Fiji's media authority has denied accusations of shutting down leaders' debates and threatened legal action if the Labour Party leader cannot provide further evidence.
Ashwin Raj, chair of Fiji's media authority MIDA Photo: RNZ / Republika
Last week, Mahendra Chaudhry said the Chairman of the Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA), Ashwin Raj, was preventing media from holding debates, and trying to organise his own.
Ashwin Raj says there are leaders' debates on radio this weekend and the newspapers have been full of them.
He says he originally wanted to collaborate with the mainstream media to organise a debate but a lack of staffing has prevented him from doing so.
He says Mr Chaudhry must now put up some evidence.
"Given the serious nature of these allegations, I have asked that Mr Chaudhry furnish Fijians and the Media Industry Development Authority with credible evidence, concrete evidence."
Ashwin Raj says he supports the call from SODELPA for debates to be live and have questions put directly to leaders without any vetting.
