* Pacific Media Watch Online - check the website for archive and links:
* Post a comment on PMW's Right of Reply:
STATE WANTS REGULATED DEREGULATON
Daily to close down soon: Qarase
SUVA (The Sun/Pacific Media Watch): The Fiji government supports deregulation of the media - but Prime Minister
Laisenia Qarase stresses it should be regulated, reports The Sun.
"I must stress that the government of the day supports regulated deregulation," the Prime Minister said in Parliament
yesterday when replying to a question raised by Fiji Labour Party parliamentarian Satendra Singh.
Singh had asked if there were plans to invite other television companies to operate in Fiji in order to create
competition and to encourage better services, providing a choice to the viewing public.
Labour leader Mahendra Chaudhry said that since the government favoured deregulation, he did not see any reason why it
was not inviting other television companies to operate in Fiji.
Qarase said his government supported deregulation - but a regulated one.
He said the government would like Fiji TV One to improve its services, but not through deregulation.
The Prime Minister said that what government wanted in Fiji was regulated deregulation.
Fiji did not have the market for another TV station.
Any deregulation must be good for all parties, he said.
In citing a "good example" on the Fiji market, Qarase said that currently there were three daily newspapers, but the
price was still high.
He said of the dailies that one [Fiji Times] had a good backing but the other two [Daily Post and The Sun] were really
struggling, and one would soon be closing down.
Chaudhry said that the people had the right to choose, but with the case of television in the country, they were denied
this right.
Qarase said Fiji TV One executives had promised there would be an improvement.
+++niuswire
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH ONLINE http://www.pmw.c2o.org
PACIFIC MEDIA WATCH is an independent, non-profit, non-government organisation comprising journalists, lawyers, editors
and other media workers, dedicated to examining issues of ethics, accountability, censorship, media freedom and media
ownership in the Pacific region. Launched in October 1996, it has links with the Journalism Program at the University of
the South Pacific, Bushfire Media, the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism, and Pactok Communications, in
Sydney and Port Moresby.
(c)1996-2002 Copyright - All rights reserved.
Items are provided solely for review purposes as a non-profit educational service. Copyright remains the property of the
original producers as indicated. Recipients should seek permission from the copyright owner for any publishing.
Copyright owners not wishing their materials to be posted by PMW please contact us. The views expressed in material
listed by PMW are not necessarily the views of PMW or its members.
Recipients should rely on their own inquiries before making decisions based on material listed in PMW. Please copy
appeals to PMW and acknowledge source.
For further information, inquiries about joining the Pacific Media Watch
listserve, articles for publication, and giving feedback contact Pacific
Media Watch at: E-mail: delaro@clear.net.nz Fax: (+679) 30 5779 or (+612) 9660 1804 Mail: PO Box 9, Annandale, NSW 2038,
Australia or, PO Box 78028, Auckland 1002, New Zealand. New website: www.pmw.c2o.org