As expected the interim government is proposing a Media Industry Development Authority, saying it's needed to ensure high standards of performance and to ensure that material which is against public interest or order are not broadcast or publicised.

All material must also carry a byline with news organisations facing a fine of up to half a million Fiji dollars or a fine of up to $100,000 Fijian dollars if the code is breached.

The decree also paves the way for publishers, editors and journalists to be jailed for up to five years for breaches.

As predicted, a tribunal would be established to hear compalints from the public, public officers or Cabinet Ministers.

Media organisations would need to be registered and require 90 per cent ownership by a Fijian citizen. Cross media ownership will also be monitored with a five per cent non-voting interest only, allowed in any other media organisation.

The Draft Media Decree says the Media Industry Development Authority will:
ensure that nothing is included in the content of any media service which is against public interest or order , or national interest, or which offends against good taste or deceny and creates communal discord.

This is very broad so it will be interesting to see what kind of stories come under this criteria. Censors are already stopping the publication of stories which make the interim government look bad; eg water and power cuts and bad road conditions leading to pot holes.

This clause really means any stories which the interim regime doesn't like because it exposes them or shows that they're not doing a good job, is not in their interest and offends them as it creates communal discord.

No proceedings, civil or criminal, shall lie against the Authority for anything it may do or fail to do in the course of the exercise or intended exercise of its functions, unless it is shown that it did not act in good faith or without reasonable care.

So basically what the Authority rules on a journalist or media organisation is Gospel and it cannot be sued. Lawyers know that it is hard to prove that an organisation or person did not act in good faith.

Every media organisation that provides or intends to provide media services in Fiji must be registered...

A media organisation is registered when the proprietor deposits with the Authority an affidavit or affidavits duly sworn and signed by the proprietor.

In all civil or criminal proccedings relating to any media organisation, an affidavit deposited under section 31 is conclusive evidence against every person signing it of the truth of its contents.

This means a media organisation will have to swear that it will follow by the rules and if it doesn't the Authority will be able to use the affidavit against them in a court.

In every media organisation - up to 10% of the beneficial ownership of any share or shares in a company or any interest ... may be owned by foreign persons but at least 90% ... must be owned by citizens of Fiji permanently residing in Fiji

A person who does not fall within the class ...respectively must resign or divest themselves of any directorship or ownership interest within three months from the commencement of this Decree

It will be interesting to see what will happen to the Fiji Times. Who will buy the shares, local businessman or the Government?

Read the full Draft Media Decree

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

Let it not be said that Coupfourpointfive is all dull preaching. We can do mirth as well.

The following letter touches on some of the big issues .... loyal citizens, regional collegiality, journalism of hope and, yes, Al Qaeda and threats against the state. It's being doing the rounds, gathering fans as it goes.

And with the easy millions of the Fiji Reserve Bank heading to the government coffers this week, this Bainimarama cartoon deserves another outing. Keep the faith, people!


Dear Commodore

Once again I come to ask for your forgiveness and your blessing. The problem is once again my small five-year-old son, Osama.

Recently he met a New Zealand boy of his own age called Alex. We call him Al, for short. He is a nice boy but we have faced problems because he is a New Zealander and because of his name.

 Al and Osama were playing together when Osama said that he was hungry. He called out to his friend,

“We need to eat. Come on Al, we’ll get some kai, we need food.”

Unfortunately for him and little Osama, one of your soldiers was standing near the two boys. He had been hoping to hear of the latest New Zealand plans to attack Fiji with weapons of mass democracy. At the same time the soldier was fondling himself and talking on a cell phone to his girl friend in the Middle East so he only heard the words Al and then Kai. Mistakenly, he thought he heard the words Al Qaida.

This soldier panicked and phoned the Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, to tell him that Al Qaida terrorists were in Suva. 

Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was concerned. He immediately prepared a short clear media release, saying it was possible that Al Qaida had infiltrated Fiji, but then it was possible they had not, but if they were, it could be Australia and New Zealand who were behind it, but then he could not be sure of this, but if they were not, then the opposite was true, that there was a possibility that he was right in his thinking, but he was sure that neither New Zealand or Australia had any right to interfere with Fiji or to even contemplate their impending hostile actions to infringe the democratic rights of Fiji citizens. He advised the embassy staff of both countries to desist immediately what they were doing to destabilize Fiji or face immediate deportation without any reasons being given.

Officer L. read the media release, cleared it for clarity of language and faxed it to the army media checkers at Fiji Times.  One of them read it and phoned up officer D. of the military intelligence unit who said he already knew of the threat and that he was standing outside McDonald’s restaurant in Suva watching the two boys inside planning a terrorist attack and also eating Big Mac hamburgers.

While officer D. was on the phone, a young reporter graduate from the University of the South Pacific newspaper overheard the conversation about terrorism. She asked if she could go to the restaurant and see if there was a story for publication.

She was told by an army officer said that there was no need to go to the restaurant. He advised her to immediately get to work and write the story. The reporter said she was unsure of all the facts of the story. This immediately brought a rebuke that it was reporters like her who brought the media into disrepute, that she should be ashamed to admit that she did not know all the facts and she was going to be reported to officer L. for failing to ascertain facts.

At that moment a large air-conditioned car stopped outside the newspaper office. A senior judge and a colonel got out. The judge remarked in a most cultured voice that is was difficult to work in Suva except in air conditioned surroundings, and that everyone in the country including the poor should have air conditioning at home and work, to improve their work efficiency.

The judge entered the editing room of the Fiji Times and called attention by whacking the tea ladies behind with his leather cane.  During the silence that followed he informed the reporters that he was there in his capacity as a judge to ensure the impartiality of all news, which he said lacked usually lacked impartiality.

As he was being informed about what was happening at McDonalds restaurant he scratched his head and a cloud of dandruff fell to the floor. The distraught tea lady thought it was smoke from a fire and ran from the room shouting… Isa… Isa. In the corridor she tripped over a sleeping soldier. He woke up, grabbed his gun and rushed into the newsroom with a war cry cursing Australian and New Zealand travel restrictions

The judge was panic stricken at being faced by a soldier with a gun, and unfortunately scratched his head again. Much more dandruff fell to the floor making it difficult for anybody in the room to see anybody else.

Someone shouted … smoke, smoke. The army officer who was outside McDonalds restaurant talking on the telephone to the newsroom heard the word smoke and immediately thought smoke…fire… I must do something.

He phoned the army commander at barracks to say Al Qaida terrorists were attacking the Fiji Times newsroom. Within three minutes from the phone call huge army trucks carrying dozens of army personnel with weapons were moving quickly towards the Fiji Times newsroom.

Osama and Al were still eating their hamburgers when they heard the military trucks moving down the road. Osama wanted to see the trucks and rushed outside. He shouted to Al to leave his kai and come outside. The army officer only heard the words Al and kai and made a wrong mental connection.

With the words Al Qaida ringing in his ears, officer D., who had worked in the Middle East  shouted an order. Soldiers fired their rifles at the McDonalds restaurant. The result was as you can imagine. Holes appeared in the windows of the restaurant and also in the numerous hamburgers that were being prepared.

But there was an even worse problem to follow. My small son Osama, rushed out in front of the trucks. He was squashed flat, but survived without injury.

My present problem is now, that Osama, who was a short fat little boy is now long and skinny as a result of being flattened by the big army trucks. He was taken to the hospital for a check up and left there by your kind soldiers. The doctor decided to keep him there overnight, but he is now so tall that he occupied all the space in Wards One,Two, Three, Four and Five and so was soon sent home.

My request is a humble one. I have no work and no income. Osama is now tall enough to be mistaken for a grown man.  He can go to work and earn money for my wife and myself. 

Would you please enlist him in the army?

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

The Fiji Sun is reporting the interim prime minister, Voreqe Bainiamarama, is reasurring the nation the new media decree will set a better relationship with the media.

The paper quotes him as saying: “This consultation will cover certain aspects of the media which will improve the relationship between the people and the media outlets. Nobody is going to escape this consultation and there are ground rules for people of the press to speak on. They have no choice but to take part."

Media outlets including radio, television and print media, are at the first consultation which began this morning at 10 am in Suva, at the Holiday Inn. Consultations in Labasa are on April 8 and in Lautoka, on April 10.

Editor's note: For more on the media decree debate, see the Radio Australia story on Pacific Beat:
For over 12 months now, Fiji's local media and organisations like wire service Pacnews have been censored, with a ban on any negative story about the military regime and a directive that it practise a "journalism of hope". The interim government says the new decree will end that censorship.

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

The Fiji media are gathering today for a close up look at the interim government's new media decree, which will supposedly pave the way for the public emergency regulations to be lifted.

Today's discussions come as local media contend with a decision by the Australian owned and managed, Fiji Times newspaper, to step out of its comfort zone to air its concerns about the decree.

The story was headline news after the attorney general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, yesterday called a special press conference to question comments by the Times publisher and managing director, Anne Fussell.

The Fiji Sun, the Times' rival, ran with a robust story headlined "Fiji Times Accused", quoting Sayed-Khaiyum as saying: “We are very concerned. This appears to be a veiled threat by the Fiji Times against the State.”

The Sun says Ms Fussell is the Fiji representative of Fiji Times owner News Limited, Australia’s most powerful news-paper company, acknowledging its efforts to get comment from her were unsuccessful. It said staff told it Fussell was the only one who could comment but refused to give her phone contact and that an email to her remained unanswered when it went to press.

It added that Ms Fussell arrived from Australia to be publisher and managing director of The Fiji Times early last year. This came after both her two predecessors, Australians Evan Hannah and Rex Gardner (pictured above packing up in January, 2009), were ordered out by the Government.

The coverage by Fiji Live was more reserved with the team going with the headline "AG questions newspaper's motives" and the line "Fiji’s oldest newspaper the Fiji Times has come under criticism from the government one day before consultations begin on a draft media decree."

It had Sayed-Khaiyum saying the one day allocated for consultations would be enough with copies of the decree released at 8am and consultations beginning at 10.30am .

Neither took the opportunity to endorse Fussell's call for the interim government to be more reasonable with the time it was allowing stakeholders to make submissions and neither did they question the overall intent of the new media decree.

With the departures of earlier publishers and editors, it's not the first time the Fiji media have had to report on one of their own since the Bainimarama government took power but it's hoped they - and other stakeholders - are more assertive in today's discussions and submissions. This is, after all, the last chance they may get to shape the news, legitimately.

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

It comes as no surprise that there's blood on the floor a day out from the long-awaited and controversial media decree. Dissent is not something this illegal government tolerates.

So when the managing director of the Fiji Times, Anne Fussell, basically said it was stink that stakeholders would get just two and a half hours to make submissions, the loyal lieutenant Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum was quick to quash her today.

But Fussell is right; the miserable two and a half hours is another attempt to control the process. She is also right to consider the affect the decree will have on investment and revenue sources coming into Fiji.

The outraged Sayed-Khaiyum took the concerns as a threat and seemed particularly stung by the Fiji Times' lack of respect. He told Fiji Television: “This is a media organisation that does not recognise the government, that does not call the Prime Minister the Prime Minister, does not recognise various other members of the government, yet we find suddenly they are worried about the economy and trying to link economy with the decree."

The talks start tomorrow and, supposedly, the Fiji Times will be allowed to attend. But like the recent talks with the Methodist Church leaders, this week's consultations will be a sham.

The Fiji government, thanks to Sayed-Khaiyum, is poised to issue policies and regulations based on the censorship codes Singapore introduced in the 1970s, where one ruling body approves and controls everything relating to media, from newspapers, radio, tv to the internet (even the arts) with a particularly  sharp eye on  foreign ownership.

The Government of Singapore has long argued that censorship of violence and sexual themes is necessary as the Singaporean populace is deeply conservative, and censorship of political, racial and religious content is necessary to avoid upsetting the balance of its delicate multi-racial society.

But the restrictions on the media is an authoritarian belief the government knows better than anyone how to advance the economic, social and cultural well-being of their peoples. Supporters say censorship helps promotes values such as patriotism, social harmony and economic growth but most people know the authority exists to keep the government in power and its hardline policies in place.

Like the misguided Singapore, the Fiji interim government would have us believe they are doing right by the people, by introducing draconian and inhumane regulations that rob us of our rights because they're trying to build us a better Fiji.

But who gave them the right to try and create this perfect Utopia? Yes, some supported the Bainimarama coup and feel dizzy with gratitude for the 'improvements' in the country (see the Facebook page for fans of Bainimarama) but the majority of us did not and remain unconvinced we are in good hands.

Sayed-Khaiyum and his hierarchy are naive to think the Anne Fussell's of this not-so-brave New World of ours will slink off quietly.

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

Fiji's interim government has taken a stab at the Fiji Times newspaper a day out from the public consultations for the new media decree.

The self-appointed government wants an from the newspaper following a recent comment by its Managing Director Anne Fussell regarding the new Media Development Decree.

The Fiji Broadcasting Corporation says Fussell had said the Decree could impact on potential investment and on revenue streams which flow on to the Fiji community through income tax and VAT.

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says the comment could be seen as a threat by the Fiji Times.

“What we would like to ask Anne Fussell to tell the people of Fiji is what does she precisely mean when she says that the Decree will have impact on the investment and revenue streams that is flowing to Fiji. And indeed, she talks about tax and VAT. How is that going to affect the people of Fiji with this media Decree.”

Taking a swipe at the newspaper company the AG says the Fiji Times has had a negative mindset about Fiji.

"Firstly, the Fiji Times is the purveyor of negativity as far as Fiji has been concerned at least for the past three years. This is the media organization that does not recognize the government, does not call the Prime Minister - the Prime Minister - that does not recognize various other members of the government, yet they are concerned about the economy and trying to link the economy with the decree."

The public will be given the Decree at 8am tomorrow with consultation expected to begin at 10.30am.

Fussell has expressed concern that the public should have been given more time to study the Decree however Sayed-Khaiyum says the one day consultation will be adequate.-FBC

Picture: Anne Fussell (top right) in the Fiji Times newsroom with lawyer Richard Naidu and police spokeswoman, Ema Mua.  Bottom right: Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

The interim government of Fiji has formally approved the establishment of the Council of Sugar Cane Growers (CSCG) to administer the affairs of the sugar cane growers.

A statement released this afternoon says Cabinet based its decision on a submission by the Prime Minister and Minister for the Sugar Industry, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama.

The CSCG replaces the dissolved Sugar Cane Growers Council in the Master Award.

The Council will be made up of 11 members, eight from the growers (1 from each District), and three from Government (Commissioner Western, Commissioner Northern, and one from the Sugar Ministry), with one of the Commissioners to be appointed Chairman.

The government says Bainimarama as the Minister responsible for Sugar, will appoint the Board on the advice of the Permanent Secretary for Sugar.

Bainimarama says the Council will take any steps it sees necessary for the protection and development of the industry and the interest of registered growers.

Its particular role will be to provide advisory assistance to registered growers on goods and services relating to the business of cane-growing and agricultural diversification; and make representation to Government and relevant stakeholders in the industry to safeguard and further the interest of farmers.

“The Council will also promote peaceful co-existence and harmonious relations between all stakeholders in the industry; oversee the operations of the District Offices of CSCG; act as a primary source of information and advice to Government on matters pertaining to sugar farmers and the business of growing, harvesting and transporting cane; and establish, hold and administer funds and property for the benefit of registered growers.” 

Funding to meet the operations of the CSCG of about $500,000 and $600,000 per annum, will be met by the growers themselves through a general levy at the rate of about 24c/mt based on a crop size of 2.3million mt.

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

Details of the millions being transferred from Fiji's Reserve Bank to the interim government were first publicised last week on the Matavuvale blog, and picked up by Fiji 2006, but went undetected by the local Fiji meda. Here's the Matavuvale posting.

Bula vinaka to all Freedom fighters in this thread. I have copied below a release I received from a friend of a friend in Fiji. This man Reddy has no shame at all - he makes a big song and dance about the level of foreign reserves when everyone knows it is an artificial level of reserves. The major portion of that $1bio are made up of FNPF foreign investments that were recalled, and unrepatriated profits of the foreign owned banks operating in Fiji.

"The Reserve Bank of Fiji transferred $39,247,000 to Government today. This comprises its
entire profit of $16,600,000 for the financial year ended 31 December 2009 and $22,647,000,
which represents one fifth of the balance of the Revaluation Reserve Account. In view of the
prevailing weak economic conditions and tight fiscal position, the Reserve Bank of Fiji Board
decided not to set aside any profit to General Reserves but instead transfer the full amount to
Government. The transfer to Government in 2009 for the 2008 financial year was
$33,031,000 (profit was $30,460,000 and one-fifth of Revaluation Reserve was $2,571,000).

The Governor and Chairman of the Reserve Bank of Fiji Board, Mr. Sada Reddy said, 'The
2009 financial performance is a significant achievement when one takes into account the
global financial environment where interest rates were at historical low levels'. He added that
the outturn was much better than the Bank’s budget estimates and was greatly assisted by
improvement in the level of foreign reserves. In this regard, Governor Reddy said that 'Fiji
foreign reserves level moved above $1 billion for the first time'. The total foreign reserves
level at the end of 2009 was $1,097,844,000, almost twice the level of $568,691,000 a year
ago.

In accordance with the Reserve Bank of Fiji Act, the audited accounts and operations report
for the 2009 fiscal year were submitted to the Minister for Finance on 29 March 2010."

It is such people like Reddy who supports and props up Voreqe's regime. Be interesting however to see how long such injections of fund into the Treasury will last, or what percentage the Minister of Finance will pay himself from that. Na madua sa oti makawa, sa sega ni dua na ka e qai vo me tarovi koya e na gauna oqo.

I trust you all have had a great time of fellowship with God this Easter Friday. I have.

Labels: Frank Bainimarama

Given the tough economic conditions in Fiji, the country's central bank has transferred its total profit attained in the last fiscal 2009 and one-fifth of the balance of the Revaluation Reserve Account worth $33 million, to the Government.

The Reserve Bank of Fiji's Governor Sada Reddy (right) explained that it was done in view of the terrible financial conditions in the country. He said that the bank decided to not keep any profits in the general reserves. And thus, the entire amount was transferred tothe Government.

Out of the total amount transferred to the Government, the fiscal 2009 profit accounted to $30 million and the remaining amount accounted to one-fifth of the Revaluation Reserve.

"The 2009 financial performance is a significant achievement when one takes into account the global financial environment where interest rates were at historical low levels", said Reddy.

He further said that the total amount produced was greater than the estimations of the bank's budget and it brought with it improvement in foreign reserve levels. He also mentioned that the foreign reserves level has crossed the $1 billion mark for the first time.-Dominic Haber, Topnews.

The attorney general Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum yesterday told the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation that media industry stakeholders will have enough time to look through the Media Decree before they make their submissions.

He said stakeholders will be given the draft media decree at least two and a half hours before they are to make their submissions.

FBC quotes him as saying: “We believe so. In fact what’s actually being put into the draft decree is the many various codes the media need to adhere to or have been adhering to that were in existence, for example through the media council. These are actually now being put as proposed law.”

Sayed-Khaiyum says there won't be any surprises in the media decree, as much of it has already been revealed.

“The bulk of the decree has been set out in the advertisement. The Code of Conduct and also for example when you advertise sexual offences whose names you put out, whose names you don’t. How do you portray people who have been charged?"

"There’s various areas that cover that, its actually quite clear cut. So everybody knows what it is. As the advertisement also says, it has to do with cross media ownership, as you know there was a policy previously, now its being put into law," he said.

"Media Ownership is also addressed in the decree which we looked at jurisdictions like the USA, we have also looked at countries like Singapore where they have a media development authority, which the decree also establishes.”

The Media Decree has been brought in to provide laws that the media should abide by.-Fiji Broadcasting Corporation.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes reports that Fiji’s interim government has said it will permit the Fiji Times and Fiji Television to participate in consultations on a government-devised Media Decree, after initially barring the two media outlets from the process.

The move, announced by interim attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum during a press conference on March 30, follows the administration extending its emergency regulations by one month to the end of April.

The regime of Commodore Frank Bainimarama is reported to have said it will lift the regulations once the Media Industry Development Decree 2010 is finalised.

The regulations, enforced almost a year ago on April 10, 2009 as a “temporary” measure, have imposed sweeping censorship in Fiji, with official censors and police placed in newsrooms. 

The Fiji Times and Fiji Television, among other organisations, said they would appreciate seeing copies of the draft decree in order to inform their response.

“The IFJ remains concerned about the administration’s intentions regarding the role of the Media Decree in relation to independent media, in view of statements that the government would only repeal the emergency regulations after the Media Decree is finalised,” IFJ General Secretary Aidan White said.

“The IFJ therefore strongly encourages the administration to ensure all relevant stakeholders are able to participate in consultation on the decree, without fear or favour, and that the environment for discussion allows for the airing of open and constructive feedback, whether positive or negative.

“A reasonable amount of time must be permitted for this important community process.”

In a statement on March 16, the IFJ called on the interim government to ensure all stakeholders are given the opportunity and adequate time to provide input on the decree. The public consultation had been scheduled to begin that day but was postponed as Fiji contended with a cyclone.

Latest reports are that interested parties must register to participate in the consultations on the decree by April 6, with the consultations to be held in different locations on April 7, 8 and 10.-Anubhuti Singh, Media Newsline

Editor's Note: The Fiji Sun reported yesterday the Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum as saying all interesed stakeholders would be able to attend the media decree talks.

He said consultations would focus on issues like advertising and media ethics and they had opened the consultations to all the media outlets in the country.

“The draft Media Industry Development Decree is now ready and the government is expected to have consultations with the stakeholders next week, on April 7 it will be in Suva, on April 8 it will be in Labasa and in Lautoka on April 10.”

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the draft decree established a Media Industry Development Authority, “which is, to among other things, monitor compliance with the media codes of standard.

“This establishes an Independent Media Tribunal which is to hear complaints against media organisations and individuals.”

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said the tribunal would have powers to hand down rulings and that the draft decree emphasises fair, accurate and responsible reporting.

He said it established a media code of standards including a Code of Ethics and Practice, General Code of Practice for Advertisements.

The decree will be provided to interested stakeholders on the day of consultations. 

FASANOC president, Vidya Lakhan, says he has only been told that the appeal has been turned down, not the reasons why.

Fiji's National Olympic Committee said it could not understand the basis of a Court of Arbitration for Sport decision upholding its ban from October's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Fiji appealed the ban to the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland and urged its athletes to stay in training for the games, but the court Thursday rejected its appeal.

"We can't seem to understand how the decision could have gone against us because the Commonwealth Games Federation constitution says if your country is in the Commonwealth, then your athletes can take part," Fiji Amateur Sports and National Olympic Committee president Vidya Lakhan told Radio New Zealand.

"That was the basis of our appeal to CAS. We're very much interested in finding out the grounds on which our appeal has been dismissed."

Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth last September when military ruler Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who seized power in a 2006 coup, refused to bow to demands to hold elections next year.-Taiwan News and Associated Press

Picture: Fiji's Mere Rabuka defends New Zealand's Irene van Dyke at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006.

CHENNAI: Fiji will not be able to compete at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed an appeal against their exclusion, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said on Thursday.

Athletes from the Pacific Island nation had been banned from competing at the Games after the Commonwealth suspended Fiji last September for failing to meet a deadline on holding general elections in the country.

"The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the case... seeking the right for Fiji to participate at the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October this year," the CGF said on Thursday.

The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee lodged an appeal with CAS in January.

Fiji has been run by a military regime since self-appointed Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama seized power in a coup in 2006.

Bainimarama's critics have called on him to hold fresh elections but he has ruled out a vote until 2014. -The Times of India