You can exercise freedom of expression granted to the citizens by the constitution, you can criticize policies and laws, debate and discourse and still be free. You can use civic space without fear of any reprisal. But you should either be a supporter of the government or the parties that are in the government.
This is the case of Nepal.
It might sound like a sweeping generalization but if you consider some cases after Nepali Congress and CPN-UML built a coalition to govern the country in July, 2024 to give to the people ‘good governance, quality service, dynamic economy and development, social justice, fundamental rights, sustainable peace and social harmony’ you will perhaps agree that the situation is alarming and that the ruling parties want to keep civic space free and safe only for themselves and their cadres, encouraging the situation for spiral of silence to become a norm.
First thing first. On February 25, in ‘thought police’ fashion of George Orwell’s book 1984, Nepal Police arrested four youth, who they thought could possibly shout slogans against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at a program that was yet to be held. The youth are said to have posted messages on social media calling on followers to protest the PM at the program venue.
The CPN-UML, the party that Prime Minister Oli chairs, is intolerant to criticism whether it comes from outside or within the party. The UML took action against its own standing committee member and central committee member for opposing the decision of the party to accept the land donated to construct the party office by the owner of the country’s biggest supermarket chain who was convicted by the court on the country’s biggest land grab scam. Those who were persecuted had expressed dissent against the party’s decision on social media.
In August last year, three youths were arrested for chanting slogans against Prime Minister Oli, and Nepali Congress chair Sher Bahadur Deuba. Those who write against them on social media can be rounded up or held prisoner. A youth who wrote on Facebook that PM Oli is ‘corrupt’ was arrested and charged with cybercrime.
A group of youths who turned up in September, 2024, in the venue of Indra Jatra festival by wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the name and picture of Balen Shah were held by the police. Apparently, the police thought they could shout slogans against the PM and in favor of the Kathmandu mayor who is held in high esteem by most youth across the country.
In parliament, the MPs who ask critical questions may be snubbed. When a lawmaker sought to inform the parliament about the death of Nepali student in an Indian university, she was denied time. Most recently, another lawmaker was asking a valid question to the PM—raising the issue of migrant workers and asking when the PM will go on the India visit–but the PM did not answer him. Instead, he said the lawmaker’s questions were loaded with ‘hatred, outrage and offense.’ In yet another event, the National Assembly, the upper house of federal parliament, passed ‘a motion of regret’ against a lawmaker for saying that the upper house had become a club of the elderly.
Perhaps, never before in post-2015 politics has there been more favorable times for the government and the leaders of governing parties than now. With 167 seats in the federal House of Representatives, the grip of Nepali Congress and CPN-UML in state power is as firm as a rock. Even if smaller parties abandon the coalition, it still remains the strongest government with absolute powers to initiate any reforms that can provide tangible deliverables to the people, and quickly. But the PM, ministers and leaders of the ruling parties appear totally invested in insulting and denigrating the leaders and the parties not in the government. Ruling party MPs flex their muscles to disparage leaders of Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP), the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Maoist Center.
When the ruling party leaders get mics in parliament, they are seen to use the time to denounce the opposition leaders who are already weak and who have no role, whatsoever, in setting the government’s plans and policies. Political leaders openly threaten those who advocate reinstatement of monarchy, some even saying that they will restrict the movement of the former king. The PM looks totally invested in picking a fight with a city mayor, whose popularity among youth stands unparalleled (as of now that is).
While the citizens are held suspect for their ‘inappropriate’ social media posts, ruling party leaders go to the extent of issuing death threat to a leader of an opposition party or call for ‘pulling out the tongue’ of Nepal Police chief. Yet they are not even asked by their party leadership to restrain their tongues.
When you can no longer count the political parties, who claim themselves to be bastions of democracy, for keeping the civic space safe for all, you need to begin by breaking the spiral of silence.
Social media is the platform to air grievances. But this space is not so safe, especially if you do not belong to the ruling parties. If you write a post against the government, or the PM or the ministers or the ruling party leaders, you could be hounded and trolled by ‘cyber soldiers’ affiliated to these two parties whose full time job appears to be to watch who is writing what and against whom, and attack them like swarms. Another job of these loyal followers of the ruling parties is to defend the indefensible, mislead and misinform the people and to launch a volley of attacks, if needed, against those who do not conform to their politically-motivated slurs.
And as if this was not enough, the government is attempting to bring a draconian law in the name of social media regulation, which could very much be used as a weapon to silence political opponents, including independent media professionals and free-thinking opinionators.
The CSOs are among the credible advocates of civic space but many of them at the moment face sustainability risks due to the aid cuts. The USAID fund cuts are apparently affecting as many 300 NGOs, nonprofits and consultancies in Nepal, according to one recent report.
News media could expose the wrongdoings of the government and sensitize the people. But as politically-affiliated journalists dominate the newsrooms of most media outlets one can sense glaring biases and media acting as the best defense of the government. Besides, with the financial crisis becoming the hallmark of the majority of media houses, independent journalists feel no motivation to dig and report the truth.
Civic space is considered a bloodline of democracy, and for a good reason. Democracy presumes that if you feel you have not been heard by the state, there is a space where you can say loudly what has happened to you. If your government does not listen to you, you could turn to people whom you elected to amplify your voices. If they do not listen, there is the media to take your side. If the media fails on this duty, you can still come to the street to protest. If none of these platforms are available, you could turn to social media.
It is when these spaces are obstructed and restricted or attempts are made to forestall them that democracy becomes a sham. When you can no longer count the political parties, who claim themselves to be bastions of democracy, for keeping the civic space safe for all, you need to begin by breaking the spiral of silence.
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