The following letter is from PINA's president, Mr. William Parkinson. It
is in response to a letter to the editor
published in The Fiji Sun, and then distributed by the Pasifik Nius service
run from USP, and published on the
Pacific Islands Report website.
(SEE: PINA Blasted Over Media Freedom In Fiji at http://pidp.ewc.hawaii.edu/PIReport/2000/June/06-16-fijipasifiksat2.htm.)
The Editor
Fiji Sun
Walu Bay , Suva
Dear Sir:
I am writing to thank Jim Smith for his kind remarks concerning PINA and myself
in Saturday1s Fiji Sun.
In that letter he commented on PINA’s supposed silence since the takeover
of Parliament and compared it to
PINA1s "attacks" on the Chaudhry Government.
Unfortunately, when emotions run high the facts are often the first victim
so let's get the facts right first.
In any situation where media freedom is threatened the Pacific Islands News
Association takes various forms of
action. Where its members are concerned these are taken in consultation with
the members affected.
Most commonly this takes the form of public statements and worldwide media
alerts using the International
Freedom Exchange or IFEX, which distributes the alerts via email to media freedom
organizations and other
interested parties globally.
Since May 19th, PINA has issued several public statements on the situation
and six IFEX alerts.
While we deplore the actions by Mr. Speight and the hijacking of democracy
in Fiji, we must remember that it is
the media1s role to cover both sides of the story. In this regard PINA notes
that most parties in the current
debate have respected media freedom and the media for the most part has been
free to do it1s job with a couple
of notable exceptions.
The most serious was the trashing of Fiji One, which Mr. Smith seems to have
forgotten, took place shortly after
a program in which PINA was represented. PINA issued a statement and a series
of alerts condemning this
criminal action.
With regards to the subsequent correspondence between the Ministry of Communication
and Fiji TV in regard to
the Close Up program and a possible threat to Fiji TV’s license, PINA has
been working with the Fiji TV
management on the matter. It was decided that a public statement was not required
at this stage but several alerts
were sent out.
The Ministry and those in power should note however that any attempt to challenge
Fiji TV’s license will be met
with the most vigorous response both locally and internationally.
Other threats to media freedom have comprised general threats made to media
organizations and journalists, most
emanating from criminal elements within the Parliamentary complex. We have appealed
to all parties to respect
media freedom and in most cases those in authority have responded positively.
While we all have personal opinions on the hostage taking and subsequent events,
the media has strived to remain
neutral and attempt to cover all sides of this very complex story. In general,
I think the Fiji media have done an
excellent job under very difficult circumstances.
On that note, PINA as a regional body sees its role as defending and promoting
the cause of media freedom and
is reluctant to comment on issues outside that area. We recognize the importance
of all "freedoms" as stated in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but feel it is the role of other Non-Government
Organizations and
pressure groups to comment on areas in which they would have more expertise
then PINA.
PINA covers an area of the Pacific, which includes 21 countries and territories.
We have entered into debate with
countless Governments on media freedom issues. Here in Fiji we have raised media
freedom issues with nearly
every Government since independence. To suggest that PINA picked specifically
on the Chaudhry Government
merely indicates a very short memory.
WILLIAM PARKINSON
President
Pacific Islands News Association
This site is best viewed using Netscape 4.0 or higher.
Any problems or kind suggestions, please email: webmaster@lookinglassdesign.com
last revision June 21, 2000