporter Even in more mature democracies, politics, and do all sections of the economy by Nepalis working abroad. Nepalis are bulging with cash: Rs or commentator—is expected to sing politicians regularly accuse the media of government honour their commitments 50 billion is floating around at any given time. The problem is that this hosannas in praise of the powerful. being irresponsible. Our politicians are to the constitution? Or is the press, money is not being invested productively to create jobs and generate But in a democracy, the media no different. They are just more inse- particularly the mainstream media, new wealth. It is also concentrated in the hands of a very few: the gap becomes an essential mechanism for cure. The media must protect its comparatively a better performer? You between rich and poor in Nepal is one of the widest even in South Asia’s check and balance. It has to be allowed independence. That is its most precious decide, I have my own biases. unequal society. So, if there is poverty here, it is of the mind. Of creativ- the freedom to be irresponsible. Demo- possession. It must assert its right to seek The press has become a favourite ity, vision, and a commitment to development and the future. cratically-elected governments may not the truth, even if it is subversive. Truth whipping boy of all sections of power. Some of that creativity is now urgently needed to preserve Kath- like what the media says about them, is invariably subversive. It is only those The Nepali press must take that as a mandu Valley’s endangered heritage. We may pat ourselves on the back but they must protect their right to say who want to hide in dark corners and do compliment. It means at least some of for having fobbed off attempts by the World Heritage Centre to de-list our it. That is why thin-skinned politicos, or things secretively who benefit from a us in the profession are doing some- monuments from the List of World Heritage Sites. But the fact of the those who have a lot to hide, don’t controlled press. thing right. Watchdogs aren’t supposed matter is that our heritage is under grave threat, and we have not shown last long. In the 1980s, the London Times to be cute and cuddly, they are sup- the political will to preserve the rich cultural landscape of Kathmandu. It Unlike the fourth estate, the three columnist Bernard Levin challenged a posed to snarl. now seems some of the conscientious people of the Valley are not branches of government (parliament, government call for the waiting for the government or UNESCO to tell them how bad things are.