PMO lacks effective channel to impart information

At a time when experts and media analysts are debating the need to introduce Right to Information Act to formalize the relations between media and public service agencies, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) itself is found to be lacking effective channel to deal with media queries.

PM Girija P Koirala

Controversies regarding statements made by prime minister have become routine. Just a few days ago, PM came out to blame media for having failed to understand his English when quotes attributed to him regarding his preference to keep minor King generated huge controversy. Unfortunately, there was no formal reaction from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on what he had actually said.

Most of the time, PM’s meeting with other dignitaries or media are not accompanied by responsible officials who could keep records of what transpires in those meetings. Imparting those official statements would vastly improve the situation and people will no longer have to remain in confusion on what is in the mind of their head of the government who also happens to be their head of the state.

The government has not taken any initiative to set up a formal mechanism to inform media about the activities of the prime minister.

A minister told Nepalnews that such controversies are frivolously discussed in the cabinet while the PMO does not come forth clearly.

Formation of a separate Information Department at the PMO was mulled in a proposal for restructuring of the PMO. A year has gone by, but no steps have been taken to smoothen the PMO-media linkage.

The minister said that reforms in PMO have not become a subject of discussion even after the formation of the interim cabinet but has been left entirely up to the PMO.

A radio journalist Govinda Khadka reveals how difficult it is for him to know what prime minister says in his meetings with dignitaries or delegations. “The first source is the person meeting the prime minister but they sometimes deny revealing the fact of talks fearing that they could land in controversy,” Khadka says.

Taranath Dahal, Chairman of Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) – the state-owned news agency – says the absence of a formal mechanism at the PMO and Baluwatar is the real cause of controversy.

“I had once advised prime minister for immediate formation of a full fledged media wing at PMO taking into consideration the graveness of his responsibilities as the head of the state,” Dahal adds.

The PMO has an information cell but it itself remains uninformed about what prime minister does or says. A senior official at the cell, Jagadish Regmi said they themselves do not get information about the activities of the prime minister.

“We used to coordinate with prime minister when he was working from his office at Singh Durbar. Now that most of his activities are carried out from his official residence at Baluwatar, we have remained out of the loop,” he conceded.

Prime minister’s foreign relations advisor Dr Suresh Chalise informs media about the talks between foreign delegates and the PM. However, the only source of information when prime minister meets national personalities or delegates is the actual person meeting him.

Moreover, Dr Chalise is not always accessible. An officer at Baluwatar said, “He would talk to you only if you are a regular caller.” Several attempts by nepalnews to get his words failed.

“This has widened the gulf between people-prime minister relations,” comments Dahal. He advised to set up an effective media wing at the PMO and a secretariat at Baluwatar to coordinate with the media in order to lessen the controversies.

Strangely though, the government has not been taking steps to set up such a mechanism despite controversies. Like the commentary in the latest issue of Samay weekly state; the credibility of the prime minister would continue to decline unless appropriate steps are taken to improve the public relations.

Published in Nepalnews.com

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