The member of Fiji's opposition Sodelpa party at the centre of a dispute with the Fiji Sun says the retraction of a Media Industry Development Authority ruling may pave the way for the issue to go to the Media Tribunal.
Transcript
The member of Fiji's opposition Sodelpa party at the centre of a dispute with the Fiji Sun says the retraction of a Media Industry Development Authority ruling may pave the way for the issue to go to the Media Tribunal.
MIDA has said its decision which found a Fiji Sun article was defamatory was made outside its legal powers.
Sodelpa's Pita Waqavonovono says the retraction gives the Fiji Sun a fresh opportunity to properly respond to his complaint.
He told Mary Baines says he is seeking an apology, and for the complaint to go to the Media Tribunal where he would be able to seek remedies.
PITA WAQAVONOVONO: Myself, and I'm sure MIDA, the MIDA chair, we're all waiting on Fiji Sun to respond to my complaint, and respond to the letter properly. And then what would basically happen is they would make a proper decision on what happens to the complaint. The complaint that I had filed with MIDA was in regards to two issues. First of all, a very inappropriate article written by Fiji Sun where they basically said that I should shave and buy deodorant and I should be cleaned out of the Sodelpa party. As a young person in the party I found great insult in that article and so I complained. It was in September 2014. December of 2014 I filed a second complaint that was relating to an article written again by the Fiji Sun that I felt was similar to hate reporting and was racist in content. And I believe that Fiji Sun or any other national newspaper or media organisation should not be found to do certain things. I believe that this is a good test of the media decree, a good test of MIDA and the current laws that we currently have in the country. In saying that, I am waiting on Fiji Sun to respond and them myself, my lawyers, a whole group of other people in the country will all take the necessary steps?
MARY BAINES: So you're [now] waiting for Fiji Sun to respond to your complaint, have they not done that yet?
PW: Now that a retraction has been done, MIDA, the chair, has basically asked if Fiji Sun could respond again to my complaint and they will start the process altogether. My complaint basically asked for a few solutions. The first solution was an apology, and the second was a change in editorial line and the third was that my issue or my complaint could be taken to the Media Tribunal, which is the proper body within the media decree that can actually make legal decisions and seek remedies under the media decree. So all of these solutions that I had asked for were silent in the response, the earlier response. And I'm glad that the retraction has been done so that this is sort of like, it makes me feel as if they would probably consider the three remedies that I have put forward.
The Fiji Sun publisher Peter Lomas says the newspaper will discuss MIDA's letter of retraction and apology with its lawyer before deciding whether to take any further action.
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