Non-disclosure of cabinet decision a non-transparent, regressive move

One after another, the government led by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) has increased hostility, intimidation and intolerance towards the democratic values in Nepal, which has severely drawn the attention of Freedom Forum. Of late, it is learnt that the decision of the Council of Ministers was hidden while sharing before the media. The media have reported that the decisions relating to the recommendation for ambassadorial posts and distribution of money to those loyal to the ruling party were kept secret for weeks. It has not only breached the hard-earned, established practice of sharing the cabinet decisions to public through media but also violated the citizen's right to know. It clearly shows how non-transparent culture the government is building. "Hiding information from public is violation of citizen's right to information. It is very indeed a regressive move that promotes non-transparent and unaccountable culture, which is against democratic values," said FF Executive Chief Taranath Dahal, adding that keeping information away from media is also disrespect to media. FF therefore strongly urges the government to adopt open government culture to build informed citizenry which are essential pillars of functional democracy. For More Information Freedom Forum Thapathali, Kathmandu Post Box No: 24292 Phone No. 4102030, 4102022 Website: www.nepalpressfreedom.org; www.freedomforum.org.np Email: monitoring@freedomforum.org.np; info@freedomforum.org.np;