Posted on 12 April 2023
The Fiji government have announced that the nation’s Media Industry Development Act (MIDA) will be abolished. The MIDA was implemented in 2010, and gave the government immense control over all aspects of the media, restricting the freedom of journalists in the nation.
A statement from the Fijian Media Association (FMA) was read by Hon. Manoa Kamikamica, Minister for Communications, at Parliament, describing the act as “a useless, but dangerous and vindictive piece of legislation for the industry."
"The repeal of the MIDA Act has long been a unifying demand of all media organisations in Fiji. No government, including this Peoples Coalition government should ever be given such power over the media,” she goes on to say.
Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad also spoke in full support of the repeal, and stated in regard to the opposition that "repealing of the act will be beneficial for them, good for democracy and good for our people in this country."