The Nepal Weekly 
December 19, 2023
By Prakriti Thapa
There is a famous myth about ‘Taj Mahal’ that Emperor Shah Jahan chopped off the hands of the workers who built it so that the world cannot make its replica. Likewise, the controversial ban on Tiktok imposed by government of Nepal is nothing but a similar practice. In 1648 AD, Emperor Shah Jahan is believed to chop off the hands of workers who made one of the 7th wonder of the world whereas in 2023 AD Government of Nepal decided to ban 5th largest video sharing platform worldwide with more than 2.2 million users in Nepal. That’s also because it cannot bear people’s criticism. The decision was not only in the violation of the constitutional guarantee of freedom of expression and right to communication but also it is a ridicule and egoistic decision of the government.
Tiktok is the platform where people could show their talent, coming up with new ideas. People were implementing their ideas in a creative manner and the deserving users were getting proper appreciation which they didn’t receive anywhere before. It was also the platform for presenting political views, appreciating good works of government and criticizing its wrongdoings. The government might be finding public criticism heavier than the appreciation, due to which, it decided to ban the platform instead of focusing on finding solution for people’s grievances.
Also, few controversial people like Durga Prasai were openly challenging the government even talking about restoring Monarchy, which was abolished 17 years ago. The snippets of Durga Prasai’s controversial statement was all over the social media specially Tiktok. People were supporting his movement and the mass behind Prasai’s populist and controversial remarks were posing threat to the government. The fear of government become well known to the public when Prime-minister, along with Home-minister consulted with the three district administration offices of Kathmandu valley and issued prohibitory order in several parts of Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts. Thus, one of the many reasons behind banning Tiktok was to stop the negative publicity and propaganda which people like Prasai was spreading against the government through social media platform.
Likewise, the reason given by Council of Ministers to impose ban on famous social media platform- Tiktok is not sufficient to justify the move. While justifying the move government spokesperson Rekha Sharma said that the reason behind banning Tiktok was its negative impact on social harmony and the social environment. Before this decision, I used to believe that few members of Council of Ministers are wise and they think of prospect and retrospect of every decision they make, but on 13rd of November they broke that faith too. The cabinet filled with intelligent ministers couldn’t raise the voice against it which is sad, pathetic in itself and shows how our ministers become blind wild while maintaining their loyalty to the government. This also shows the weak democratic culture within the government.
Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal who waged Maoist insurgency by criticizing the then functioning of government, who is accused of killing thousands of people while revolting against the system for the rights of grass-root people, was himself now imposing ban on their right of expression. This shows how politics and power is capable of making ‘Protector the Destroyer’. By this act of government, one can clearly understand where the future of Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal is heading towards.
Contradictory to government move, few months ago, the opposition party- CPN UML head KP Sharma Oli posted on his social media about how Tiktok has developed harmony between the Hindu and Muslim Community by giving the example of Aayush and Alizeh (two famous Tiktok influencers) are now silent about the reason Council of Ministers has cited to ban the Tiktok. This is also a sign that the ban on Tiktok is far more mysterious than we think of.
I also firmly believe that Tiktok was a medium of exchanging happiness and grief. A viral couple in Tiktok, Srijana Subedi and Bibek Pangeni; Bibek is now on the healing process from the Glioma (a fatal cancer). Since Srijana and Bibek were liked in Tiktok, when Bibek was diagnosed with cancer, people from all over Nepal, of all caste, religion and occupation started to raise fund for him. Now, can I question government where did Tiktok goes wrong and disrupt the social harmony? The question is left unanswered.
Besides, the Tiktok famed twins- Prisma and Princy are now getting offers for music videos from Bollywood Industry. Other home-maker turned influencers Mamta Mandal and homemaker turned entrepreneur and influencer Anjana Aryal were earning decent income by advertising different products (in case of Anjana Aryal, She used to advertise her own pickle brand) and in case of Mamata Mandal she used to do branding of different products in a fun, simple and understandable manner. Likewise, Trendsetter Eva Giri confronted how ban on Tiktok is a clear discouragement for youth like her who were earning good source of income by doing branding and advertising the products.
Moreover, Tiktok was becoming a platform to discover hidden talents of people. A user from Palpa who was an excellent folk singer got noticed because of Tiktok. Through her songs, posted on Tiktok, she used to describe simple to the harsh situation in the form of song and in a pleasant manner. The platform which was loved by most of the people of the society from children to youth to senior citizens is currently banned by the government. And the reason given by government to ban Tiktok is completely baseless and serves the interest of people in government.
Also, through Tiktok few companies like Choose me Collection, Tulsa Collection were getting significant amount of orders as it was becoming the most powerful tool for marketing, the ban on Tiktok has led to the economic downturn on those online based shops. If government is still unaware about the adverse impact of decision it made, this article can be a mirror for all the stakeholders to rethink about the decision they made on 13th November.
While talking about pros of Tiktok, I obviously cannot overlook its disadvantages. For instance, people were doing ridiculous behavior to earn money from Tiktok live. The algorithm of Tiktok was more intoxicating than other platforms as people of all age were spending their significant portion of time scrolling the feed.
Every advantage has its disadvantages, in case of Tiktok too, there are disadvantages but Tiktok was ready to negotiate with the government. It had even removed 2.98 million videos that were against the community standard guideline on 3rd of November. Tiktok has even provided the authority to regulate the content to Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) but still government choose to impose ban. After all this, everyone can easily make a guess that Tiktok is banned in Nepal to satisfy the ego of people in government and to shut the voice of the large mass at once.
The move to ban Tiktok, led to big hue and cry; people were protesting against the ban around Maitighar area (infamous place for every strike). But Kathmandu Administration Office issued the prohibitory notice in that area which stopped people to raise their voice from street. Likewise, 10 writ petitions were filed on the Supreme Court of Nepal demanding annulation of the government decision. However, Supreme Court has now demanded for the reason from the government on the outright ban on Tiktok. Now, there is no other option than wait and see for the final verdict.
