In the early evening, the Prime Minister presented the IBA (Amendment) Bill where most of the Opposition members emphasized that there had been no consultation with the stakeholders. For them, the right of expression of listeners is now threatened.
“There is no attempt to muzzle private radio stations”, says Pravind Jugnauth
Launching the debates on the bill, the Prime Minister insisted that the aim “is not to undermine freedom of expression not an attempt to muzzle private radio stations”. Pravind Jugnauth underlined the fact that the amendments were imposed by changes that occurred in the audiovisual sector. According to him, the amendments will help the Independent Broadcasting Authority to do its job better.
“Clearly, Top Fm is being targeted”, says Duval
The leader of the opposition was the first to intervene after the Prime Minister. According to Xavier-Luc Duval, the amendments proposed show clearly that Top Fm is being targeted by the government. He listed a series of actions taken by government bodies against Top FM and its proprietors. He stated that this crusade stated after the CEO of Top FM lodged a judicial review against the granting of two radio licenses before the courts. “There is no coincidence”, he added. Xavier-Luc Duval also spent a few minutes on the fact that radio license will have to be renewed every year. According to him, there are double standards because two private radios have had their licenses renewed for 3 years. He added that in other countries, licenses are obtained for 5 to 8 years.
“Those who respect the law have nothing to fear,” says Toussaint
The Minister of Sports stated that no specific radio is being targeted by this bill. Stephan Toussaint laid emphasis on the responsibilities of a radio. He accused members of the Opposition of taking too much time to speak about one radio only. According to him, those who respect the law have nothing to fear. “This is the case for every entity and company”, he said. Kalpana Koonjoo-Shah went along the same lines during her intervention.
