Nepal: Don’t play with fireball Mr. Minister!

Democracy or even the copied name for the previous one-the Loktantra-does not guarantee that those who have been told to man the system would be highly qualified ones and would understand the nitty-gritty’s of the media dynamics.

The system even does not guarantee that those who have been elevated to power-positions will behave in a democratic way or make all pleasing speeches.

If one wished to listen to learned heart-touching, meaningful and substantial things, one has to be a selective one in inviting the guest for a function or for that matter a ceremony.

Fault does not lay with minister Mahara. Fault lay with those “newspaper less media men”-who prefer to claim themselves as the Messiah of the Nepali media who invited minister Mahara to mark the World Press Freedom Day. The blunder not lay with the one invited, here in our case, minister Mahara who never believed in democratic norms and parliamentary democracy but instead still believes in what they prefer to call the revival of the old dogmatic authoritarian rule. The burden now lay upon those who in order to enchant minister Mahara for some political gains must have invited him as the chief guest bat the said function which the media men of the world mark as their day for the freedom and demand from the state more freedom.

 Minister Mahara said what he had to say. He told the attending media men what his party dictated him to say. Nothing wrong. A disciplined soldier of the Party-as Mahara is today-hinted that whatever damages his party did to harass the Nepali media men across the country while they were in the jungles should not be taken otherwise. His hint, as much as is visible from his grand announcement- does amply mean that when they were in the jungles, the laws of the jungles prevailed that differed with what the laws of the “old regime” had in Kathmandu. He is talking sense because his party penalized the media men according to the rules and the regulations passed by his “new regime” located in the jungles.

We have been told that Nepali media men upon listening to Mahara’s grand disclosure retaliated in a fierce but “democratic manner”. This had to be so because some one must indicate the jungle dwellers of the past that they should change their old habits and must embrace the basics of the new system wherein they have their grand participation.

The manner minister Mahara irritated the media men on that fateful day must come as a warning to the democratic media world in Nepal that to expect substantial changes from the erstwhile rebels and that too so soon would be simply a cruel joke.

Mahara and his party needed time to change the old clothes. If every thing goes fine and smoothly then let’s hope that the Maoists now in government will change their old clothes within a year or two. Nevertheless, Mahara can’t escape the blame that his party penalized the media men in the past for this or that reasons stands untenable. The media men must not be attacked in any circumstances while in job is what is the universally accepted theory. The theory of providing media freedom applies every where in the globe. Even the countries that approve dogmatic rule of the bygone era too respect the media freedom. Mahara must understand this world wide phenomenon and act accordingly because he is the new in charge of the media sector on behalf of the Nepal government.

Mahara is hereby suggested politely to handle the media affairs in a delicate manner or else he should not forget that it was the media power that elevated their ranks to ministers. He should not forget the contributions that the media made as regards their smooth entrance into the power structure. If media can make, it has the potential to break.

Now it is up to Mahara to chose from among the two: whether he needs the first one or opts for the second. The choice is his.

The more he comes heavily down against the media, the entire phenomenon might boomerang on him. In this globalized world, what he says or talks even in private becomes global without giving his prior notice. The internet is there. The sophisticated technologies are already in place. We have now a solidarity group of the media men which takes care of the plight of the journalists around the world. Any attack on media, even if it were of a miniscule dimension, the media power is so high that Mahara could be made a non-entity within a single minute.

Minister Mahara is thus advised to develop friendly ties with the Nepali media. Bring a change from what you were in the past. Behave with the media that is their due. If you understand the plight and the difficulties of the media, the latter too would begin supporting you to the extent that you are behaving in a democratic manner. Or else understand that playing with media is to play with a fire ball. Change your old mindset and embrace the system of which you too have become a part. Since we believe in the ideals of a democratic system, we will definitely go against the imposition of any system that goes against the system of our choice and preference. Perhaps this should explain every thing.

Take care, Mr. Minister!

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