Opposition, news media condemn threats by prime minister

(PINA/IFEX) – On 27 October 1999, there was widespread criticism in the Fiji Islands of threats by Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry to bring in a government-regulated media tribunal with powers to impose penalties on the media. One of the country’s three daily newspapers reported there are also plans within the government to introduce legislation requiring […]

(PINA/IFEX) – On 27 October 1999, there was widespread criticism in the Fiji
Islands of threats by Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry to bring in a
government-regulated media tribunal with powers to impose penalties on the
media. One of the country’s three daily newspapers reported there are also
plans within the government to introduce legislation requiring compulsory
licensing of foreign-owned Fiji Islands media. This includes setting strict
conditions under which they must report and operate or they lose their
licence, and imposing a $F20,000 (approx. US$10,000) annual licence fee,
“The Fiji Sun” newspaper reported.

**Updates IFEX alerts of 26 October, 5 October, 27 August, 16 August, 12
August, 5 July, 23 June 1999 and others**

PINA president William Parkinson called the threats to the news media a
“disgrace” and “unbecoming of a prime minister of a supposedly democratic
country. We have not had this kind of threat made since the military
government in 1987. Fiji is very much a beacon for the rest of the region
with regards media freedom. We have a very dynamic media industry which
apart from a period around the military coups in 1987 has been able to
operate freely.”

On the prime minister’s claim that a government-imposed media tribunal would
speed up the hearing of defamation cases, Parkinson said PINA sees this as
the role of the judicial system. “Any attempt to impose a body of this kind
would be viewed as a very serious threat to media freedom,” he said. “We
already have a public body, the Media Council, which is in place to provide
a level of accountability.” Parkinson said another worry was Chaudhry’s
signalling of the government’s intention to use the Newspaper Registration
Act as a means of imposing “media discipline”. Until now, the aim of this
act has been merely to provide a register of owners and publishers.

“The Fiji Times” publisher, Alan Robinson, reacting to Chaudhry’s attacks on
the newspaper and journalists working for it, said the paper stood by its
reports and its staff. “We do not make or dream up stories,” Robinson said.
“The prime minister apparently is unable to distinguish between the
messenger and the message,” he said. “The Fiji Times” carried detailed
responses to Chaudhry’s claims. This included quoting an indigenous Fijian
chief Chaudhry had claimed had retracted statements she made in “The Fiji
Times” as saying she had not done this and had never spoken to Chaudhry or
anyone from government about this. The newspaper also published further
details of the cost to taxpayers of work being done on Chaudhry’s personal
home, which he has decided to use as his official residence. These reports
had been one of the targets of Chaudhry’s criticism. “Mr Chaudhry spoke of
the need to protect the wider public interest yet in his long list of
criticisms related only to his office and his time in government” Robinson
said. “The Fiji Times” is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and is
a previous winner of the PINA Pacific Freedom of Information award for its
defence of freedom of information and expression and the right of the Fiji
Islands public to be informed.

Other non-media criticism of Chaudhry’s threats included:
– from opposition leader Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, a former information
minister, who said Chaudhry’s attack is uncalled for and Fiji is a
democratic society where the media should be allowed to play their role. He
said of Chaudhry: “I remember when he was in the opposition, he used to
challenge the then government to be open to the media. Now when he’s in the
government, he’s doing the very opposite.”
– from the National Federation Party, which is the main rival of Chaudhry’s
Labour Party for the votes of the country’s ethnic Indian citizens mainly
descended from indentured sugarcane workers brought from India last century.
It said Chaudhry’s on-going attack on the media is “characteristic of a
ruthless and power hungry dictator.”
– from the United General Party, one of the main parties representing voters
who are neither indigenous Fijians or ethnic Indians. It said: “This is bad
for the country’s image and will erode business and public confidence. The
PM’s statements will be interpreted as a move towards an authoritarian form
of government.”

Background Information

The Fiji Islands has amongst the most diverse and free news media in the
Pacific Islands. They include: three seven-day-a-week English-language daily
newspapers; weekly newspapers in Hindi, Fijian, and English; news, business,
trade and entertainment magazines; independent commercial, community and
religious radio stations; government-owned public and commercial radio
stations; and commercial and community television.

However, the news media have come under continuing criticism from Prime
Minister Chaudhry, who is also information minister, and his assistant
information minister, Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi. This follows the election of their
new Fiji Labour Party-led coalition government in May (see IFEX alerts).
This criticism has included threats to impose a government-regulated media
council and to move against “foreign” interests.

Recommended Action

The Honourable Mahendra Chaudhry

Prime Minister and Minister of Information

P.O. Box 2353, Government Buildings

Suva, Fiji Islands

Fax: +679 306 034