HEADLINE NEWS THE RISING NEPAL (DAILY)

'Enact Law to guarantee right to information'

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, November 15:The Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-1990 may be called as outstanding when it comes to freedom of expression and right to information, but what is hindering the implementation of those constitutional provisions fully is the lack of law/s related to it.

This was the basic conclusion of all the speakers, which included representatives of the three major parties and others involving senior journalists, at a one-day symposium on 'Constitutional Guarantee on Freedom of Expression and Publication'.

The present constitution of the country has, explicitly and in clear words, guaranteed the freedom of expression and the right to information in its Article 13 and 16 making it quite remarkable in upholding those basic rights of democracy. Such a clear utterance, the participants say, is lacking in the constitutions of even many developed countries.

Speaking at the symposium Chief Guest Madhav Nepal, General Secretary of the CPN-UML and leader of the main opposition party in the House of Representatives said the inclusion of the provisions of freedom of expression and right to information in the Constitution has made it impeccable. But, he said, the legislation and the executive in the last 10 years have failed to transform those provisions into practice through the enactment of appropriate laws.

He, however, said while defining the freedom of the press national interest, the country's sovereignty and the interest of the common people at large should also be taken into consideration. There should be an appropriate check and balance between the state, civil society and the press.

Narahari Acharya of the Nepali Congress said we should strive for maximum rather than absolute freedom, but the problem lies more in our exercise of the freedom bestowed by the constitution and in eur mindset. He also said there should be a national debate on whether the government should continue to run media and on how to take the government-owned media outside its area of influence. He even said the NC government has a definitely thinking that the government should at least take its hands off the print media.

Kamal Thapa of the RPP said the right to information and press freedom are complementary to each other, and correct information leads to creating awareness about democracy thereby the strengthening the democratic procedure. He also said the RPP is committed to assist in the formulation of laws related to freedom of press.

Raghu Pant of the UML, presenting a paper on the constitutional guarantee on the freedom of press said right to imformation is important not only for the press but also for the citizens. But he said the lack of law has been a major impediment towards implementing the constitutional provision of right to information and freedom of expression.

Suresh Acharya, President of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists said the political parties and the governments have failed to live up to the spirit of the constitution regarding freedom of expression. He also said the press will fight any attempt to curb and control the freedom given by the constitution.

P. Kharel, advisor at FES, which supported the symposium, said the lack of political commitment has been the major constraint in formulating the law regarding press freedom. He also said such a law is imperative for the healthy and professional growth of the press.

Harihar Birahi, President of Nepal Press Council said the right to freedom of expression and right to information have been the major components of our constitution.

Kapil Ghimire, coordinator of Press Chautari, Lalitpur, in his welcome speech talked about the objective of the symposium. Similarly, Bijay Chalise, executive editor of Gorkhapatra, giving vote of thanks said time has come for all to realise how much pluralism we have been able to incorporate in aspects like press freedom.

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