Indian Press Reports: Nepali Prime Minister To Give In

Girija Prasad Koirala, 83, a long standing prime minister of Nepal, is about to give up his prime ministership, amongst much protest from political parties, mainly the Maoists, reported Hindustan Times and Press Trust of India today.

Reports from the Indian press, if true, may come as a relief to Nepalese who are hoping to move ahead from a political deadlock after the April election. This is a step closer to forming a new republican government in Nepal. After the election, in which the Maoists won majority of votes, political parties have been arguing over who should be the first president of Nepal. Koirala belongs to Nepali Congress, a party that did not receive near as many votes as the Maoists. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Koirala did not step down, nor did his party join the Maoist and the Nepali Communist (UML) to form a new coalition government. 

The election may have been over, but there’s no government that has started working on issues, such as food emergency and strikes related to gas prices, affecting the daily lives of Nepali people.

 

 

Maoists say: Shut Down Kantipur. What’s the future of Nepal’s Press Freedom?

The Red Star, a pro-Maoist Web site, says media organization such as Kantipur, a widely popular source of news in Nepal, should be shut down.

Roshan Kissoon, who claims to have taught English to Maoists (see the given Web site), says newspapers which cater to only a specific class of the soceity should not be allowed in business. In the opinion section of The Red Star, Kissoon also writes such news outlets should be thwarted as it does not represent the poor. Kissoon claims to be an international freelance journalist. He is clearly biased towards the red party.

Maoist, popularly elected largest party and a powerful force in the new government, is allowing opinions about suppressing a media organization, that has been a landmark in press freedom since the early 1990’s. When the powerful speak of suppression, we ought to be alert. 

It is important to note that newspapers, big or small, have not been threatened openly in the past, regardless of political turmoil and unstable governments.

A reason Maoists were elected by popular vote is partly because of press coverage provided by newspapers like Kantipur, and a platform to voice opinions by Maoist leaders Baburam and Prachanda.

Today they have openly denounced Kantipur, in the name of social equality. Tomorrow, it may be some other news organization with another radical reasoning. News organizations such as Kantipur may not be completely free of biases, but these are institutions that have long given an outlet to express thoughts, have presented different viewpoints, and been an icon of freedom of expression.  

Nepal ranks 137th on the press freedom index, according to Reporters Without Borders, an international press freedom advocacy group. During the Maoist revolution, many journalists were killed, mutated and threatened. After the ceasefire, it’s press freedom is recovering. But with the kind of mindset pro-Maoists are floating, it certainly compels a journalist to be weary about press freedom in the red party led regime.     

 

Toilet Treatment At Nepal’s Ministry

Matrika Yadav, a frustrated Nepali Maoist minister for Forest and Soil Conservation, locked his subordinate in a toilet, for an hour and half, in charges of corruption, reported BBC today.

People have long given up hope on Nepal’s justice system. It’s slow and inefficient. And it’s not only general citizens who’ve lost faith in the system, but high-ranking government officials too.

4,000 government workers went on a strike and asked Mr. Yadav’s apology, protesting the toiltet treatment. But the minister was unapologetic and acknowledged his action, reported NepalNews.com., and said he was not guilty for using unconventional method against Dundu Raj Ghimire for not following his orders. On the contrary, Mr. Yadav said he will not hesitate to do it again, if need be. He said he was giving Ghimire a taste of his own foul medicine. 

But there’s no word from Ghimire, the victim.

After reading the news on BBC Web site, a friend said,  “It happens only in Nepal.”