Valley
No amendment proposal yet on press provisions
A day before the deadline to register amendment bills expires, a proposal was yet to be filed at the CA Secretariat to revise several provisions of the draft constitution that, if not amended, may seriously curtail press freedom.A day before the deadline to register amendment bills expires, a proposal was yet to be filed at the CA Secretariat to revise several provisions of the draft constitution that, if not amended, may seriously curtail press freedom.
So far 17 motions have been filed at the CA seeking amendments to a number of clauses of the constitution draft. But none of them includes provisions related to press.
Despite their pledge to address the issues raised by the media fraternity including the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and the Media Society Nepal, no steps have been taken by any party or lawmaker in the regard.
Though the Constitution Drafting Committee, under pressure from different quarters, incorporated “full press freedom” in the preamble, there have been no significant changes in other provisions that curtail the freedom that the Nepali press has been enjoying for a long time.
The media fraternity demands a constitutional provision that will bar future governments from formulating legislations to curb press freedom. According to FNJ President Mahendra Bista, the parties made no significant effort to address a majority of the concerns raised by the media fraternity.
“Except for incorporating full press freedom in the preamble, no other remarkable amendment has been made,” said Bista. The FNJ would continue to build pressure on the parties and lawmakers on the matter.
The media sector has been demanding that the ambiguous fragment of the restrictive clause of the Right to Freedom in Article 17 needs change as that may be misused to restrict press freedom.
It has suggested that it is not necessary to have six provisos under the Article which give loopholes for imposing curbs. The other recommendations include amendment to Rights of Mass Media in Article 19 with ambiguous provisos that allow the state to formulate laws to impose restrictions in the media.
In the same Article, the media fraternity has demanded provisions of compensation for media if their constitutional rights are curtailed on any pretext.
Amendment has also been sought to Right to Information in Article 27 and Article 187 (3) which allow provincial governments to block the broadcasting or publishing of any content deemed to negatively portray the acts of the provincial government.
“If the new constitution is promulgated in the present form, it will be more regressive than the Interim Constitution,” said Bista, adding that there are still hopes that the parties will listen to their genuine concerns.