The Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Communications Information and Technology, Lefaoalii Unutoa Auelua-Fonoti, has said her decision to reject a public notice from the opposition Human Rights Protection Party on Radio 2AP was an “impartial decision.”
Samoa Observer says she denied the decision to deny the notice was “neither influenced by any political affiliation nor any other figure as you had presumed.”
The HRPP had paid for a public notice last week to call for nominations for the upcoming by-elections, but Lefaoali’i rejected the notice and had staff return the cheque.
Party Secretary Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi accused the CEO of politicizing the radio station’s services and not being impartial.
He accused her of not being impartial and said her actions are a bad reflection of the Government and the role of the media, which should be independent.
“This is undemocratic and against all values of good governance.”
A veteran journalist and Radio New Zealand correspondent, Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia told the newspaper that public-funded media should allow any political party to have access to their service and not reject the party’s public notices.
He said the public notice should only be rejected if the wording of the notices breached the Media Code of Practice.
