“No, Not Again” move goes viral

The campaign ‘No, not Again’ launched by a group with an appeal to bid adieu to the leaders who have been in power for decades in the upcoming elections has got a new lease of life thanks to the Election Commission for deciding to control the campaign.

The campaign was slowly fading away over the weeks, but when the EC’s short-sighted leadership recently targeted the campaign, probably at the request of the top leaders, it has gone viral now. Although it is not known who launched the campaign, it was popular until a month ago. The campaigners have urged the voters to defeat the key leaders including NC president and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPNUML chair KP Oli, CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, CPN (Unified Socialist) chair and leader Madhav Kumar Nepal and Jhalanath Khanal and former Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai by posting their photographs in social sites.

But the campaign was losing its popularity until the EC decided to control it. Now it has regained a new life, and the encouraged campaigners have started adding photographs of more leaders.

The decision of the EC to shut down the campaign became so counterproductive that the EC stopped mentioning the slogan ‘No, Not Again’ in its notice. Moreover, a writ had been filed against the EC’s decision terming it as an anticonstitutional act, because it is argued that the EC decision contradicted the provision of freedom of expression inserted in the Constitution.

Likewise, the Press Council Nepal too was dragged into controversy after it sought clarification from Nagarik Dainik for publishing a cartoon of KP Oli. The PCN has probably sought clarifications at the suggestion of the EC and UML, as the PCN chair is a pro-UML man. But it irked the Federation of Nepali Journalists, journalists and organisations working for press freedom in the country as well as the Cartoonists’ Club. On Tuesday, a delegation of FNJ and journalists warned the PCN to correct its decision.

When the people and youth are against the leaders responsible for the mess in the country, the EC and PCN have been trying to give protection to the incompetent and corrupt leaders, who did nothing for the wellbeing of the nation when they were in power for many years. Such acts could create a situation in which the officials of these organizations could one day become the target of angry youth.