(PINA/IFEX) – Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister Michael Nali has issued a thinly-veiled warning to the country’s two daily newspapers, both of which have overseas companies as majority shareholders. “The National” newspaper reported on 15 April 1998 that Nali reacted angrily to a critical editorial it published about him. He said the right to […]
(PINA/IFEX) – Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister Michael Nali has issued
a thinly-veiled warning to the country’s two daily newspapers, both of which
have overseas companies as majority shareholders. “The National” newspaper
reported on 15 April 1998 that Nali reacted angrily to a critical editorial
it published about him. He said the right to free speech and approved
temporary abode or business was no excuse for those of foreign status to
“assume automatic legitimacy” to participate in the country’s “political
destiny.” “As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, I
will see to it that in future such persons or organisations must justify why
their presence or activities in this country should be allowed to continue”,
Nali said. The newspaper, in its editorial, had stated that Nali was
commenting publicly on issues which were outside his jurisdiction when the
Prime Minister was still in the country.
Both “The National” and the “Papua New Guinea Post-Courier” have local
shareholders, but the majority shareholder in “The National” is a Malaysian
company which also publishes the Malaysian Chinese-language daily “Sin Chew
Jit Poh.” The majority shareholder in the “Post-Courier” is Rupert Murdoch’s
News Corporation. Both papers have leading Papua New Guinea journalists as
their top editors.
Background Information
In 1997, draft parliamentary bills enabling the registering of Papua New
Guinea journalists and the licensing of publishers and broadcasters, did not
proceed after angry public and media reaction.
