Load-shedding. Is something that I have never heard of until Alex and co. told me about it. And even then it didn't become a reality until I came to know the dusty and noisy streets of Kathmandu. We in the developed world are too blessed with the comforts of modern living that we do not even know it. Even Indonesia is considered relatively modern in Nepali terms. Here, we are allowed only a maximum of 10 hours of electricity a day. Load-shedding kicks in at the most inconvenient times and there isn't much one can do about it. Offices run on generators and backup power or shut down. Journalists rushing for headlines and production go to sleep or cook (gas is still working). So we resort to candlelight dinners and reading beside the flickering flame. And it's ironic that Nepal has the world second largest hydroelectric resources behind Brazil but has to resort to load-shedding that only disrupts people's lives everyday. Which brings me to wonder at the effectiveness of the Maoist government these days.
http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/2008/12/25/139
On Sunday, senior journalists of Himalmedia (publisher of Nepali Times and Wave which YL and ZL will be working at soon) were attacked at their office in Hatiban by armed men who claimed themselves to be Maoist-affliated. The editor of Himalmedia was beaten up, along with some other journalists by these people (believe me if you have seen Kunda you will think that these people must be pros to be able to beat him up), and the office was vandalised. We went to Himalmedia on Tuesday, and saw for ourselves the scene of the crime and how determined journalists here are to fight for press freedom. We took part in a sit-in protest outside the main government offices along with the staff of Himalmedia and many other journalists. In a combined show of strength, press councils and journalists here condemned the attack and published blank editorials on Tuesday. I must say that the people at Himalmedia took it in their stride rather well, and saw that as part and parcel of the continual struggle for press freedom in Nepal. Not that I think the Singaporean press should start protesting in Hong Lim Park or wait to get beaten up, but sometimes as a journalist in Singapore you wonder whether it's really worth the lone struggle against press freedom in Singapore. After awhile, you just get bogged down by all the cynicism of others and doubts on what you can actually do to change the status quo. So yes, another lesson learnt, this time a much sobering one. Press freedom, or any freedom for that matter, is hard-fought and shouldn't be taken for granted. Neither is electricity and the modernities of the developed world.
Back to my candlelight dinner.
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1 comment:
Candle-light dinner quite romantic what. Can develop bonds.
Anyway the Maoist Government is really turning out to be like Napoleon the Pig, isn't it? No private schools, media witch-hunt, and recently ban on ghurkas from working in foreign armies.
Ok la, but at least you're gaining new experience everyday. The only new things I learn everyday now are stuff like bonds, derivatives and futures. Which only led me to the conclusion that if these people had spent half of their brains and time to do real engineering instead of financial engineering the world would have been a much better place.
Anyway Merry Christmas!
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