By M. A. Egge
The Minister of Information, National Guidance and Cultural heritage has underscored the need of media laws that are full-proof, with no inconsistencies or ambiguities.
Hon. Abdillahi Mohamed U’kuse reiterated and underpinned the case for comprehensive and apt media regulations when he met the journalists’ national organization, SOLJA, over the week.
The minister testified to the fact that the country’s media law of 2004 had numerous holes in it that needs to be amended or restructured. He affirmed to the fact that the national councils and assemblies were also privy to this fact and that, they too, are for an apt legal means to regulate the media industry.
The meeting that brought together the media representations, SOLJA, was graced by the attendance of senior departmental heads of the information ministry, top veteran media professionals and representatives of line institutions.
“The legal constitutional laws that apply to media have numerous inconsistencies” said Hon. U’kuse”.
“The fact is known quite well by the media industry fraternity, the lawmakers who created it, the cabinet and also the judiciary sectors,” observed the minister.
The explained, “The law in use mainly applies to media owners and scribes hence is not comprehensively inclusive but silent on the electronic media such as the televisions and internet sectors”.
He added, “The wordings do not fully consolidate applications of the law comprehensively hence are ambiguous in many instances”.
The minister stated that it was incumbent upon the state to address the issue well and thrush out any inconsistencies or ambiguity that abounds thereof.
“It is incumbent upon us to leave a concrete legacy”, said the minister while citing the fact that the industry was now a mature one that has come of age.
