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Wednesday, December 27, 2006
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WHAT YOUTHS AND MEDIA COULD & SHOULD DO?
Dr. K. B. Bhattachan, T.U
Youth comprise overwhelming majority of population in Nepal. Youth are everywhere, except in decision making positions in the political parties, executive, legislative, judiciary and media, i.e. the fourth state. Youth belonging to political parties could and should play significant roles in securing the rights of excluded groups by exerting pressure to the rank and file of their respective political parties and through their parties to other political parties. Media could and should play significant role in generating public opinion on these important issues, providing news and views to secure the rights of excluded groups not only in Khas Nepali and English languages but also in mother tongues, at least to begin with in Awadhi, Gurung, Limbu, Magar, Maithil, Newar, Tamang and Tharu. Both youth and media could and should play significant roles in the following campaigns:
Campaign for elimination of the institution of the King: The current young generation was born and raised in a multiparty democratic political system. They know that monarchy and democracy can not go together. Youth belonging to Dalits, indigenous peoples and Madhesis know better that as long as monarchy exists, their liberation is not possible. Hence, unlike older generation they have least affection towards the institution of the King. Younger generation leaders of SPA and the Maoist rebels have brought anti-monarchy waves in Nepal. The fate of monarchy is going to be decided by the first meeting of constituent assembly to be held in June 2007. It is well understood that if youth are given and opportunity to decide the fate of monarchy it is for sure that it will be eliminated. In multiparty political system, political parties have decisive role, and all political parties, including Nepali Congress (both Koirala and democratic factions) and the NCP (UML) are controlled by older generation. Hence, youth belonging to any caste, ethnicity, language, religion, culture, sex and region, who are affiliated with different political parties and media must exert required pressure to the older generation to act for the elimination of the monarchy, through respective parties’ decisions.
Campaign for elimination of the ideology, policies and practices of Brahmanism (Bahunbad): Elimination of monarchy is needed but not sufficient for the liberation of women, Dalits, Madhesis, indigenous peoples, mother tongue speakers, and linguistic minorities. Brahmanism and democracy also can not go together. Both youth and media could and should play significant roles in eliminating, if not reducing, the domination of one caste (Bahun-Chhetris), one language (Khas-Nepali language), one religion (Hindu), one culture (Hindu), one sex (male) and one region (the Hills/the Kathmandu Valley/the Capital/the Singha Darbar). Prachanda and Dr. Baburam Bhattarai have proved that Bahuns also can make significant contribution to fight against Barhamnism. Other Bahun-Chhetris, specially youth, could and should learn from these two liberal Bahun, Maoist leaders and be fully sensitive to the rights of excluded groups and socio-cultural diversity. Both youth and media, specially Bahun/Brahman and Chhetri youth and media professionals could and should play significant role in eliminating Bahunbad/Brahmanbad as soon as possible.
Campaign for elimination of patriarchy: Patriarchy and democracy also can not go together. Elimination of monarchy and Bahunbad/Barhmanism is necessary but it is not sufficient for the liberation of women from all forms of gender discrimination, including violence against women. Although youth are in general liberal, male youth need to raise awareness and/or practice gender equity and equality among themselves and to others. Female youth need to fight against all forms of gender discrimination. Both you and media should recognize diversity among women in terms of caste, ethnicity, language, religion, culture, class and region and be fully sensitive towards them. Special attention must be given in proportional representation of both physical bodies and issues of gender equity and equality. Non-Hindu youth could play role to de-socialization of patriarchy practiced among their own populations who are influenced by Hindu religion and culture.
Campaign for elimination of the unitary State: Youth and media could and should contribute to eliminate continuing unitary, predatory state. This means youth and media should strongly advocate for federal democratic republic. Indigenous peoples, Madhesis, Dalits and even Bahun-Chhetris, including youth and media professionals, should engage in strong advocacy for right to self-determination (without secession) and ethnic, linguistic and regional autonomy and sub-autonomy. It would be a tragedy if unitary state should continue in one or the other forms.
Campaign for elimination of domination of Hindu religion and culture: The reinstated Parliament made one of the most positive contributions by declaring Nepal as a secular state. However, the decisions need to be translated into practices. For example, indigenous peoples who have a tradition of eating beef are charged and punished for “killing cows.” Both the draft interim constitution and by now almost finalized interim constitution have retained cow as a national animal by going against the spirit of the declaration of parliament relating to secular state. Both Bahun-Chhetri youth and media professionals could and should play significant role in eliminating continuing domination of Hindu religion and culture against the non-Hindu populations.
Protest against exclusive appointments: Both youth and media could and should play significant roles in protesting against exclusive political appointments, such as the appointment of three Bahuns (two males and one female) as commissioners of the Election Commission. The Maoist has nominated a Madhesi as a commissioner of the commission. MP Bijaya Subba had raised the issue of Bahunbad very strongly and as a result has agreed to make future political appointments inclusive. Bahun-Chhetris and youth in general and Bahun-Chhteri youth in particular could and should strongly protest any exclusive appointments made by the political parties and the government.
Internal democracy of the political parties: Political parties must represent peoples’ voice in any democratic, multiparty, political system. In a multicaste/ethnic, multilingual, multi religious and multicultural society like Nepal, either political party should be allowed to get organized on the basis of caste/ethnicity, language, religion and region or the existing political parties should be inclusive in terms of representation of persons and issues of diverse groups. Currently, political parties, including Nepali Congress and NCP (UML), are fully controlled by Bahun-Chhetris. As long as political parties do not practice internal democracy and restructure their respective parties in inclusive ways with due representation of women, Dalits, Madhesis, and indigenous peoples, their promises relating to inclusion and restructuring of the state would be merely a utopia or false promises. Media should intensify media campaign and youth belonging to Bahun-Chhetri caste should exert pressure for internal democracy and inclusion of excluded groups in all political parties. Youth belonging to Dalits, Madhesis, indigenous peoples, mother tongue speakers and non-Hindu religious groups should collectively demand for restructuring of the political parties in an inclusive ways.
Excerpts from the author's paper presented at a Telegraph/FES seminar held recently in Kathmandu-ed.
Anti-India axis in Nepal
Nepal Prime Minister GP Koirala must be ruing the day he allowed his Seven-Party Alliance to be conned into negotiating with Maoist leader Prachanda. Mr Koirala has given respectability to a bunch of armed thugs, agreeing to bring them into an interim regime and allowing them to dictate an interim Constitution along with the timetable for the election of a new Constituent Assembly to decide the monarchy's future. Unease over the implications of such fundamental changes in the Nepalese civilisational template are now spreading, as evidenced in the rise of pro-monarchy sentiment.
The suspicions are not misplaced. The December 18 wildcat strike in which Maoists unleashed six hours of terrible violence in Kathmandu to protest against the appointment of envoys to 14 countries, indicates that Prachanda intends to dominate the Himalayan kingdom through the barrel of the gun. Any doubts on this score were settled three days later when 5,000 armed rebels walked out of their camps in Ilam and Morang districts in a show of strength that rattled the aged SPA leaders, who have realised that the forces that instigated them to unseat King Gyanendra have used them like a railway service to reach another station.
Those forces want the political dominance of Prachanda through the 'good offices' of an obliging United Nations, which helped the US break up Indonesia and create Christian East Timor . Their success is likely because of Ms Sonia Gandhi's total commitment to the intrinsically anti-Hindu Western agenda. Thus, a civilisationally Hindu India has abandoned a civilisationally Hindu Nepal , because a White Christian dominates an effete Indian Government and wants to help a covert Christian illicitly ascend the throne of Nepal .
Like India today, Nepal tomorrow will have a ruler who does not share the dharma of the people and does not respect their traditions and culture. Unlike Ms Gandhi, Prachanda is an ethnic Nepalese, but his ascension puts Nepalese civilisation in peril. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has finally got its national agenda together under the promising leadership of Mr Rajnath Singh, would do well not to neglect developments in our neighbourhood. Prachanda is pressurising Mr Koirala to implement the interim Constitution in just 10 days, dissolve the SPA and form an interim Government with Maoist participation, failing which he will unleash mayhem in the Himalayan nation.
Under the November 21 peace accord, Maoists agreed to confine their cadres to 28 camps and lock up their arms under UN supervision. But the sudden violence of the past few days prevented a UN-Maoist joint monitoring team from beginning inspections, and now reports of extortion and intimidation are pouring in from all over the country. The most bizarre aspect of the truce is the SPA's agreeing to let UN monitor the arms of both the Maoists and the Nepal Army, putting the nation's legitimate security force on equal footing with a gangster mob. There is no justice in the demand to confine the Nepal Army to barracks, and obviously a dubious foreign hand is behind this mischief, which will deny Nepalese village folk the sense of security needed to vote freely in the elections.
Elimination of the Nepal Army from the national scene will give the Western-dominated UN a free hand to do as it pleases in the polls, a situation New Delhi must resist. India 's Election Commission will not be able to ensure free and fair elections there unless the Nepal Army or the Indian Army keeps Maoist arms and cadre under lock and key; by current estimates Maoists can win just about 10 out of 205 seats in a fair election. The UN must either be kept out or its mission manned exclusively by adherents of non-monotheistic faiths. As the main Opposition party, the BJP must speak up for the civilisational integrity of Nepal and resist Ms Gandhi's subversion of our traditional foreign policy.
Given the steep rise in conversion activity in India since Ms Gandhi's ascent, the BJP would do well to scrutinise missionary activism among the capital's Nepalese population as well. According to reliable sources, Maoists in New Delhi have close links with Christian groups. In Baljit Nagar, Moti Bagh and Mehrauli areas, secret churches have been established in houses occupied by Maoists. One church, with a banner proclaiming 'World Unification Movement', was visited by an unidentified White man who spoke about the political situation in Nepal .
Sources suggest the gentleman could be from the US-based Republication International Movement (RIM), which is active in Asia . This seems likely because a Meerut school, Thomas Child Academy , which is caring for the orphan children of Nepalese Maoist cadre, is known to display the RIM flag on occasions. Nearly 100 Nepalis have been provided employment in Indian churches and are luring fellow Nepalis to the congregations every Sunday, where the Maoist newspapers, Dishabodh and Dishanidesh, are distributed free.
A Nepali attending a meeting was shocked to see the pujari of the Nepali mandir in Baljit Nagar, Mr Puran Sharma, who is close to the Maoists, leading Christian prayers in Moti Nagar! This kind of subterfuge permeates the movement. While second-in-command Baburam Bhattarai and his family are openly Christian, Prachanda does not proclaim his religious affiliations but his wife's entire family is Christian. His guru, Chandra Pradesh Gajurel, was a Christian preacher. Sources estimate that the 42,000-strong Maoist army would be 30 per cent Christian, but the cadre are kept in the dark that the top leadership is predominantly Christian.
Nepal 's temporary Constitution recognises all religions, but Hindus are apprehensive about the changes desired by the rebels. A US-based organisation, Global Recordings, has intensified its conversion activities and is propagating the Gospel in all tribal dialects. Nepalis ask that if the Maoists are not Christian, why would they attack and close down all Sanskrit pathshalas (only a couple survive) and stop compulsory Sanskrit education in school? There is harassment at Hindu festivals and Brahmins have been forced to eat beef; who would kill the cow in a Hindu kingdom? Then there was the attempt to make the rhinoceros the state animal, instead of the holy cow. Unnerved, religious groups want Nepal to be declared a Hindu state again, and to retain the Hindu King, a demand India should heartily support in its own interests.[Courtesy: Daily Pioneer, India, dated 26 December, 2006]
Role of the Media in educating the youths
Dr. Gopal Pokhrel, T.U
The contemporary world has witnessed a unique feature of information revolution. In other words, the essence of information revolution is displaying a pattern of knowledge explosion, transcending the frontiers of any nation. Media-News Papers, a Radio, a Television or any other devices have been of paramount importance for the effective dissemination of information and knowledge. Literally, media can also be defined as simple as 'means of communication of news and information to the people. Media today plays a very crucial role in making or breaking a society. It has been most powerful part of our lives in today's complex world. It is, indeed, through the media, that we acquire relevant, updated or some times distorted information about what is happening surrounding us and as such the media has been a reliable partner in sharing and exchanging our views with the outside world. As a result of astounding progress achieved in the field of information technology, media has become inseparable part of our daily life. The rapid expansion and popularity of IT revolution has made our planet, a global village. One can not conceive of any development endeavors in absence of media. It's growth and expansion is multi-dimensional and hence, constitute a one of the crucial variable (input) in the over all societal development. it also boosts the pace of modernization process of any society. The 21 st century is rightly and widely characterized as the age of information and communication. But Nepal has to do a lot for giving it a shape of industry. After restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990, Nepali media, though, in transition, has made significant headways for bringing awareness among the masses of the people. The genuine grievances and aspiration of the people of Nepal were transmitted to other countries which gradually became sympathetic and sided with them for the Jana-andolan, back in the 1990. Nepali media helped significantly to facilitate the process of democratization even when conditions were not favorable to them for impartial and objective judgment. Nepali press and media displayed the courage and conviction to expose the wrong doings of the government, and tried to advocate without compromise in favor of nationalism and democracy. Now, the Nepali media, though in an infant stage, is trying to take its shape as industry.
In the contemporary Nepal, a considerable number of youths are involved whether, reporting a news from any spot, running the F.M. programming, editing, organizing programs to bring awareness in the society, media seems to be in the forefront. Today, in different parts of Nepal a sizable number of the youth actively involved through different channels of media communication. Most of the Radio, Television center including the F.M. Broadcasting, youth has a larger say even in working out the modalities and effective implementation of the programs. Even in the state owned, or semi-corporation types of organization, except a few top decision-making hands the entire program production is basically run and managed by the youth. Thus, youth and the media have contributed abundantly in the national development endeavors, operating many-many welfare schemes.
The growing sophistication in the field, has further improved the quality of life in the rural sectors. With the advent of electronic devices, the media sector has become coast effective engagement (undertaking), ensuring better performance and less time consuming in over all functioning. This can clearly be illustrated by taking examples of many of the community-based media related programs in different parts of the country.
The current state of Affairs
Customarily, the responsibility of managing the overall affairs of the state rests on the shoulder of the politicians and political parties in any vibrant democratic setup. But while we judge the dynamics of socio-political change of Nepali society, the youth and the media have forged a sort of alliance to fight the evils of feudalism and act for progress and prosperity. The Jana andolan-2 amply suggests this argument.
When King Gyanendra took over the reign of governance by dismissing the elected government of S.B. Deuwa, precarious conditions appeared for most of the political parties and leaders. But soon, the youth and the media resolutely were determined to spare head the movement against the rule based on King's Peremptory command, their was a great relief and the whole process was re-energized, which helped all the segments of the Nepali society to come up with a strong determination and dedication and as a result the Jana andolan-2 could prove to be decisive in achieving its goal. The apparently all powerful King had to bow before the mandate of the people, particularly the youth. The media within and outside did support by all means to encourage the youth to reach their final destiny.
After centuries of long isolation and feudalism which kept Nepal towards the bottom of most of the indicators of development and democracy, it was definitely such a relief and inspiration to witness the extraordinary burst of people of people power (mostly of youth) in the Jana andolan of 2006.
Conclusion
The Third world Syndrome and Democratic Development
The expression used today to refer to developing countries allied with neither the western democracies nor the socialistic bloc in Third World. The general term developing areas or under developed countries are primarily based on economic judgment of per capita income statistic. The area included under this category are some countries within Mediterranean basin (Southern Italy, Portugal, Turkey) as well as those in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The breadth of land area and resources involved illustrate the need to correct imbalances between the rich and poor countries. For example, the United States accounts for more than one third of the Gross National Product (GNP) of the world as a whole and for more than one-half of that of developed non-communist countries. The goal of third world solidarity is to act in concert.
The change from a non-developed or under developed society is an extremely complex transition. Growth-that is increasing the net contributions to society that give people the ability to enjoy more choices and alternatives and so as to improve the conditions of their lives - is difficult to accomplish. This is because, as most people rightly assume, the industrial process is a universalizing force whose essential ingredients are based on scientific and technological innovations. Industrialization, itself, is the significant new form of social affiliation ( Clark kerr, changing social structure 349).
Nepal embarked upon its planned course of development and modernization six decades ago, but it is an irony to note that a good number of its people are forced to live below the poverty line. As in other developing countries the chief problem areas of political modernization in Nepal are the following: (i) Problem of unity and consensus, (ii) Problem of government stability and effectiveness (iii) Political communication between the leadership and the masses (iv) Articulation of interest and organization of political parties (v) Psychological aspects of political development etc. Additionally, we need to take into account some other important variables to ensure the smooth transition of political development.
As regards the national development endeavors of this country is concerned the events of last few months promise rays of hops for a better and qualitative life of the Nepali people. In reference to this the historic proclamation of the Nepali parliament, the daring decision of SPA government the courageous commitment of CPN Maoist to join the political main stream, and the vigilance of civil society to safeguard the gains of popular movement, obviously, are the indicators that ensure 'better tomorrow' not only for the youth but for the people of Nepal.
The main national agenda at this hour is, indeed re-structuring of the state, ensuring inclusion and participation of all segments of the society. Nepalese from all walks of life should have no room to feel isolated and marginalized to have their share in the national cake. Every on should get a fair trial based on equity and social justice. This is possible only after we accomplish successfully the election of constituent assembly without further loss of time. The historic peace agreement signed between SPA, government and CPN(M) has paved the way for bringing rapid socio-economic development by establishing Democratic Republic.
But mere rhetorical statements will not suffice to attain our goals. Knowingly or otherwise, the process pertaining to modalities and other pre-requisites needed to accomplish the task of national reconstruction is being delayed, would spoil the whole process.
A characteristic of Nepal and of South Asia in general - in contrast to South East Asia is that we are so obsessed with politics that the economic agenda is often left as an after thought.
All our political parties, including CPN(M) and civil society are full of ideas on politics but they rarely present well-thought-out and coherent proposals on economic and development issues.
The focus on security, political and constitutional issues so far is completely understandable but it will soon need to be matched by and even greater focus on issues of re-construction and development. Pretty soon the exhilaration of political revolution will wear off and people will be looking for the fruits of peace and democracy in terms of improved livelihood and basic services. If those fruits of peace and democracy do not materialize soon enough, people will be disenchanted and disillusioned.
In this regard, the youth and the media need to be vigilant than ever before. Youth and media can join hand with the entire people to put a mounting pressure so that the dream of the rural population in particular is not eclipsed on any pretext.
In the days ahead, managing the revolution of peoples rising expectations might become an even bigger challenge for Nepali politicians than perhaps managing the arms or the constitutional and political processes.
Worldwide experience of countries in post-conflict transition suggests that consolidation of peace, political empowerment and reconstruction and development need to be planned and executed simultaneously or in close sequence. In fact, these are all inter-related.
The people of Nepal with close collaboration of youth and media have succeeded and have surprised the whole world by taking many dramatic and decisive steps to reconcile their differences to result the conflict and are effortful to work in unison and determination to have a prosperous Nepal. The international community can be of immense help to facilitate the peace process by providing technical support, mobilizing financial resources and the United Nation can assist Nepal to better manage co-ordinate international support.
To facilitate the peace process, a tripartite agreement between and among SPA government of Nepal, CPN(M) and the United nations is reached.
Based on the available sources of information and ground realities the youth, media and civil society, political parties, intellectual-professors and others can forge and working alliance to ensure socio-economic, cultural and political transformation of our motherland. This is the historic mission at this juncture from which none of us can shrug our shoulder from.
Excerpts from the author's paper presented at a Telegraph/FES seminar held recently in Kathmandu-ed.
