Motsumi acceds to fresh look at media organs

RAMPHOLO MOLEFHE | Thursday April 15, 2010 00:00

 

Without much fuss, she matter of factly averted what could have turned into a stormy meeting by acceding, as if in passing, to a fresh start to the election of the complaints and appeals committees of the press council that was the send off work of the former minister, Pelonomi Venson Moitoi.

'I am saying whatever it takes to get this thing going, even if it means the dissolution of the committees that now exist, is fine if that will lead to getting this thing to work,' Motsumi said.

Stunned by the minister's swift and frank manner, the assembled media representatives enquired more than once about 'what then is going to happen to the Media Practitioners Act'.

The committees, with Mike Klinck as deputy chairperson of the complaints committee, were set up as mechanisms to launch the operations under the Media Practitioners Act passed by the Botswana Democratic Party dominated Parliament last year.

Motsumi gave her blessings to a fresh start requiring government spokesperson and former MISA spokesperson, Jeff Ramsay, to convene a meeting at which the media community will presumably be permitted to select their complaints and appeals committees under the government initiated law.

It is not certain what will happen to the Press Council established under the auspices of the MISA a number of years ago.

It was pointed out that once operational, Section 7 of the Act will make it mandatory for the targeted media establishments to register failing which they will be vulnerable to a fine.

Minister Motsumi wants results in the next two weeks, before the meeting of the High Level Consultative Council whose historical purpose, it was announced, is to provide a forum where government meets the Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Management to seek common ground for cooperation.

Minutes of the last meeting held in April last year indicate that BOCCIM wanted a permanent seat on the Press Council as constituted by outgoing minister, Venson- Moitoi.

The meeting also heard representations seeking input from the music unions with regard to the operations of the Copyright Collecting Society, also seeking that organisation to involve the media and other sections of the community that are affected by the copyright Act.

The same was suggested for the establishment of the film commission which is expected to take into account the interests of actors, musicians and other sections of the movie making industry.

It was reported that there exists an advertising society which has a draft constitution 'and what remains is the drafting of a bill'.

The meeting heard that a recording studio, established at the initiative of President Ian Khama is technically ready for operation and that the terms of its use, not reported to the meeting, 'have already been agreed'.

Minister Motsumi directed that there should be no conflict between the purpose of the recording studio, primarily intended to assist 'aspiring artists' and the interests of the established commercial recording studios.