In Praise of Nepals Press Freedom By Andy Sparkes Since coming to Nepal one year ago I have been extremely impressed by the freedom of the press and expression I have found here. At its best, Nepal’s media can stand shoulder to shoulder with its peers in the UK. Over the last year I have seen intense debates over the key issues of the day taking place on the editorial pages of the leading newspapers. To cite the example of recent weeks, controversial issues such as the right way forward on transitional justice or the proposed appointments to the Supreme Court have been debated freely in the press, with opposing views staring each other down across the columns of the editorial page. All shades of opinion have found free expression, and this is hugely important. In my opinion a free press is fundamental to developing good governance and transparency. As Nepal seeks to graduate to middle income status, a free press will only become more important. A free press and the free flow of opinion and ideas it facilitates is one of the bedrocks of democracy and is essential to the development of a vibrant, innovative economy. In the coming year, Nepal’s leaders will rightly seek to complete the peace process and deliver a sustainable political settlement for the country. The process of drafting a new Constitution will throw up a range of complex and interconnected problems to which there will be no clearly right or wrong answer, merely a range of possible answers on which there will be a need for compromise. As a friend of Nepal, representing a country that has enormous goodwill towards you and that wants to see you succeed in this national task, I am confident that the media will play host to exactly the kind of free and vibrant debate that will help navigate a clear path to a lasting political settlement. One that sticks. Such a settlement is necessary for Nepal to reap the economic dividends of peace and grow at the pace it needs to in order to break out of poverty and reach middle income status. Once these fundamentally political questions have been settled, the media will play host to equally passionate and complex debates on economic growth: what kind does Nepal want, how should it proceed, who will benefit and how to ensure the benefits are divided fairly? The path to prosperity will throw up just as many conflicts of interest and stark differences of opinion as the path to peace did. A free media will remain central to managing these. The debate will be every bit as emotionally charged and every bit as important to the future of Nepal as anything we have seen so far. It will in a very real way help shape the future of Nepal and its people. It is crucial that everyone is able to play a full part in this process. The freedom of the press is built upon principles of mutual respect. A famous quote, often but perhaps mistakenly attributed to the great enlightenment philosopher Voltaire, sums it up nicely: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. Of course there are legitimate limits to freedom of speech – it is unacceptable to incite violence or racial hatred for example – but broadly speaking the more diverse the range of opinions expressed the more able is a society to land upon the right solution to a problem. Ten years ago in Nepal the freedom to express opinions freely was frequently challenged or denied. In the last decade there has been remarkable improvement, and although challenges remain, as they do in all countries (nowhere should we rest on our laurels) the situation in my opinion is both positive and heading in the right direction. In the next ten years, maintaining and continuing to build on that hard won freedom will pay dividends as Nepal’s economy takes off. This article first appeared in the May 5 edition of The Himalayan Times. epaper.thehimalayantimes/PUBLICATIONS/THT/THT/2014/05/05/ArticleHtmls/Nepals-press-freedom-Words-of-praise-05052014008002.shtml?Mode=1 ..................... UK Foreign Secretary celebrates World Press Freedom Day and condemns restrictions around the world: https://gov.uk/government/news/the-foreign-secretary-marks-world-press-freedom-day
Posted on: Tue, 06 May 2014 09:30:58 +0000
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