MELBOURNE (Australian Network News / Pacific Media Watch): Fiji risks becoming an electoral autocracy if the government maintains its tight control over the media, the University of the South Pacific's head of journalism says.
In a recent academic paper, Dr Marc Edge argued the situation in Fiji was similar to Singapore where there was tight press control and elections without democracy.
Fiji's interim government currently censors the media as part of the 2009 Public Emergency Regulation.
Dr Edge told Pacific Beat restrictions should not be placed on the media, especially while Fiji prepared for planned elections in 2014.
"Singapore has been called an electoral autocracy - that is, elections without democracy," he said. "Is that was Fiji wants? I rather doubt it."
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Pacific Media Watch
