No Democracy Without Free Press

No Democracy Without Free Press

Democracy, religious freedom, freedom to assemble & petition and freedom of speech are all curtailed when freedom of the press is compromised.

As the world celebrates Press Freedom Day today, the Fiji Women’s Rights Movement urges Fijians to reflect on the importance of a free press. 
 
“All societies need a set of checks and balances to ensure there is democracy and freedom from corruption. A free media is one of the most critical components of these checks and balances,” said FWRM’s Executive Director Virisila Buadromo.
 
“You cannot rightfully say that a country is democratic and that its citizens enjoy basic human rights and freedom from discrimination, unless and until its press is free from censorship and regulations.”
 
“As the Fourth Estate, the press is essential in the monitoring of the political process to ensure accountability and transparency”
 
“In fact, if you look around the world, you can clearly see that the freer a country’s press is, the more democratic the country is,” Buadromo added.
 
In Fiji, all successive States since the country’s first coup of May 1987 seemed to think the Fiji press was too liberal, thus the constant threat of regulation. The threats became a reality in 2010 when the Media Industries Development Decree was implemented. .
 
“As a feminist and human rights-based organisation, FWRM has always condemned the control and censorship of the media. Without a free media, women and girls as members of society cannot make informed and educated decisions that affect their lives, families and communities. It is critical that the State recognizes that the success of Fiji’s democratization process needs to involve meaningful public consultation that is informed and educated. This is only possible when the media is free from any form of censorship – State or otherwise”, she said.

ENDS

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