The long way to a ‘Broadcasting Bill in Mozambique’

By Ericino de Salema[1]

In July 2007, the Government of Mozambique created a “Working Group” with the mission to draft a Broadcasting Bill in the country. The group is constituted by representatives of the Information Office (GABINFO) – which is the governmental institution, in the office of the Prime-Minister, responsible for mass media issues – the Union of Journalists (SNJ), National Institute for Communications (INCM), Mass Communications Superior Council (CSCS), Mozambican chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Mozambique) and Forum for Community Radios (FORCOM).

In the same month, the “Working Group”, which is headed by Mr. Manuel Veterano, former Radio Mozambique (RM) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and now working for GABINFO, started to develop its job, by discussing general issues. The head underlined that the mission of the group was to create, as soon as possible, a draft bill on broadcasting.

From July to December, the group developed its work, ending with the elaboration of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the drafting of the expected bill. During the five months, the work taken is summarized as follows:

Each institution represented at the group presented its views on what are the main points for a Broadcasting Bill;
Some of the local players (like RM, TVM, Stv) were invited to express their opinions on the matter in discussion;
Experiences from other countries were brought to the attention of the “Working Group”, though researches ran by some of the group members.

On behalf of MISA-Mozambique, I presented what we think is supposed to be reflected in a Broadcasting Bill. The most important issues are these:

Establishment of an Independent Regulatory Board: on our point of view, this is crucial, so that the licensing process and the allocation of frequencies can be democratized;

Allocation of financial resources to public broadcasting institutions via Parliament and not via Government, as it is now: we think that this will make the national radio (RM) and the national television (TVM) responsible to the people, and not to the Government;


Editorial independence: in our opinion, a public broadcasting service can only be more and more effective if the editorial function is undertaken in an independent environment. [In the Press Law, there is a provision which states that public radio and public television are editorially independent from the government, but the reality in the ground suggest the contrary];

Democratization of the indication of Board Members: we think that the indication of the Board Members has to be done in a transparent manner, via, for example, a public bid, in a process in which the candidates can be short-listed by a group constituted by media experts. The short listed will be then taken to the Parliament, for the last procedures. [Now the CEO’s of the public broadcasting institutions are appointed by the Prime-Minister. The Constitutions states (art. 50) that the CSCS has to be consulted, but as far as we know this is not happening!]

A national conference was scheduled to be realized between January-February this year, to discuss the above mentioned ToR, but, so far, nothing has been done. We really do not know what is happening, as this process was being taken as urgent at the beginning.

According to the agenda of the “Working Group”, the national conference would be followed by the drafting of the bill as such. Law experts would be hired by the government to assist the “Working Group” in that. The draft would be discussed in the provinces, before it was sent to the government. This would then adopt the document and send it to the Parliament, as a bill proposal.

For the most members of the “Working Group”, it is rather strange that the process has been paralyzed for nine months now, without any justification. We can, however, point out that initially the government – represented by GABINFO – did not expect that the issues on the appointment process of the Board Members be raised in the “Working Group”, as well as the issue on the financing modalities of the public broadcasting sector.

They clearly expressed reluctance to include this in the ToR and said the government had not given them authorization to include these crucial issues. We therefore suspect that a halt to the process might have been given by the government, having in mind the crucial electoral cycle starting now in November, with the third local elections, up until 2009 with the fourth presidential and legislative elections.

What we can assure you at the time being is that there is room for the elaboration of the story of the long way for a “Broadcasting Bill in Mozambique”.


[1] Information and Research officer for MISA-Mozambique and member of the “Working Group”, in representation of MISA-Mozambique.