Kathmandu: Professionals from civil society and media have lashed out at the Nepali Congress-CPN-UML coalition government for attempting to stifle freedom of expression in the name of social media regulation.
The government on Sunday registered a bill to regulate and monitor social media use at the National Assembly. The bill proposes stringent punishments–as much as 1.5 million of fines as well as years of imprisonment–for those who use social media by violating the proposed law.
Media professionals have said that the proposed law could be weaponized by the government actors against the political opponents and to control free speech. “Speak up now, before the bill costs you free speech: The real danger isn’t in the move, but in the motive,” Sanjeev Santgainya, senior journalist and former editor-in-chief of The Kathmandu Post wrote on social media X.
“Social media is a gift of technology to the common people. The government is now trying to snatch this gift away from people. It is bringing out the law that could stop the movement of society,” senior journalist and former editor-in-chief of Kantipur Sudheer Sharma wrote on X.
“If the leaders in the government, opposition and political parties reform their behaviors and code of conduct, the government does not need to run after social media,” wrote Kishor Nepal, another senior journalist. “You do not create opportunities for people to work and earn and you do not allow them to speak up either?” “BP Koirala used to say if you stifle the truths the lies open up. What say you, the president of Nepali Congress?”
People have particularly taken Nepali Congress leaders to task for maintaining eerie silence over the government’s attempt to stifle freedom of expression, given that they were among the fiercest critics of similar attempts by governments in the past to bring out similar laws.
Comment