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Don't Ruin Nepal Elections with the Media Hyperbolism

Prakash Bom - 3/16/2008

Hyperbolism in teens' world does not only imply exaggeration or overstatement of one's idea about what things should be but also emotional over-expectation about what one should become. This is because teens like tall talks. For them to get engaged in serious empirical observation they have to grow up with emotional balance of their interior chemistries. Is this the stage of the most of the mainstream political and media leaderships of Nepal, who are departing from such hyperbolic developments? I would say yes unless news media have reported otherwise - just for their profit.

In democracy the average people or electorates are the ones who are misled with their own emotional stimuli by the political hyperbolism, which news media often misinterpret or manipulate with good or bad intention. The issue though starts with the necessity for change in electorates' daily socio-political and economic life but the politicians and news media make it hyperbolic for their own advantage and power.

Previously, there was the institution of feudal Hindu monarchy in Nepal as a single political body, which had de-hyperbolized people's emotion for centuries with media control. Currently, there are many of them to hyperbolize people. It makes safer for people in fact to have such diversity in democracy, which gives them freedom to choose the one they think can address their issue.

Contemporary politics of Nepal is more positively shaping itself to profound diversity than to the homogeneity of one party, or one ethnicity, or one gender, or one caste, domination. The challenge for political parties is to secure the proportional representation of the diverse identity in the political process. For example, UML not joining communist alliance with Maoist is positive political development for creating diversity in the communist parities with different school of thought. As a matter of fact, diversity is the foundation of the multiparty democracy. Nevertheless, it all depends on how people understand the political hyperbolism that is ideologically overloaded by the pro-party news media to vacuum people into one basket.

For example, pro-monarchy media hyperbolizing Prime Minister's current remark on the monarchy regarding the lately politicized stand of India, America and Japan against the presence of the communist Maoists in the mainstream Nepali politics. Such stand royalist media calls it – 'a friend in need is a friend indeed' who see need of the monarchy to prevent Maoist movement from spreading in south Asia. But, how come India, America and Japan were some of the nations, which had demanded Maoists to enter into the mainstream politics of Nepal for the peace and democracy. If that is true then these countries are trying to lobby for abandoning the long-term peace and democracy for people of Nepal.

The news media commented that the Prime Minister who is suffering with the old-age senility disputed undiplomatically. However, I think the comment of the Prime Minister no matter how undiplomatic it was truly significant for a long-term peace and democracy for the happiness of people of Nepal and the dignity of the sovereign nation.

The Prime Minister GP Koirala with the best of his ability does not suffer with the old-age senility as pro-monarchy media commentary attempts to make the etymological connotation with his age. On the contrary, based on his comments he is very much capable of taking sound stand for peace and democracy. His state of mind considering his age and health is far more rational than the pro-monarchy media's commentator and of course of his own daughter who is devoid of her democratic etiquettes and political integrity. He is committed and is capable of leading the democracy with the successful CA elections. He has rather improved himself at this age in transcending his attachments with the out-dated political tradition of his party.

The supporting evidence that the pro-monarchy media tried to lay with the International Labor Organization's fear of the Maoist taking over the nation is anther hyperbolic example of the media politics of Nepal. It is an attempt to manipulate people against peace and democracy. Unless the ILO has unrealistically apprehended the Maoist victory in the CA elections, it cannot trust the comeback of monarchy, which has, in different time, betrayed people and democracy. If this is historical fact, then the institution of the monarchy cannot be saved for any other reason except to abandoning peace and democracy, which people of Nepal can no longer afford.

In my opinion for the institution of monarchy to comeback even with the statute of a ceremonial monarchy at this point Maoists have to forcefully break the rule of electoral democracy obstructing fair and peaceful CA elections with all sort of violence – killing, kidnapping, and threatening candidates and intimating electorates to vote for their party. This means the federal democratic republic political force will have to lose the entire CA elections. The political state of affairs, however, during this political transition period have completely changed that people are willing to struggle until the peace and democracy are restored for people to have good night sleep. But, yet people have to test Maoists in real-time practice of the electoral democracy.

The monarchy by its chain of hereditary and hierarchical order in essence is an institution of a dictatorship from the perspective of the federal democratic republic setup no matter how ceremonial the constitutional decree proclaims. Therefore, as per the commentary of the royalist-media ELO and aforementioned nations cannot deny the fact of the insurgencies of the political forces, which stand for the federal democratic republic setup. The case is closed with the CA elections manifestos of the major political parties, particularly of Nepali Congress. The choice is clear for people – a new democratic nation with peace, democracy and prosperity. But, yet it all depends on Maoists' performance.

In an attempt to speak for the army (NRN) the royalist-media has currently manipulate news extensively against the legitimacy of the interim government – 'the current government is formed by a horde of non-elected representatives.' The statement gives the impression that the army overrules the historical facts of People's Movements in democracy like the French Revolution that can give the tentative mandate to the political leaderships who led the movements. If NRN leaderships have opinion as such of the royalist-media, which I doubt, then NRN will lose people's trust. After all in democracy NRN has none except for serving people on whom nation's sovereignty rests legislatively, if it still has its mind-set otherwise in suspension.

However, I am sure NRN chief is clear with army's objectives in democracy thus he has precisely stated army's wish to become the firm foundation of a democratic system on a military occasion. Of course, the democracy in which people's civil liberty and rights have no guarantee and human rights are violated will not be agreeable to people neither of Nepal nor of the world. Had NRN maintained democratic credentials in past towards people the royalist-media could have never been able to utter these words on behalf of the army – 'No where in the world the national army is offended as in the current politics of Nepal!' Surely, army is a non-political institution of a democratic nation and NRN must maintain its integrity.

In all this as political leaderships who have no rein either on their speech or commitments so the Nepali media which profusely either exaggerate and manipulate news deliberately or misinterpret news unprofessionally are equally responsible for CA elections. For instance, who wants to become what by hyperbolizing personal wish, such as Maoist chairperson's wish to become the first president of Nepal, should be just the matter of tall talk. Yet it is a democratic right to make personal wish. However, it should not be made the issue for the tug of war between political leaders.

The challenge that nation has been confronted can only be accomplished with the national unity of the majority in the diversity. The politicians and media can play a vital role by amalgamating all with one national interest for peace and democracy that has already built its history. The history represents people's movements that have declared Nepal a secular state and set the constitutional provisions for the federal democratic republic establishment. Neither the royalists nor the army nor the international community can undo these historical achievements from being fully implemented in the sovereign nation of the sovereign people of Nepal.