No Foreign Investment

IT is apparent that the Nepali press has made tremendous progress in the last twelve years' of democracy. The increasing number of national dailies both in Nepali and English languages, F.M. radio stations and the television channels speak of this fact. A decade back, there were only Radio Nepal and Nepal Television in the form of electronic media and Gorkhapatra and The Rising Nepal to represent the national broadsheet dailies. A large number of people, especially in remote villages and towns lacked access to these means of communications for various reasons. But now the situation has changed and the Nepalese people have access to accurate and credible information. It is all because of both quantitative and qualitative progress that the Nepali media has made in the last few years. However, it does not mean that Nepali press is totally free from negative aspects. Among others, lack of transparency in media organisations has been one of the biggest problems of the present Nepalese press. Moreover, with the publication of some dailies, which are often reported to have foreign investments, the issue of foreign investment in media has become a much debated issue. Even the government, in the past failed to take any stand regarding foreign investment in media on time thereby causing confusion. Against this backdrop, Minister for Information and Communications Ramesh Nath Pandey has severely criticised foreign investment in the media while speaking at a symposium organised by the Editor's Society the other day. Minister Pandey also called for timely monitoring and restriction on foreign investment that came through the back door in Nepali press adding that such investment might invite repercussions. Certainly, the press plays a crucial role in leading the nation to the right path by disseminating accurate information. Only a responsible press can fulfill this objective. But if the media itself lacks transparency in its investment, there is a less chance of the media being responsible. Also a foreigner has nothing to do with the sensitivity of the local people nor is it necessary for such media to be responsible to the individual, society and to the country, because profit becomes everything for a foreign investor. This does not augur well for a small and developing nation like Nepal. Like the present government has emphasised time and again, there must be transparency in the dealing of the media, so that it can play a responsible and positive role in the overall development and welfare of the nation.

Destination Malaysia

FOR many Nepalese youths, who have to run from pillar to post in search of a job, prospecting the foreign job market is a common obsession. In the present day Nepal, education does not guarantee a job. Because of the high rate of unemployment, even if they find some job after much running around, there is again no guarantee that the job and/or remuneration they get is commensurate with their qualification. Against the background, working abroad, where they earn more, is always attractive even to some highly skilled Nepalese. Especially over the past years, when the Nepalese economy got battered on account of a host of factors, an increasing number of youths have been trying to go abroad. Some of the lucky few succeed. The rest however still continue to try. This being the case the news report that the number of Nepalese workers in Malaysia is likely to increase two-fold to reach around 200,000 within a few years, increases the prospects for foreign job for some Nepalese.
There are presently said to be 80,000 Nepalese working in different parts of Malaysia, though unofficial figures put it close to 100,000. According to officials, the Malaysian government has shown positive signs regarding the increment in the number of workers from Nepal. That indeed is good news. With the Nepalese economy taking a battering, remittances from Nepalese working abroad constitute one of the most important sources of wealth for Nepal at the present moment. The Nepalese in Malaysia alone send home USD 10 million every month. The start of direct flights by Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation and Qatar Airways is also expected to give a boost in this respect. Given the significance of expanding the market for Nepalese workers, the government should direct its full attention to setting up the embassy in Kuala Lumpur as soon as possible. The decision to set up the embassy has been warmly greeted by the Nepalese working in Malaysia as they expected to benefit from a Nepalese government presence in their midst. One area where the embassy could work seriously is in prospecting the market for a higher paid jobs for the Nepalese. At the same time, making sure that Nepalese are not cheated by their companies is another area where an active embassy could make a difference. The embassy, if it works seriously to convince Kuala Lumpur about the values of having Nepalese workers, can manage to have a lot more Nepalese gainfully employed in that country.