Chad media, govt in battle

2006-04-25 22:08

Ndjamena - A week before the first round of presidential elections in Chad, the country's private radio stations have accused the government - which only allows state-run media to broadcast live debates - of preventing free and fair coverage of the campaign.

But even if incumbent Idriss Deby's victory in the May 3 vote is virtually guaranteed by an opposition boycott, the stakes are high in the privately-owned media's tug-of-war with the government, which has thus far successfully resisted a transition to genuinely open debate.

To begin with, in a country where only a tiny percentage of the population has access to television, radio remains by far the most important medium of mass communication.

Then there is the fact that saying the wrong thing on the air carries stiff penalties: four journalists served time in jail - albeit only a few weeks in each case - after being convicted last year by the government of "defamation".

From one perspective, the stations have already gained ground in their struggle to expand election reporting.

Until Chad's High Commission for Communication (HCC) decided last month that private radio companies could provide limited coverage of political campaigns, the country's 14 associative and community stations were totally banned from the political arena.

Radio executives, however, say that the victory was partial at best, and came only after a year-long legal battle following the HCC's ban of campaign coverage ahead of a June 2005 constitutional referendum.

"The HCC decision is pernicious," commented Gada Nder, the head of FM radio Liberty.

"There is nothing really at stake in this election because all the candidates are allied with the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement party. Our only margin for maneuver is covering live debate, but they have forbidden that," he added.

The ban might seem less onerous - at least for Chadian voters - if the government-run stations exercised their right to broadcast real-time debate, but they do not, other private radio executives pointed out.

The government justifies its political censorship by arguing that it seeks to guarantee the orderly unfolding of campaigns. "Live political debate is banned to avoid verbal excesses," explained HCC president Moussa Dago.

The head of Chad's media watchdog said other, more pragmatic, considerations were at play as well. "We authorised private stations to cover presidential campaigns ... to make up for certain deficiencies in public radio and television."

A large chunk of Chad has been deprived of national radio broadcasts for more than a month because of an inoperative transmitter with a broken part that cannot be easily replaced, Dago explained. Repairs aren't expected anytime soon.

Private radio advocates say these are the real reasons for relaxing the rules for political coverage. "The HCC does not really want more freedom," commented Zara Yacoub, the director of FM station DJA.

"For me, there is no gain in freedom of the press in this decision."

- SAPA