Threat to impose government media tribunal

(PINA/IFEX) – On 26 October 1999, PINA president William Parkinson called new threats to the news media by Fiji Islands Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry a return to the “draconian” days after Fiji’s 1987 military coups. “We have not had these threats made since the military government in 1987, and as a member of the Fiji […]

(PINA/IFEX) – On 26 October 1999, PINA president William Parkinson called
new threats to the news media by Fiji Islands Prime Minister Mahendra
Chaudhry a return to the “draconian” days after Fiji’s 1987 military coups.
“We have not had these threats made since the military government in 1987,
and as a member of the Fiji media I’m very concerned,” Parkinson told local
journalists. Parkinson plans to discuss the threats with the Fiji Islands
news media industry before deciding on further action.

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

Parkinson spoke immediately after Chaudhry again attacked the Fiji Islands
news media, following a series of earlier criticisms of news media
organisations and individual journalists. In a lengthy address, the prime
minister singled out three of Fiji’s main news organisations for detailed
criticism. He threatened the introduction of a government-imposed media
tribunal with powers to impose penalties on the media. Chaudhry, speaking at
a gathering in Suva to launch a new Fiji Media Council self-regulatory
general media code of ethics and practice, said: “My warning to the industry
today is that if it will not act responsibly it must brace itself to face
regulatory measures.”

Chaudhry was heckled and jeered by some of the media people present when he
attacked the country’s biggest daily newspaper, “The Fiji Times”, and
national television service, Fiji Television, and alleged journalists
working for these organisations had an “agenda”. He accused “The Fiji Times”
of publishing “anti-government stories with facts manipulated and distorted
to discredit and embarrass the government.” He told Fiji Television, which
was awarded an exclusive twelve-year licence to set up the national
television service: “I want to make it clear that government will remove the
monopoly, we have received numerous complaints regarding programmes and
standards.” Chaudhry was interrupted by “Islands Business” magazine
publisher Robert Keith-Reid when he accused the regional news and business
magazine of publishing “disinformation” about his government. Chaudhry also
had praise for the reporting of the “Daily Post” newspaper, in which the
government is the main shareholder, and the two national radio networks, one
of which is government owned.

Chaudhry warned that the media must work under the “ambit” of the Public
Order Act, which “prohibits public statements and utterances which could
incite”. He accused “irresponsible elements” in the news media of turning a
continuing debate over the renewal of leases of land belonging to indigenous
Fijians into a “racial issue”. The leases, which are running out, are mainly
held by farmers who are descendants of indentured labourers brought from
India last century when Fiji was a British colony. Chaudhry is Fiji’s first
prime minister descended from these Indians. He was in a new government
removed by the mainly indigenous Fijian army in 1987 after protests by
indigenous Fijians against what they saw as an Indian-dominated government.

Background Information

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.