KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - Senior journalists and former presidents of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) on Friday suggested the FNJ to launch a three-tier protest program simultaneously, against the new media ordinance.
Speaking at an interaction organized by the FNJ to discuss future strategy against the ordinance promulgated on Sunday to clamp down on independent media, the senior journalists suggested that FNJ knock on the doors of the Supreme Court immediately, start street protests and launch editorial campaign against the ordinance.
"Since news bans on radios and censorship provisions are against the spirit of the Constitution and previous verdicts of the Supreme Court, we will first knock at the court's doors," said former FNJ president Tara Nath Dahal. "We should adopt all sorts of strategies to protest the ordinance, acquiring national and international support, as its implementation will take all independent media to extinction."
A former president of the FNJ, Suresh Acharya said the ordinance aims at ending existence of electronic media through ban on news and controlling the print media under criminal offenses. The senior journalists accused the present regime of passionately taking active part in all sectors of politics and at the same time trying to kill voices of criticism through brutal means. Former FNJ President Harihar Birahi said foreign media will occupy the void if national media are banned from publishing news independently.
"Efforts have been made to treat media offenses as criminal one," said Raghu Mainali, leader of Save Independent Radio Movement.
Hari Lamsal, editor of pro-king Rastrabani weekly suggested the FNJ to go to the Supreme Court to challenge the ordinance. "The government ignored my suggestions to hold comprehensive discussion with stakeholders before promulgating the ordinance," Lamsal said. It may be recalled that government-owned dailies presented Lamsal as absolutely supporting the new ordinance.
FNJ General Secretary Mahendra Bista, SAFMA Chairman Gopal Thapaliya, Rishi Dhamala of Reporters Club Nepal, Tej Prakash Pundit of Nepal Press Union, Bishnu Dhakal of Nepal FM, Ghama Raj Luintel of Radio Sagarmatha also stressed the need for strong protest programs to force the government to repeal the ordinance.
