It must be said that outside the capital's intellectual, activist and media circles there was general approval for King Gyanendra's February First move. The talking heads in the puff pieces on NTV are not all propaganda.
To be sure, people aren't exactly jumping up and down with joy. But there is cautious hope that this could be a way out of long years of instability, anarchy and violence. The Nepali people are desperate enough to go along with anyone who can fix this mess.
The photo studio owner in Dilli Bajar, teashop wallas in Mugling, bus drivers, dairy farmers in Dhading, Panauti's vegetable growers were all fed up with bandas and blockades that put their livelihoods in jeopardy. Across Nepal, along landmined highways thousands of bus passengers stranded for weeks are willing to give their monarch the chance provided the interregnum doesn't last too long. King Gyanendra vested executive powers in himself, declared an emergency.
So when King Gyanendra vested executive powers in himself, declared an emergency and stripped citizens of civil liberties many people were willing to go along with it--provided the interregnum doesn't last too long. There is a window of opportunity here to pull a rabbit out of the hat.
We in the media have been warned of broad and unspecified punishment for broad and unspecified transgressions. The directives contain ominous-sounding references to 'confiscation of assets' and 'house arrest' against those making 'public comments affecting the morale of the security forces.and disturbing the sovereignty, integrity, peace and security'.
We can't say we are happy with this, but that doesn't mean we can ignore a general lack of public outrage on the streets about the king's move. Pro-democracy activists, politicians and we in media have to ask ourselves why. And we're not saying that just because there is this guy looking over our shoulder.
The communication blackout was a nuisance. But in Nepal there are only 1.6 land phones for every 100 people, one mobile phone every 10,000 and only 26 Internet subscribers for every 10,000 Nepalis. For a vast proportion of this country's 25 million people, therefore, it didn't matter that phones didn't have dial tones because most don't have phones anyway.
Even so, good sense prevailed and communications were restored. What is less reasonable is the continuing restriction on FM radio because this information vacuum is being filled by those with clandestine transmitters. A blanket ban on information for people who have become used to free and unfettered access is counterproductive--especially because there is no such restriction on news on private tv channels.
News bulletins a la 1985 won't work anymore. People can read between the lines, and we know they know whatever it is that is being tried out there is limited time to make it work.
