Lesotho Communications Authority (amendment) Bill 2008 was submitted before the Portfolio committee in the National Assembly on Friday.

Submitting the report, the Committee's Chairman, Mr. Hlonepho Nts'ekhe, said the Bill amends the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority Act of 2000 to make provision for the intervention of the Minister in exceptional and compelling circumstances.

The minister's intervention will be where public interest is endangered or prejudiced by the continual operation of the licensee and to ensure stability within the sector at all times.

Mr. Nts’ekhe said the Bill also provides the Minister with power of approval on the functions exercisable by the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA).

'This report serves to prevent the Committees' decision on this Bill drawn out of briefings, discussions and consultations,' he stressed.

Speaking during the debate, the Minister of Communications Science and Technology, Mr. Mothetjoa Metsing, said in 2001 when the government first introduced the policy of privatisation of some of its institutions Telecommunications was one of them.

However, he said then telecommunications included telephones only and it was decided later that electronic media such as radio stations had to be included, 'hence the need to put up an authority, whose duty was to issue licenses and monitor the radio stations and that an amendment is made to the initial Act'.

Mr. Metsing urged members of the National Assembly to support the report of the committee, which has also made an amendment to the Lesotho Communications Authority Act 2000 to make provision for the intervention of the Minister.

Meanwhile, a member of Basotho National Party (BNP) in the National Assembly, Mr. Seabata Thabisi said though he appreciates the job done by the committee, he does not agree with the content of the report.

He believed that the Minister has been provided with a lot of powers to exercise over private radio stations, and added that he felt that authorities should be left to oversee that radio stations carryout their task well.

On the other hand, representatives of All Basotho Convention (ABC), Mr. Sello Maphalla, Rantelali Shea and Motlohi Maliehe strongly opposed the content of the report, saying private radio stations should be left to exercise their right of freedom of expression as tabulated in the constitution.

They believed that the amendment is intended to close down private radio stations, which are critical of government and that instead the government should privatise state owned Radio Lesotho.

However, some members of the National Assembly felt that too much freedom without restrictions is dangerous to the stability of the country.

Mr. Dominic Motikoe and Ms. Keletso Rants’o said the report should be adopted as it is because of their experiences in which some privately owned radio stations were abused like in a case, where one radio station incited people to close main roads leading to Maseru.

Ms. Rants'o said 'People were prevented from carrying out their business freely because of one person, who said some members of their army were being arrested'.

On the other hand, Mr. Motikoe said media practitioners ought to be thoroughly trained so that they know what to say when they are on air.

He said, 'Some of the media practioners say things which are not supposed to be said on air like character assassinations'.

The Committee had interactive sessions with the Minister and his team after which the deliberation on the Bill, clause by clause followed. The committee, which has all the representatives of the parties in parliament, approved the content.

Source: LENA 16/05/2008