The National Legislative Assembly

On Monday, the Parliament overwhelmingly passed the Media Authority Bill from its second to the third reading for further discussion.

Members of parliament have expressed satisfaction at the progress of three Media bills that are being discussed in the National Assembly.

Barnaba Mariel Benjamin, the National Minister of Information told Journalists shortly after the debate why the bill went through easily:

“As we said, these laws have undergone a rigorous debate and discussion both at local as well as at a regional and international level.

A lot of expertise has been put into it. A lot of involvements of the general public, the civil society organizations have contributed. So, we at the Ministry of Information are satisfied that it has gone through.”

For his part, the chairperson of the Association of Media Development in South Sudan, Dr. Hakim Darious said he likes the energy shown by the MPs in debating the bill.

“I think the deliberations today have been lively,” said Dr. Darious, “Many MPs seem to have understood the gist of the media bill, this particular one.”

So far, two of the three bills, that is, the Media Authority Bill and the Public Broadcasting and Cooperation Bill are progressing through the legislative process.

However, the bill which would grant Access to Information is still in the early stages and has its second reading today.

The Draft Media Authority Bill 2012 is a part of media reform legislation also comprising of the Right to Information Bill and the South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation Bill.

Article 19 believes that the Draft Media Authority Bill requires several improvements in order to create a safe legal environment for the media in the country.

In particular, the analysis relies on international standards for freedom of expression and broadcasting that stipulate that the media regulatory body should be independent from government, should have precisely circumscribed powers, and must take measures prescribed by law.

Legal remedy should be secured against all decisions of the authority.

In view of the international standards, Article 19 stipulates that the Media Authority, as proposed by the Draft Media Authority Bill, will not be independent from the government for a number of reasons.

Firstly, its members would be appointed by the joint action of the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, the Council of Ministers, and the President, and can be removed by the President, on the recommendation of the Minister.

Article 19 also notes that although apparently more participants contribute to the process, they are all from parts of the government.

Furthermore, the Media Authority budget shall depend on government approval; it may accept grants from the government, thereby opening a door for undue influence.