 |
|
| Kathmandu, Monday March 31, 2003 Chaitra 17, 2059. |
|
Peace
talks
Coordinator of the
Maoist team for the peace talks with the government Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai, along with four
other members of the team, came out in public for the first time in seven years at a press
conference the other day. What Dr Bhattarai and others had to say were of little interest
as their basic stand and the range of flexibility on the peace talks is already clear and
all other details are merely meant to fill up newspaper space, and radio and TV time. But
what came out strong and clear during the press conference was a strong Maoist
determination not to shy away from the truce and to give permanence to the present state
of peace. This, of course, despite the fact that the Maoist leaders claimed that the code
of conduct was being "violated" by the government and that the government aimed
to "subvert" the so-called People’s War by prolonging the truce without
going into substantial talks. On both fronts, the government has its own versions and this
kind of accusations and counter-accusations even before the start of the peace talks are
nothing new—or at least in its initial phase—which could take place later this
week.
As much in the news on
Sunday’s newspapers was the manner in which the press conference was held. There was
apparently a kind of free-for-all situation at the press meet. There were even suggestions
that the journalists covering the event did so by "warmly applauding" the once
outlawed leaders as they made their appearance. But this is a deception that must be
cleared. For the Nepalese journalists are as much guided by professional ethics and norms
of behaviour as those in any other democratic country. The applause that greeted Dr
Bhattarai and his team surely came from the Maoist cadres or those sympathetic to them who
filled the press conference hall. Some genuine journalists who went to cover the event
were injured at the hands of police and Maoist cadres, and had to undergo treatment. This
brings us to an important point. The government or those organising any press conferences
must henceforth ensure that only genuine journalists who have due accreditation are
allowed into press conferences. Otherwise, the press conference will turn into a political
rally without really informing the people about the issues involved. Organisers of press
meets must realise that the journalists have a professional duty, and this is best done
when such events are not turned into tamashas as the Maoist press conference obviously
was. It is to the benefit of all those who value true democracy to allow the news media to
function in a professional way. |
