Media Industry Development Authority – Asia Pacific Report

‘Be fearless – and amplify the voice of the people’, Prasad tells Fiji media

Pacific Media Watch — Sun, 08 May 2022 19:43:14 +0000

By Luke Nacei in Suva

Fiji has no place for a partisan media using press freedom as a blank cheque to be a mouthpiece of government, says opposition National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad.

In a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day last week, Professor Prasad urged journalists to be fearless and amplify the truth and voice of the people at all times.

He said it was critically important for the media to be impartial and to amplify the voice of the people without fear — especially in an election year.

“Since September last year, the media, particularly The Fiji Times and Communications Fiji Ltd, operators of five radio stations and the vastly popular FijiVillage news site, have been repeatedly criticised by government for amplifying the voice of the people through their elected representatives,” he said.

“The Fiji Times and CFL are simply doing what any media organisation should do at all times. They are simply performing their fundamental role as an effective watchdog of government.

“They are the messenger of truth, but unfortunately the truth is unpalatable to the current government because its broken promises and failed policies that are severely hurting the people, are being exposed.

“The Attorney-General’s statement in Parliament on September 24 last year, while agreeing to the tirade against The Fiji Times and CFL by Assistant Minister Selai Adimaitoga for the media to declare which political party they support in their editorial policy, is the clearest indication of government preferring a pro-FijiFirst and partisan media in the country.

‘Freedom of expression’ right
“Instead, government must fully adhere to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states, ‘Everyone has right to freedom of opinion and expression’.

“This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through the media regardless of frontiers.

“This freedom and right are reposed in the people, which the state and politicians must respect at all times.

“Therefore, it is totally wrong and unethical for government or anyone to launch a tirade against the media organisation and their news director or editor-in-chief just because they don’t like the media amplifying the truth and voice of the people without fear.

“Do the right thing – shoot the message, not the messenger.”

MIDA Act ‘dangerous’ for Fiji media
Meanwhile, Pacific Media Watch reports that the Fijian Media Association (FMA) issued a statement welcoming the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2022 World Press Freedom Index, in which Fiji’s ranking slipped by 47 places to 102nd in 180 countries. RSF criticised the legislation in Fiji that “criminalised” journalism.

The statement said that while the Fiji media was under pressure “the Fijian media remains bold and thriving, and committed to fulfil its role”.

“Who defines what is against the public interest or what is against the national interest?” asked the statement by general secretary Stanley Simpson.

“While the Fijian media have been doing their best to be bold and free and abiding by their code of ethics — these laws are making many organisations and editors hesitate about publishing or broadcasting certain views that may go against the government based on how [it] may interpret that legislation and come after a media organisation.

“The fines are too excessive and designed to be vindictive and punish the media rather [than] encourage better reporting standards and be corrective.

“Media organisations are almost unanimous in seeking removal of the harsh fines and a review of the Act [Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA) Act].

“It is dangerous for media freedom now and also in the future. The MIDA Act has been ineffective and has done little to nothing to raise media standards,” the FMA statement said.

RSF changed its system of analysis this year to include a breakdown on specific categories such as legal framework and justice system, technological censorship and surveillance, disinformation and propaganda, arbitrary detention and proceedings, independence and pluralism, models and good practices, media sustainability, and violence against journalists, which partially explains Fiji’s sudden major fall on the Index.

Luke Nacei is a Fiji Times reporter. Republished with permission and additional reporting by Pacific Media Watch.

Fiji’s opposition NFP calls for dismissal of media authority chief

Pacific Media Watch — Wed, 12 Apr 2017 04:37:18 +0000

By Nasik Swami in Suva

A Fiji opposition party has called for the immediate dismissal of Ashwin Raj as both chair of the Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA) and director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission (FHRADC).

The National Federation Party (NFP) call follows Raj’s suggestions to stifle freedom of speech on national television – FBC TV’s talkback show 4 the Record.

NFP leader Professor Biman Prasad said the suggestions earlier this month on FBC TV when Raj urged the state to pursue regulation of social media was “shocking” and must be condemned in the strongest terms.

National Federation Party leader Dr Biman Prasad … “shocked” by MIDA chair Ashwin Raj’s call for social media to be regulated. Image: Jona Konataci/Fiji Times

“The NFP strongly condemns these suggestions to the state by Mr Raj, which we know are all being said under the pretext of responsibility,” Dr Prasad said.

“It is chilling, unconstitutional and could be easily wielded as an instrument to again stifle the voices of the people of Fiji.

“What we find further disturbing are his pointed attacks on political parties and then the further justification of these attacks to bring in regulation over social media.”

Dr Prasad said Raj should be terminated from his positions to allow other more “worthy, neutral and independent” Fijians to apply for the position.

“His utterances and accusations are damning where he has crossed the line as a public servant acting as a mouthpiece for a political agenda.”

In response, Raj claimed the NFP leader seemed to be in the habit of distorting facts.

“The fact is that my intervention on 4 the Record was very clearly about considering the possibility of regulating hate speech on the social media,” Raj said.

“Hate speech is a constitutional crime. It is not about suppressing freedom of expression. I clearly talked about balancing freedom of expression with responsibility.”

The leader of the NFP had been invited by the FBC twice to address these matters and he refused, Raj said.

“If he is the paragon of virtue and is speaking truth to power, then why is he refusing to engage me on these matters that affect ordinary Fijians?”

MIDA chair Ashwin Raj … calls for regulation of social media because of hate speech online. Image: Fiji Television

Raj said both the Fiji Constitution and international law expressly prohibited hate speech.

“This was in fact affirmed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a statement issued on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

“Does the UN High Commissioner have a political agenda and must be dismissed? Here is a political party that has given active credence to hate speech and when I called them out for what it is, they do what the NFP has always done, ask the heads of independent institutions to resign.

“So I am not surprised.”

Nasik Swami is a reporter for The Fiji Times.

No media freedom in Fiji while decree still in place, says Prasad

Pacific Media Watch — Thu, 05 May 2016 09:59:58 +0000

By Matilda Simmons in Suva

As long as the Media Decree is in place, Fiji cannot say it has press freedom, says opposition National Federation Party leader Professor Biman Prasad.

Speaking to members of the local media marking World Press Freedom Day on May 3, he said the decree “puts water” on journalists and news groups trying to report accurately.

The decree, which was introduced in June 2010, enables the Fiji Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA) to enforce and investigate possible violations by local media outlets.

“It’s the rule of law — freedom of the media and the laws that govern that freedom must be open and transparent,” he said.

We don’t have that in Fiji because we have a Media Decree that puts water on all the efforts by the journalists and organisations to report accurately without fear or favour.

“So I think the focus of media freedom in Fiji is to pressure the government to remove the decree because we can talk about media freedom for as long as we want, but the law that we have restricts this.”

Last year, the National Federation Party leader had tabled a motion in the Fiji Parliament to remove or modify the decree but was defeated, 24-17.

Relook needed
Fijian Media Association general secretary Stanley Simpson said it was prudent that the government relook at certain provisions in the decree.

“The Fijian Media Association’s view is that we’ve always wanted to consistently engage with government to remove certain provisions of Media Industry Development Decree, which we deem as excessive and could be abused by whichever government comes into power,” said Simpson.

“Some aspects of the decree we have no problems with, like the code of ethics which is similar to ours, but it’s the penalties and, in particular, the independence of the make-up of the tribunal authority. Those are two provisions we feel are a concern,” he added.

USP head of journalism Dr Shailendra Singh criticised the hypocrisy of many political leaders in power about freedom of the press.

In a separate event, MIDA chairman Ashwin Raj, spoke in a panel discussion at the Fiji National University, telling the media fraternity that the issue was responsible reporting and urged local media to work closely with MIDA.