(Courtesy: Comrade Libre)
It's hard to decide what's more shocking - Maoists' entering Himal Media's premises and physically assaulting that organization’s employees or the reactions of disbelief from various segments of Nepali polity - many of whom were instrumental in facilitating the Maoists' unchecked rise to power. As “outraged” as these “useful idiots” may be, it is unlikely that Himal Media, the (Western) international community, or any Nepali political Party, has either the resources (manpower, intellect, etc.) or the will, to effectively counter the Maoists.
When it comes to Himal Media in particular, the issue of "perception being reality" is everything. The perception amongst the vast Nepali majority is that Himal Media functions as an Indian mouthpiece and a tax haven for the International NGO (INGO) community. The Nepali Times (the English weekly produced by Himal Media) has an avid readership among the ex-patriot, diplomatic and non-resident Nepali communities. "Himal Khabarpatrika" and Himal Magazine cater to the South Asian intellectual elite. "Wave," another publication from Himal, caters to the elite, urban Nepali youth.
This sort of market segmentation is excellent for business. Good business strategy means more sales but in Nepal’s case, it means higher revenues within vertical demographies as opposed to sales across multiple horizontal segments. To put matters in perspective, the demography that reads Himal Media products is the single largest minority in Nepal – the urbane, sophisticated, metropolitan elite. By extension of this fact, the liberal ideals that Himal Media aspires to represent, are an anathema to most segments of Nepali polity; especially to the Maoists’ who are accustomed to killing scribes that are out of synch with the Prachanda Path’s worldview.
Also, Himal Media’s portrait is incomplete without due mention of its most polarizing and controversial co-owner, Mr. Kanak Mani Dixit. Although it was Kanak’s older brother, Kunda, who bore witness to yesterday’s Maoist aggression, it is Kanak Dixit who is on record for insinuating a Maoist defeat at the CA elections - “the political party that gets the largest number of votes” would have to “carry along all political forces including the Maoists in the running of the government….”
Kanak’s writing (at the time), was widely perceived as regurgitated rhetoric, based on flawed Indian intelligence. His words may have been overlooked by his dinner guests Pushpa Dahal, Baburam Bhattarai and their wives, but many staunch Maoists’ are known to have taken exception to Kanak’s partial stance. Kanak may have been the greatest of Maoist allies for dealing with the King but his partial brand of advocacy during the CA elections is certain to have diminished his standing with the Maoists, compromised his personal independence, and undermined the independence of the organization he leads - Himal Media.
Further, the intelligence upon which Kanak Dixit’s pre-CA position is purported to have been based, is the same intelligence (if one can call it that) which had the Nepali Congress resting on its laurels during the run up to elections. When the expected election outcome did not materialize, the NC’s emissary to the US, Dr. Suresh Raj Chalise, is reported to have spent time, hopping from one think tank to another, explaining what a great job the NC had done in mainstreaming the Maoists.
The rest is history. The Maoists delivered a sweeping victory at the Constituent Assembly elections and Dr. Chalise’s Ambassadorship to the US has been terminated by the Maoist-led government. So much for Kanak’s insinuation that the NC would come out on top and Dr. Chalise’s dreams of a mainstreamed Maoist Party. So much for the excuses that various Himal Media outlets made in support of creating space for the “less radical” Maoists.
As with every opportunity presented before them, the Maoists took what they were given, milked the situation for everything it was worth and have conveniently moved on. It was gross oversight on Himal Media’s part for hoping that Maoist goodwill may still be pending for services rendered (by Himal Media) during the King’s time. The truth is, when it comes to the Maoist worldview, Himal Media is no different that any other organization in Nepal. Himal may have a record for being the most outspoken, but it also has a reputation for being the most elitist and partial to Indian whims. Neither reputation bodes well for Himal Media or its off-shoot businesses (for example, “Rato Bangala”) given the populist tone that Nepal’s Maoist government has successfully set.
The aftermath of the attack on Himal Media will likely expose another less known dimension of Himal Media – its proximity to the INGO and Donor community nexus. For example, in “Come Back, Ian" (published in the Nepali Times), Kanak Dixit made a heart rendering appeal to then UN Secretary General, Kofi Anan, to re-assign Ian Martin to Nepal as the head of UNMIN. Kofi obliged and in doing so, saved Ian Martin from being held accountable to the disgrace of a job that the UN did in East Timor. Ian Martin owes his position in Nepal, to Kanak Dixit.
The Maoists’ are well aware of this relationship and have waited just long enough to test the bonds between Himal Media and the UN in general. Although UNMIN is not MANDATED to comment on episodes like these, the criticism from other UN bodies will undoubtedly be sharp. The intensity of the criticisms forwarded is certain to be matched only by the leniency of the current government’s response. But, the point here is that the louder and more biting the criticism from Nepal's international well-wishers, the easier the attack on Himal Media will be for the Maoists and ultra-nationalists to stomach.
As unpleasant and distasteful as the attack on Himal Media was, this is the type of “lesson” that Nepalis need to learn over and over again. Day by day, the Maoists’ are growing bolder and more calculated as the opposition becomes weaker and more disorganized. The lines between progressive and regressive elements are being redrawn and where the middle ground once stood, is an empty, barren wasteland.
No one wants renewed conflict. No one wants more Nepalis to be butchered for any political party to come to power. But the inevitable (and unspoken) reality is that there will come a time when dealing with the Maoists will necessarily imply the application of the only terms that the Maoists understand – force. Till that day rolls around, the only certainty is that there will be many more episodes like the one at Himal Media.
The Maoists’ will always find an excuse to rationalize what happened. Even if the Maoist leadership apologizes for the actions of its labor union, there is no guarantee that any Nepali journalist will ever again dare to publicly criticize the Maoists. With so many skeletons to hide, there is no certainty that deals which compromise freedom of speech, won’t be made in return for “protection.”
Avoiding this domino-style catastrophe is why it is absolutely imperative that the Himal Media experience be taken seriously and be opened up for public discourse. Such debate should include not just the documented hooliganism of the Maoist labor union but also any real grievances the Maoists may have against Himal Media. Nepal’s government should take a democratic approach to dealing with this issue, should feel the pulse of the Nepali majority and for a change, should rely less on internationally driven sensation and more on addressing the root causes behind incidents like the one at Himal Media.
19 comments:
Agreed with the analysis. However, for the right or wrong reasons this sort of thuggery and goonda raj has to be addressed and put an end to. Dixits maybe opportunist pseudo intelects but this culture of violence cannot be endorsed and has to be condemned no exceptions.
The PM, shall we call him el Gordo, has already come out saying that the Maoist party had nothing to do with the attack on the Dixit realm. Apparently some folks who want to give the Maoists a bad name did this. How much crap are we going to take from el Gordo and this bunch of savage butchering communists?
Why violence condemned only when vicitm like himal media? Why not violence condem when ordinary people are hurt? Why so much picking and choosing and only benefit to rich and wealthy?
The thing that bothers me the most is this sense of entitlement that these buggers feel. Because they helped bring down the monarchy, they feel that the good will dividend should be perpetual.
I say rubbish to this. Now that there is a king no more, it's time to deal with other dysfunctions in Nepali society. Journalists reporting with no accountability and unlimited impunity is also not good for democracy. Not saying that this was the case with Himal Media, but this sort of practice is rampant in Nepal. And a few rotten apples spoil the entire basket.
Two of the over-arching tenets of Maoism are fear of a free press and fear of religion. Both are "uniting" factors and drivers of the masses. Nobody should be surprised at the Maoist attacks on ANY element of the press, whether it be an intellectual element or of the rich. Just be aware that YOU are next.
This is going to sound very politically incorrect but let me just say what I have heard in so many circles over the past 2 days - "this is not a good thing at all, but good that it was Himal Media because they deserve to taste the benefits of their political advocacy."
Any one of us may be NEXT. That's not completely right. Any one of us in Nepal may be next. The idiots who live overseas and are happy celebrating the success of the jana andolan-2 will moan and complain and whine some more. But it is us who are in Nepal, who will face the real consequences. These consequences are the result of idiots like Kanak Mani Dixit throwing himself infront of the cameras of the international media, courting arrest, and then making a bad siutation worse.
Let us be balanced and not brush aside the damage the owners of Himal Media have done to the Nepali nation. Let us be fair in not just how we judge what has happened but also WHY it has happened.
What if this is all a charade orchestrated by the master manipulators-the Dickshit enterprise co. pvt ltd? Personally, I don't think the Maoists are that stupid to brazenly attack these media moguls. Esp when it exists to serve powerful foreign interests.
I think, all this incident has is done is- it has brought the Dickshit enterprise back into limelight from obscurity. Plummeting sales and dimishing prominence is a very plausible reason for this media stunt. Also, knowing the Maoist brutality and retaliation tactics, a few broken window panes, toppled chia gilases and one lip cut is too
effette for the Maoist standard of retribution.
But inadvertently,(HOPEFULLY) it could also be the beginning of the Nepali Thermidorian reaction against the Maoist reign of terror. If such were the case, it would be quite ironic because in the Nepali case, "Dickshits," could certainly be labelled as the Jean Paul Marats of the Nepali Revolution.
Anon at 1.38 AM is probably close to the mark here. Much as we may wish to disagree with the Maoist version of events, we should ask who gains the most from this - the Maoists who are already under so much scrutiny or the Dixit media, which, according to their own figures is doing badly enough to mandate redundancies. In all this the plight of the poor workers who have lost their livelihoods must be kept front and centre. There must be an independent investigation into the abuses allegedly suffered by them at the hands of the Dixits. To do otherwise would be to add to the miseries of these workers whilst conferring impunity on the Dixits.
Anon 850 am,
While theoretically there may be some sort of provocation by Himal Media, don't you think they are already well in the midst of attention? From what I understand, the Maoist union was annoyed with Himal for showing that its revenues were falling, avoiding taxes and refusing to "accommodate" union members. I don't understand what Himal could gain from attracting additional scrutiny from a taxation perspective. Perhaps it is their auditors who this Maoist government should be contacting for accounting irregularities?
Just a thought
Anon at 10:56:
I agree with you to an extent. But we need to eschew impunity in all its manifestations and the fact that the Dixits may have suffered bodily blows is no excuse for not investigating the alleged abuses suffered by their employees. The same goes for the withholding of tax returns or any other wrong doing - surely New Nepal demands an end to impunity even if the perpetrators are rich and influential like the Dixits.
Anon 650am:
On what you just responded, I have no differences with you. I also feel strongly that justice should be served to all the people the Maoists have KILLED, moving back in time. Justice shouldn't be partial to wealth and availbale only to the wealthy.
My initial sympathy for the Dixits is now more evenly tempered thanks to this timely piece from Comrade Libre. Perhaps we are all going to get our just desserts in ever more curious ways in New Nepal. And much as we all care to condemn it, isn’t violence what we the Nepalese have rewarded the most?
Just as this article says, Prachanda baje has already started pointing fingers at "ex-monarchists." What does this have to do with anything???? Was it a monarchist who beat up Himal Media people or a Maoist Union thug?
While the attack by unions be they maoist, UML or Congress on any business-industrial unit, and that includes the media, should be excoriated perhaps it is time for the media sector to do some introspection.
Where were they when the unions affiliated to their political sugar daddies busy attacking non media business units all over the country? All Nepalis know that they were busy promoting and shaking hands with the very people who caused the deaths of 30,000 or more Nepalis or their cabal partners in a conspiricy to Finlandise Nepal. When industrailists and businessmen put up a feeble protest the politicians, the civil society and the media told them to shut up and put up as the price of bringing peace to this country.
So why is it that when the same treatement is meted out to the media, in this case Himal Media, suddenly the media industry is up in arms. How is it any worse? Why is the media more holy than rest of the industry and the business community? They have sown the wind and they must reap the whirlwind.
Instead of being impartial provider of news and facts these people were on a vicious mission journalism mostly of anti King Gyanendra variety and many were goaded by foreign money as many know. This was clearly shown on TV during the last press conference of King Gyanendra at Narayanhiti Palace. The quality of the Nepali press was on full display then.
Time for the media and their foreign backers and rest of the cabinet and parliamentary cabal to wake up, apologise to the nation and its harried citizens. Time for them to show contrition. And it is time for them to reverse most of those decisions which were foreign inspiried and/or were meant to appease the maoists. ALL those decisions taken in our name but without consulting us.
Till these things come to pass Nepalis will continue to suffer but they will cheer at each attack on the media and other institutions and people who have brought this country to this present sorry state.
We get adulterated fuel but we can always rely on Dahal jee to keep spewing awesome amounts of unadulterated verbal diarrhoea – could this be the ideal raw material to solve the energy-crisis?
The Dixit media acted as front row cheerleaders for the Maoists. Now they are getting some TLC the Maoists way. What's the surprise in all this and should we really be shy of shedding crocodile tears?
I abhor violence of any kind but I am a pragmatic enough to see what goes around comes around. I will not defend Maoist nor Dixit for they are both partner in crime.
How Dixits have funneled money from overseas by showing their so-called- democratic credentials even if it meant NOT speaking the truth. Now the to test the taste in upon them. Lord, no mercy, please.
What I would like to see is some writing about how different the "new nepal" is in terms of justice for the less wealthy.
Himal Media is attacked and the incident is treated like a threat to national security. Ram Hari Shrestha was murdered inside a UNMIN monitored cantonment, the guilty party identified, and no action has been taken. There are countless other journalists who the Maoists have murdered and not a finger has been lifted (even after the Maoists have been in government) to take action.
Should the New Nepal be a nation where the wealthier enjoy more justice and the less wealthy, less justice?
Apparently, criminal cases were filed against 40 individuals but only two have been arrested. And largely based on these two arrests, the protests have been stalled. What a joke!
Himal Media still has 38 known Maoists to worry about including Jamarkattel who has openly threatened future action.
Oh well. When you play with fire, you end up getting burned.
Post a Comment