A new law to regulate the Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation will do nothing to improve the functioning of state owned media, SNP leader Wavel Ramkalawan has said after the law was passed in the National Assembly this week.
The law fails to meet the requirement of the Constitution for all state-funded media to be impartial and to accord access to divergent political views. "Article 168 of the Constitution specifically states that all media which receive money from the state must be so 'constituted and managed' that they are not influenced by any person or group," Mr Ramkalwan noted. "For that to happen for the SBC, it is absolutely necessary for its Board to be made up of persons independent of the Executive and of anyone representing political parties."
The most glaring fact is that all appointments to the seven-member SBC Board depend on the President. In effect, the President has total control of the Board.
Firstly, the Chairman and two members are appointed by the President from nominations made by the Constitutional Appointments Authority (CAA), which is effectively controlled by the President. Since he appoints the chairman and one other member of the 3-member CAA, the President's wishes effectively determine the nominations of the CAA and the subsequent appointments.
Secondly, two members are from Government organisations, from the Ministry of Information and the Attorney General’s office. Thirdly, the President directly appoints two other members of the SBC Board.
The SNP leader considers that the law is unconstitutional. It fails both the key terms of Article 168 which is that state-funded media should be 'constituted' and 'managed' to be independent of political influence.
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