SAFMA’s Meaningful Entry in Bhutan
At a time when election dates are drawing closer in the country, Bhutan for the first time, has joined the international press body working for strengthening media freedom. The launching of the Bhutan Chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) on August 5 in the capital, Thimphu has opened the door towards press freedom in the country.
Though Bhutan is the last of the eight South Asian countries to join the association, which was established in 2000 as an associate body of the SAARC, it is quite timely as the Druk regime is claiming it would hold free and fair election in the country ignoring about one sixth of its population, currently living in Nepal as refugees.
SAFMA has been the second international media watchdogs besides Third World Media Network (TWMN), based in Bangladesh, to allowing Bhutanese journalists for opening country chapter. TWMN has recognized Bhutanese journalists in exile in Nepal and India for its Bhutan Chapter in September 2006. However, the SAFMA had quite often ignored appeals of Bhutanese journalists in exile, particularly to formation of its national chapter.
SAFMA’s role
SAFMA is a non governmental body consisting of journalists from all media sectors striving to strengthen media capacity, promote access to and free flow of information, strengthen regional cooperation through SAARC and defend and expand press freedom.
Besides this, SAFMA that aims at strengthening networking among media stakeholders, especially working journalists to improve professional standards through journalism education, training and capacity building and promoting press freedom, has shouldered greater role in the context of Bhutan as media freedom has been under the government control since centuries.
The SAFMA’s secretary general, Imtiaz Alam, who was in Thimphu for the launch, has said that the launching was timely because of the change in Bhutan’s political system to from absolute monarchy to democracy next year. He has also stressed that freedom of media is essential and media has a bigger role to play in democracy.
The notable point of Bhutanese journalists is that they for long worked under government censored media that had been merely the mouthpieces of the absolute regime. For instance, when the government blocked bhutantimes.com from being viewed inside the country, they remained hush. Besides, hundreds of those who also demanded press freedom were detained during the peaceful demonstration in early 1990s. Many of them still remain disappeared. SAFMA should immediately work on making their status public.
Not only this, SAFMA will never step on the paths of ‘real scenario’ of the country until it recognizes media professionals and activists including press organizations in exile. These activists and organizations have been continuously advocating for media freedom in the country since their inception. Similarly, this regional body must not avoid its responsibilities to extending its cooperation and support organizations operating in refugee community so that ‘joint effort’ could establish guaranteed press freedom, freedom of speech and expression.
Challenges ahead
As the country completely lack press freedom, it is very difficult for any international media or rights bodies to operate in free and fair atmosphere inside the country. Undoubtedly, SAFMA will face similar challenges in the day to go. It has to be well considered that Bhutanese government in June had blocked one of the popular sites i.e. www.bhutantimes.com from being viewed within the country, to which SAFMA remain a spectator.
United Kingdom-based Media Helping Media, one of the popular platforms for journalists around the globe, has mentioned on its online version that the Druk government hasn’t yet resumed its decision of allowing its operation freely within Bhutan. Now, regional media bodies like the SAFMA, which has already entered onto Bhutanese soil, should wholeheartedly and urgently instigate strong measures to allow bhutantimes’s operation. This will bestow a very clear message to the world community that the SAFMA will sternly work towards guaranteeing press freedom, freedom of speech and expression in Bhutan.
Bhutan is holding general elections in the country next year. There are no any areas to trace out that the election would not be 'free and fare'. Still cases of increasing violence and atrocities from the government are reported at different international media and human rights organization one after the other. Therefore, the outside world will be witnessing whether the SAFMA would be able to scrutinize during the upcoming elections and make attempts to bring to world community the real picture of the press freedom and rights to information enjoyed by the Bhutaense people.