(PINA/IFEX) – Broadcasters in the Fiji Islands are getting more information before commenting on a new bill regulating broadcasting being proposed by the new Fiji Labour Party-led coalition government. The proposed bill was announced by the President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, in his speech outlining government policies at the opening of the new Parliament on […]
(PINA/IFEX) – Broadcasters in the Fiji Islands are getting more information
before commenting on a new bill regulating broadcasting being proposed by
the new Fiji Labour Party-led coalition government. The proposed bill was
announced by the President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, in his speech outlining
government policies at the opening of the new Parliament on 15 June 1999.
The previous government, defeated by Labour and its coalition partners in
general elections in May, had been reviewing all media legislation. It
consulted broadly with the media and community through a review conducted
for it by the Thomson Foundation of Britain.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 11 June, 4 June, 21 May and 7 May 1999**
“The Fiji Times” of 16 June quoted William Parkinson, managing director of
commercial radio station operator Communications Fiji Limited, as saying:
“We will need to sit down with the new government and discuss the licensing
of broadcasters because the only license we have now is the technical
licence.” Francis Herman, general manager of Public Broadcasting with Island
Networks Corporation, said: “We need to look at the context on which
government proposes to license broadcasters before we make any comment.”
Background Information
The Fiji Islands has amongst the most diverse broadcasting in the Pacific
Islands, with government-owned public and commercial radio stations, private
sector commercial radio stations, community and religious radio stations and
commercial and community TV stations.
Following his election last month, new Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry
pledged on 21 May to not legislate against the media or impose media
licensing, “The Fiji Times” reported. But Chaudhry said media organisations,
starting from management, need “a lot of tuition,” the newspaper reported.
He complained during the general election campaign that some media
organisations were biased against his Fiji Labour Party. He alleged a “media
plot” to prevent Labour from winning. This charge was vigorously rejected by
the media, especially “The Fiji Times”, which is the biggest daily newspaper
and also publishes Fijian and Hindi-language weeklies. It pointed out that
politicians from all political sides were alleging media bias against them
and in favour of their opponents (see IFEX alert of 7 May 1999).
