Parliament passes tough media bill

The Gambian parliament passed a tough media bill on Wednesday, two months after President Yahya Jammeh refused to sign an earlier version and returned it to the legislators for amendment. The bill was passed by 53 votes to three, with members of parliament from the ruling party castigating the independent media for being "unpatriotic" and always reporting "the bad side" of the government. The Gambia Press Union is opposed to the bill, which provides for the establishment of a media commission with authority equivalent to that of a high court. The commission would register all reporters, be authorised to enforce the disclosure of sources and have the power to impose heavy fines for the publication of "unauthorised government stories". It would also be able to sentence journalists to jail terms for contempt, close down media houses for non-compliance with its orders and admit evidence not admissible in ordinary courts. The commission, according to the bill, would "ensure the impartiality, professionalism and independence of the media, promote the establishment and maintenance of the highest journalistic standards in the mass media [and] facilitate the registration of newspaper journals and broadcasting stations in accordance with the constitution". Jammeh had returned the bill to the house demanding a change in the proposed mode of selection of members of the commission. The previous version gave the president the power to appoint the chairman of the media commission but he wanted an amendment mandating the chief justice to appoint a high court judge to chair the body. The Gambia Press Union said on Wednesday that if Jammeh signed the bill into law it would challenge its consitutionality. The union's chairman, Demba Jawo, said "some of its provisions are incompatible with the provisions of the Gambian constitution". On 13 May, the Paris-based World Association of Newspapers expressed concern over the media bill saying it posed a threat to press freedom in The Gambia and should not be enacted.