In the letter sent by the former presidents, the federation has been urged to resolve the widespread dissatisfaction and clarify the role of the organization, including the current political and democratic context.
What you should know
Amid the escalating controversy over the nomination of advisors to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), three former presidents of the federation have jointly sent a written letter to the current president Nirmala Sharma. On Monday, former presidents Govinda Acharya, Bipul Pokharel and Ramesh Bista sent a letter to the president Sharma after public interest and criticism in the name of the federation increased.
In the letter sent by the former presidents, the federation has been urged to resolve the widespread dissatisfaction and clarify the role of the organization with the current political and democratic context.
In particular, the letter emphasizes that the central committee should take a sensitive decision to prevent the controversy over the nomination of ex-officio advisors from negatively affecting the image of the federation.
The letter states, 'In the current context where the country is currently moving towards elections and there are signs of a threat to democracy, the federation should take the initiative and play an effective role to conduct elections in a free, fair and fearless environment.'
The former presidents have reminded the federation of the 'leading citizen organization' and stated that it is the federation's responsibility to warn political parties and stand clearly and firmly in favor of the constitutional rights of citizens and press freedom.
Regarding the controversy over the nomination of advisors, the letter reminds the federation of Article 16(9) of the statute of the federation and suggests that a decision should be taken in accordance with the clear provisions therein. The former presidents say that the tradition of resolving problems within the organization through dialogue and due process should not be broken.
Similarly, the letter states that the central committee has the right to honor individuals who have contributed to the organization and policy aspects in the past, and that any decision made within the limits of the statute will be in the long-term interest of the organization.
