By Thoboloko Ntšonyane
MASERU – Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Lesotho Chapter has expressed their “disappointment” to the National Assembly over the way that august house have handled the media reforms contained in the Eleventh Amendment Bill, 2022.
Also, the Institution was unequivocal that it is “disappointed” in the Minister of Justice and Law, Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane who “encouraged” the Members of Parliament (MPs) to remove some of the media reforms clauses.
Addressing the journalists at the press conference on Tuesday this week, MISA Lesotho Chairperson Nkoale Oetsi Tšoana said they are taken aback more so because Advocate Rakuoane was a member of the now defunct National Reforms Authority (NRA) and has a better appreciation of the media reforms but he was at the front advising the house to dismiss these amendments.
The Chairperson said Basotho were unequivocal on what direction they want the media to take.
He said his actions have “undermined” the Senate.
“We feel like he is attacking media, we have to do something as media,” he said, adding that the courts are their “last hope”.
MISA Lesotho Deputy Chairperson Kananelo Boloetse said MISA Lesotho has always supported the reforms process from the onset.
He said the Lower House had been dragging feed to pass this bill.
Boloetse said they have discarded the media reforms to only use media as a scapegoat in future.
“We feel like we have been used,” he said.
MISA has since lodged a court application, petitioning the court to nullify the business undertaken by the parliament during its recall by His Majesty King Letsie III.
It would be recalled that after the Prime Minster had declared the State of Emergency, the King recalled the Parliament to pass the Eleventh Amendment to Constitution Bill, 2022 and the Electoral Bill to usher the public into elections with new pieces of legislation. The Parliament effectively convened from August 24 to 29.
MISA Lesotho wants the court to order: “That the business of the 10th Parliament conducted following Declaration of State of Emergency and Recall of Parliament pursuant to Legal Notice No.79 of 2022 (Declaration of State of Emergency, 2022) and Legal Notice No. 82 of 2022 (Recall of the Tenth Parliament Notice, 2022) be declared null and void from ab initio [from the onset].”
Some of the recommendations made by the National Reforms Authority (NRA) that the Lower House has expunged are the establishment of the Media Ombudsman. The Media Council was supposed to be a body which regulates the conduct of the media practitioners among others.
The clause containing the composition and the functions of the Media Council was ditched by the august house on the advise of Advocate Rakuoane, saying it should be replaced with the new sub-clause which says “the media council shall establish media Ombudsman Office as may be necessary”.
Also, the recommendation by NRA that the National Assembly has discarded is that of transforming the Lesotho National Broadcasting Service (LNBS) into a corporation. The recommendation from the Multi-stakeholder National Dialogue Plenary II Report, a report that contains the collective wishes of Basotho on changes they want to see effected in their institutions, says “transform the Lesotho National Broadcasting Services from state broadcaster into an independent public broadcaster”.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology who is also a government Spokesperson Hon. Tsoinyane Rapapa expressed government’s satisfaction over the passing of both the Electoral Bill and the Omnibus Bill.
Media is one of the thematic areas that was earmarked to be reformed to ensure professionalism and adherence to media ethics and code of conduct.
