Free press must for democracy: PM

Voicing his belief that a free press is a great help in improving democracy in India and elsewhere, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today recalled how the late Pakistan President Ayub Khan had regretted gagging the press.

Upon losing power, Khan was asked by a London university student as to what he would never do again if he returned to office. "I would never gag because if one does this, then you are depending only on bureaucrats and all the advice you get is sound of your own voice," the Pakistan leader told the student.

The Prime Minister mentioned this while receiving the first copy of the leading Malayalam daily Malayala Manorama's Delhi edition at his residence here in the presence of Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and E Ahmed, members of Parliament, senior bureaucrats and leading media personalities.

The newspaper's managing editor Philip Mathew described the Delhi edition as "Onam" gift to Malayalee Diaspora in the Capital.

Recalling Nobel laureate Amartya Sen's assertion about a free press, the Prime Minister said: "Free press is a great institution in a modern democracy and it has a vital role to play in improving the quality of governance, particularly in a country like ours where channels of communication are still not what they ought to be".

Lauding the role of Malayala Manorama, Singh said for more than a century the daily had had a glorious record of remaining in the forefront of Indian journalism.

"It has established a healthy tradition of shaping public opinion and championing the cause of the people, as well as defending the freedom of the press," said Singh, who was presented the first copy by the daily's assistant editor and general manager Riyad Mathew.

Not only did the founder of the newspaper late Varghese Mappillai make journalism a mouthpiece of human rights and nationalism in the country, he also provided literary depth to it, he said.

The Malayala Manorama, has through its columns and editorials, played a leading role in inculcating nationalist fervour among the people of the erstwhile State of Travancore, in their struggle against the British rule and in favour of Travancore's integration with the Indian Union, the Prime Minister said.

Citing the observation made by late Bernard Levin of The Times, London that "the last line of defence of democracy is the press," the Prime Minister said: "It is no exaggeration to say that the journalistic traditions of the Malayala Manorama have consistently strengthened this last line of defence. For this, the country is justly proud".

He said apart from its valuable contributions to the field of journalism, the newspaper group has rendered humanitarian services to the people and cited its help to the earthquake victims in Latur.

Observing that Malayalees living in the Capital would have a fresh newspaper in their language, P Mathew said that the daily considered the Delhi edition as a "landmark".

Though the newspaper group has editions in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, the Delhi edition was a "long-range news missile", he added.